New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Planning the opening to an impactful narrative
I can plan the opening to an impactful narrative.
New
New
Year 11
Edexcel
Planning the opening to an impactful narrative
I can plan the opening to an impactful narrative.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Stories might have an impact on someone's life by changing their perspective, or revealing something about humanity.
- All stories are composed of five different elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement.
- In order to write an effective opening, we need to know the rest of the narrative to set up the atmosphere.
Keywords
Impactful - having a powerful effect on a situation or person
Atmosphere - the overall mood of a story or poem
Exposition - sets up the setting, characters and atmosphere of the story
Climax - the most intense moment within a story, marking a turning point for the protagonist(s)
Denouement - the end of the story; the resolution of conflict
Common misconception
You can write the opening of a story without knowing the ending.
An effective opening builds up the atmosphere in order to lead the reader to the ending; therefore, you have to know what the ending is in order to create a cohesive atmosphere in the opening.
It would be useful for pupils to share their ideas about what an impactful narrative might be as it is a big question and they might struggle for ideas.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of serious crime
- Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
'An intention or decision about what one is going to do' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?
Q2.
'The overall mood of a story or poem' is the definition of which word beginning with 'a'?
Q3.
'The main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story or other literary work' is the definition of which word beginning with 't'?
Q4.
'Having a powerful effect on a situation or person' is the definition of which word beginning with 'i'?
intentional
incidental
Q5.
'The most intense moment within a story, marking a turning point for the protagonist(s)' is the definition of which word beginning with 'c'?
Q6.
Starting with the first, put these events from Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' in chronological order.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the following is the definition of the 'rising action' in a narrative?
It sets up the setting, characters and atmosphere of the narrative.
The most intense moment in the narrative.
The end of the story.
Q2.
Which of the following is the definition of the 'falling action' in a narrative?
It sets up the setting, characters and atmosphere of the narrative.
The most intense moment in the narrative.
The end of the story.
Q3.
Starting with the first, put the five stages of a narrative in chronological order.
Q4.
'Sets up the setting, characters and atmosphere of the story' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Q5.
'The end of the story; the resolution of conflict' is the definition of which word?
atmosphere
climax
Q6.
The five distinct stages of a narrative are known as Freytag's .