Lesson Plan
1 of 3
Planning and writing a narrative that
interests the reader
Developing
writer
Cycle C
Duration: 1 hour
Resources needed
Lesson aims
 CD-ROM Cycle C
(Developing writer)
Resource sheet 1.1:
Starter activity: building
a word hoard OHT
 to begin to choose vocabulary appropriate for the
form of writing
 Plain A4 paper to make
small folding books
 Student Book page 18–
19: illustrations of
Beowulf’s adventures
and text from story of
Beowulf and Grendel
Assessment
Focuses
AF1, AF5, AF6, AF7
 to know how to add detail to develop a character
 to know how to link events in a simple narrative
and use time related words or phrases
Target areas
 Target area 1: Plan and organise writing
 Target area 2: Extend the range of connectives
within sentences
 Target area 3: Add detail and interest to
sentences
Starter (15 minutes)
Using the instructions on Resource sheet 1.1, teach students how to make a small concertina book. Get
them to label the front panel ‘Word hoard’ (i.e. a store of treasures) and explain that they will use this to
collect vocabulary appropriate to the text type they will be reading and writing in this cycle of lessons.
Explain that the focus of these lessons is on writing to describe and narrate, using ideas from the stories
about the Scandinavian warrior Beowulf that were told long ago. Display the list of words on a projector
and, together, build more synonyms around the key words. Practise linking the words together to form
noun phrases. Ask students to predict the kind of stories for which this vocabulary would be apt. Direct
them to the illustrations on pages 18–19 of the Student Book and brainstorm ideas for more vocabulary to
add to the word hoard. You could label the different sections of the book, e.g. words to describe
characters; powerful verbs; descriptions of settings.
Introduction (15 minutes)
Explain that most stories in Beowulf’s time were told by word of mouth around the fire at the end of the
day. Using Resource sheet 1.2, display a copy of the short extract from the story of how Beowulf defeated
the monster Grendel (or refer students to page 19 of the Student Book) and read it aloud with expression.
(A longer version can be found on page 22–23 of the Reading Student Book.) Organise students into
groups of four and give each group a set of time-related words and phrases, cut up as cards (see Resource
sheet 1.3). The task of the group is to rehearse a three-minute re-telling of the story, using the ‘time cards’
to prompt them and to help sequence events as they retell the story from memory. They can refer to the
illustrations in the Student Book to help them add detail to the original, and they can also use their ‘word
hoards’. Remove the original story and hear some of the group retellings. Reflect on how the sequencing
prompts helped them.
Development (20 minutes)
Using Resource sheet 1.2 on a projector, show students how to create a humament – a piece of writing
made by selecting and re-ordering words from the text in order to create a new one. You can use the
example on page 19 of the Student Book or make one of your own.
Model for students how to keep re-reading the text being created to check that the new text makes sense
and to help establish which words from the original to choose next.
Students work in pairs or individually to create their own humament.
Target English Writing Teacher’s File
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© Harcourt Education 2007
Lesson Plan
1 of 3
Planning and writing a narrative that
interests the reader
Developing
writer
Cycle C
Duration: 1 hour
Plenary (10 minutes)
Share some of the humament texts to see how many versions of the story the students have created.
Highlight the different ways in which they have described characters and events during this lesson, listing
some examples on the whiteboard to illustrate, preferably using examples that students have found
memorable, such as by:

building noun phrases, e.g. a ferocious foe; the fearless swordsman

building up their own invented detail when telling a story orally

selecting and re-ordering words to make their humament.
Students can add to their word hoard examples of striking new words and phrases used during the lesson.
Extension
Write a display copy of your humament and illustrate it.
