Conflict and Resolution

Overview

In this fourth lesson of the unit Exploring Narrative Worlds, students examine how conflicts shape characters and how resolutions restore (or change) the narrative balance. They then apply these ideas to revise a short narrative draft.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify the type of conflict in a narrative (internal, external, interpersonal, or man vs nature/setting).
• Students will explain how characters respond to conflict and how those choices drive plot.
• Students will determine how a resolution is presented (problem solved, changed, left open, or transformed).
• Students will revise their own narrative to strengthen conflict and resolution.

Success criteria

• I can name the conflict type and provide a text-based quote or detail that supports it.
• I can describe the character’s response to the conflict and how it affects the story.
• I can identify the resolution and explain whether it is satisfying, surprising, or unresolved.
• I can revise my narrative so the conflict and resolution are clear and connected.

Curriculum links

• Language arts: reading and listening to understand narrative structure and meaning.
• Writing: develop texts by planning, drafting, revising, and using appropriate language features.
• Communicative competencies: produce and interact through spoken and written language for specific purposes.
• Thinking and literacy: justify ideas with evidence from texts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 5 min — Warm-up: “Conflict Snapshot” Display four quick scenario cards (e.g., “You lose your phone the day of a competition,” “You argue with a friend,” “You feel afraid to speak up”). Students quickly choose the conflict type and share one reason with a partner.

2. 8 min — Mini-lesson: Types of conflict + resolution moves Teach a brief anchor framework:

• Conflict: what goes wrong or what is at stake
• Character response: what the person/people do because of it
• Resolution: how the story’s problem changes by the end Give examples using short, age-appropriate statements (no long extracts). Emphasise that resolutions can be “not fully solved” or “solved but with new consequences.”

3. 12 min — Guided reading analysis (story excerpt) Provide a short excerpt (1–2 pages) from a familiar narrative or classroom text. In groups of 2–3, students complete a simple table:

• Where is the conflict introduced?
• What does the main character do next?
• What details show the resolution? Teacher circulates, prompting: “What is the problem?” “What choice reveals the character’s values?” “How do we know the situation is different at the end?”

4. 7 min — Whole-class debrief: Evidence + reasoning Invite 2–3 groups to share. For each response, ask: “Can someone point to the exact moment or phrase?” Co-construct two “model” sentences: one describing the conflict with evidence, and one describing the resolution and its effect.

5. 12 min — Writing task: Revise conflict and resolution Students return to their narrative draft from earlier lessons (they may work on a paragraph or the ending, depending on what they need). They must:

• Add or clarify the conflict moment (with a specific detail)
• Ensure the character’s response is visible (action + thinking)
• Strengthen the resolution so it matches the conflict (solved, changed, or left open deliberately) Teacher uses a brief conferencing checklist: clarity, connection, evidence of choice.

6. 1 min — Micro share Students write one sentence on a sticky note or paper: “My conflict is ___ because ___. My resolution is ___, and it matters because ___.”

7. 0 min — Collect & next step Collect the sticky notes/checklists. Tell students the next lesson will focus on style and pacing to make conflict feel urgent and resolutions meaningful.

Resources

• Short narrative excerpt with identifiable conflict and resolution
• Scenario cards for the warm-up
• Narrative draft from Lesson 1–3 (or a template page for new drafts)
• Conflict/Resolution analysis table (printed or on paper)
• Teacher conferencing checklist (clarity of conflict, response, resolution)
• Highlighters or sticky notes for marking conflict/resolution in the excerpt
• Sentence starters for students who need support:
• “The conflict begins when…”
• “The main character responds by…”
• “The resolution shows that…”
• Reference anchor chart: conflict types and resolution possibilities

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes group discussions and checks whether students can state conflict type with evidence.
• Formative: review of students’ revised paragraph/end using the checklist (conflict, response, resolution clarity).
• Self-assessment: the “micro share” sentence indicating understanding of both conflict and resolution.

Differentiation

• Support for learners needing scaffolding:
• Provide a partially completed analysis table and sentence starters.
• Offer an option to focus only on the ending if conflict is already strong.
• Use shorter excerpt segments and highlight key moments.
• Extension for advanced learners:
• Ask students to include a “resolution twist” (e.g., the character solves the problem but reveals a new cost).
• Add a brief reflection sentence: “What does the resolution suggest about the character?”
• EAL support:
• Pre-teach essential terms (conflict, resolution, stake, choice) with examples.
• Allow oral rehearsal before writing; encourage bilingual support if available.
• SEN support:
• Provide graphic structure (three-part paragraph: conflict → response → resolution).
• Reduce writing load by focusing on key sentences and using guided drafting.