A Story’s Shape

Overview

In this fifth lesson of Twists, Tropes and Tension, students map Roald Dahl’s short story Lamb to the Slaughter using the stages of narrative structure. They examine how Dahl controls what readers know, delays key information and places the twist at the climax to create surprise and dark humour.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
• WALT select evidence showing how the plot develops.
• WALT explain how Dahl controls information and audience expectations.
• WALT evaluate how narrative structure makes the ending effective.

Success criteria

• I can accurately place key events on a plot arc.
• I can use quotations or precise references to support my ideas.
• I can explain what the reader knows, suspects or does not know at different points.
• I can make a judgement about how the structure contributes to the twist ending.

Curriculum links

• Text Studies — Features of text: characterisation, plot, setting, ideas, narrative perspective, trope, language, style and structure shape meaning.
• Text Studies — Textual and Critical Analysis: examining how plot development and other features work together to create effects.
• Context and purpose: examining how tropes place a text within a literary tradition.
• English Phase 4 practices: using evidence to explain and evaluate authorial choices.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and retrieval. Teacher opens with the hook question: “When does a surprise ending feel earned rather than random?” and briefly revisits the previous lesson’s discussion of tropes and tension. Students write a prediction, then share one feature of an effective twist with a partner.

2. 5–13 min · Teach narrative structure. Teacher uses the narrative structure slides to define exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution, modelling that a climax is the point of greatest tension or decisive change, not simply the final event. Students annotate a six-stage plot arc on the plot mapping worksheet.

3. 13–25 min · Map the story together. Teacher displays the event list in the event-mapping slides and reads each event aloud, pausing to ask, “What changes here?” and “What does the reader know at this point?” Students work in pairs to place the events from Lamb to the Slaughter into the six stages, recording brief reasons and page or paragraph references where available.

4. 25–38 min · Evidence and information control. Teacher models one example: Dahl presents Mary as calm and devoted before Patrick’s announcement, while the reader is not prepared for her sudden action. Using the information-control model, teacher distinguishes between what Mary knows, what the police know and what the reader knows. Students complete the evidence table on the plot mapping worksheet, selecting two moments where Dahl withholds, reveals or redirects information.

5. 38–50 min · Evaluate the twist. Teacher asks pairs to discuss whether the climax is Patrick’s announcement, the killing, or the police eating the murder weapon, requiring them to justify their choice. Students write a short analytical response on the plot mapping worksheet explaining how the chosen climax and later resolution make the ending effective, using the structure “Dahl positions the reader to… This is achieved by… Consequently…”.

6. 50–57 min · Share and challenge. Teacher uses the discussion and comparison slides to display two contrasting claims: “The killing is the climax” and “The police eating the leg is the climax.” Students compare responses, challenge an idea respectfully and improve one explanation by adding a precise reference to the story.

7. 57–60 min · Exit assessment. Teacher displays the plenary slide. Students complete the final question on the plot mapping worksheet: “How does Dahl make the reader understand the ending differently from the police?” Collect responses to identify students needing further support with structure, evidence or effect.

Resources

• the complete story-structure slide deck
• the plot mapping worksheet
• Copies of Lamb to the Slaughter
• Board or projector
• Highlighters or coloured pens
• Six-stage plot arc displayed or drawn on the board

Assessment

• Listen during paired mapping for accurate use of structural terms and ask students to justify uncertain placements.
• Check the evidence table for precise references and an understanding of changing reader knowledge.
• Use the exit response to assess whether students can connect structure, information control and the effectiveness of the twist.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank, partially completed plot arc and sentence starters: “The inciting incident is… because…”, “Dahl withholds…”, and “This affects the reader by…”.
• Allow students who need support to work with a partner and use highlighted passages or an audio version of the story.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach “exposition”, “climax”, “withhold”, “reveal”, “misdirect” and “audience expectation”; pair each term with a plain-English definition.
• Extend confident students by asking them to distinguish the structural climax from the story’s final ironic image and argue which creates the stronger effect.