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© Harcourt Education 2007
Lesson Plan
2 of 3
Planning and writing a narrative that
interests the reader
Developing
writer
Cycle C
Duration: 1 hour
Resources needed
Lesson aim
 CD-ROM Cycle C (Developing writer)
Resource sheet 2.1: Spelling irregular
past tense verbs
 to know how to use
subordinating conjunctions in
clauses that add interesting
detail
 CD-ROM Cycle C (Developing writer)
Resource sheet 2.2: Main clauses and
subordinate clauses
 Student Book page 20: story of how
Beowulf defeated the Dragon
Assessment
Focuses
AF1, AF5 , AF6,
AF7
Target areas
 Target area 2: Extending the
range of connectives within
sentences
 Target area 3: Adding detail and
interest to sentences
Starter (15 minutes)
Remind students that narratives are usually written in the past tense since they are recounting events that
have already happened. Display the infinitives of the following verbs: to defeat, to fail, to conquer. Decide
with students how these verbs would be written in the present tense (defeats, fails, conquers) and in the
past tense (defeated, failed, conquered). Point out that it is also possible to use an -ing ending with the
present tense is and the past tense was, i.e. is failing, was conquering. Explain that many verbs in the past
tense end in -ed but that some don’t follow that pattern. Display Resource sheet 2.1 on a projector, and
work with students to complete the columns. Correct past tenses are slept, fought, thought, strode, rode,
struck. Ask pairs to discuss and decide how to complete the rest of the columns. Share answers and write
correct choices on the chart. Past tenses are: left, broke, sped, shook, hurt. Ask if students can add any
more examples of past tense verbs that don’t end in -ed, e.g. to bring – brought; to lose – lost; to stand –
stood; to catch – caught. Suggest that students list irregular past tense verbs in a spelling log or personal
dictionary for future reference.
Introduction (15 minutes)
Remind students of the work they did in the previous lesson building noun phrases to describe characters
and events e.g. ferocious foe, deadly enemy. Direct students to pages 20–21 of the Student Book, the
illustration to the story of how Beowulf defeated the dragon. Together devise noun phrases to describe the
dragon and its features, e.g. the flame-breathing dragon; its scaly skin; a fierce lashing tail etc. Students
can add good examples to the ‘word hoard’ concertina book they made in the previous lesson. Direct
students to the story of how Beowulf defeated the dragon and scan the text together, looking for examples
of noun phrases that describe settings, characters and objects. You might highlight the following: a great
stone arch; fierce; hot fire; this burning river; mighty shield; ancient sword; the fiery light; the Dragon’s
scaly skin; waves of flame; one final mighty blow; poisoned wound.
Development (20 minutes)
Remind students of the work they have done on writing simple and compound sentences and on
punctuating sentences with a capital letter and full stop. Read aloud the complete story of how Beowulf
defeated the Dragon (page 20 of the Student Book), asking students to pay attention to the length and type
of sentences used and noting where the full stops are placed. After reading, quickly re-cap definitions of
simple and compound sentences and find examples of each from the text, e.g. Beowulf prepared himself
for death (simple); The earth shook and the air trembled (compound). Explain to students the importance
of being able to recognise and ‘hear’ when a group of words makes complete sense, so that they will know
where to use boundary punctuation.
Uncover the first part of Resource sheet 2.2 and decide with students which groups of words are sentences
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Lesson Plan
2 of 3
Planning and writing a narrative that
interests the reader
Developing
writer
Cycle C
Duration: 1 hour
and which are not. Explain the term subordinate clause, a group of words that contains a verb but doesn’t
make sense on its own: it needs to be joined to a main clause to create a complete sentence. Show students
examples of how to join subordinate clauses to a main clause, asking them to check if they now have a
sentence that makes complete sense, e.g. When the dragon breathed out flames, Beowulf’s men were
afraid. Uncover the second part of the resource and introduce the subordinating conjunctions, words that
are useful for starting a subordinate clause: before, after, when, which, who, while. Explain that there are
many more subordinating conjunctions but these ones are particularly useful for writing to describe and
narrate because they can add detail about characters and events and indicate time. Use the examples on the
resource, and more of your own, to show students how they can build interesting detail about characters
and events by using subordinate clauses to write complex sentences. Show them how to alter the position
of the subordinate clause to create more sentence variety, e.g. Beowulf’s men were afraid when the dragon
breathed out flames.
Plenary (10 minutes)
Set students the challenge: How many different ways can you find to join the three simple sentences
below, using any of the subordinating conjunctions introduced in the lesson: while, who, when, which,
after, before, as? Students can combine all three sentences into one, or use one complex and one simple
sentence.
The dragon killed yet another warrior.
Beowulf lifted his trusty sword. He struck with terrible force.
Share examples as a class.
Extension
Make up seven more subordinate clauses (using all the subordinating conjunctions above) that you could
add to this main clause: I finished my homework.
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Lesson Plan
3 of 3
Planning and writing a narrative that
interests the reader
Developing
writer
Cycle C
Duration: 1 hour
Resources needed
Lesson aims
 Student Book page 20:
account, ‘How Beowulf
defeated the dragon’
 to know how to link events in a simple
narrative and use time-related words or
phrases
 Student Book page 21:
assessment criteria for use of
writing tools in narrative
writing about Beowulf
 to be able to write a simple ending
 CD-ROM Cycle C
(Developing writer)
Resource sheet 3.1:
Sequencing and modelling
the ending to Beowulf’s
story
Assessment
Focuses
AF1, AF5, AF6,
AF7, AF8
Target areas
 Target area 1: Planning and organising
writing
 Target area 2: Extending the range of
connectives within sentences
 Target area 3: Adding detail and interest to
sentences
Starter (15 minutes)
Remind students what alliteration refers to by playing an alliterative counting game in turn, e.g. on the
theme of animals: one angry alligator; two beastly buffalos; three crawling caterpillars, etc. Direct
students to the text on page 20 of the Student Book, the story of how Beowulf defeated the dragon.
Explain that the original version of Beowulf was written in alliterative verse, which made the story easier
to remember when it was being told. In teams, set a time limit to find and list examples of alliteration from
the text, e.g. a stream seething with fierce, hot fire. Hear some of their examples then set a new time limit
for pairs to invent their own alliterative sentences based on events and characters described in the story.
Model an example so that students can follow the same pattern, e.g. The deadly dragon defended its den.
Beowulf battled on bravely. Wise Wiglaf washed Beowulf’s wounds.
Introduction (15 minutes)
Introduce the assessment task to students: checking how many of the writer’s tools listed on page 20 of the
Student Book that they have used in their narrative writing about Beowulf. Refer them to the list and
check understanding of the terms. Add useful vocabulary for the task to the word hoards that students
made in Lesson 1. Display Resource sheet 3.1; uncover the wrongly sequenced order of events for the
final part of the story and ask students in pairs to sequence them correctly. Share suggestions then refer to
page 20 of the Student Book to check the order. Display on a projector the list of subordinating
conjunctions that students have seen in previous lessons and stress their usefulness for linking events in
chronological order. You can use the example on Resource sheet 3.1 to model for students how they can
write an ending that will fulfil the success criteria. You might want to continue this script as a joint
composition, asking students to discuss and then suggest the next sentences and choosing from the best
suggestions. This will give students confidence in completing the ending of the story independently, in
one or two paragraphs.
Development (20 minutes)
Students work independently to write an ending to the story, using the writer’s tools and their word hoards
to suggest vocabulary choices. Work with individuals and groups as appropriate.
Plenary (10 minutes)
Students use this time to complete their writing and to self- and/or peer-assess, using a different coloured
pen to highlight examples of each feature of the writer’s tools that has been used.
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© Harcourt Education 2007
Lesson Plan
3 of 3
Planning and writing a narrative that
interests the reader
Developing
writer
Cycle C
Duration: 1 hour
Extension
Carry out a final check on your writing for accurate use of full stops and capital letters and accurate
spelling, using some of the spelling strategies you know.
Target English Writing Teacher’s File
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© Harcourt Education 2007