English · Year 7

Active learning ideas

Developing Conflict and Suspense

Active learning helps Year 7 students grasp the craft of conflict and suspense because they experience how pacing, structure, and tension work in real time. By moving, discussing, and revising together, students connect abstract techniques to concrete results in their own writing.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS3: English - Creative Writing
• KS3: English - Narrative Structure

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Foreshadowing Relay

Pairs alternate writing sentences in a shared story, with each adding a subtle foreshadowing hint about an upcoming conflict. After 10 minutes, they read aloud and identify hints. Partners then revise for stronger tension.

Explain how foreshadowing contributes to building suspense in a story.

Facilitation Tip

During the Foreshadowing Relay, provide sentence starters like ‘As she reached for the door, she noticed...’ to help students focus on subtle clues.

What to look for

Present students with a short passage from a novel or short story. Ask them to identify one example of foreshadowing and explain what it might suggest about future events. Then, ask them to identify one type of conflict present in the passage.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Conflict Web Design

Groups brainstorm internal and external conflicts on a visual web, linking them to drive a plot. They select one scenario, outline key events, and write a suspenseful opening paragraph. Share webs with the class for critique.

Design a scenario where internal and external conflicts intertwine to drive the plot.

Facilitation Tip

For the Conflict Web Design, ask guiding questions such as ‘What does this character fear most?’ to push students beyond surface-level rivalries.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'When is it more effective for an author to resolve a conflict versus leaving it unresolved?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share examples from literature and explain their reasoning, considering the impact on the reader.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Suspense Chain Story

Start a story with a conflict hook; each student adds one sentence building suspense, passing a timer. Vote on the most tense addition, then discuss techniques used. Rewrite the chain collaboratively.

Critique different methods authors use to resolve or leave conflicts unresolved.

Facilitation Tip

In the Suspense Chain Story, pause after each contribution to highlight effective techniques, such as a well-timed sentence fragment or a revealing detail.

What to look for

Students write a short scene (1-2 paragraphs) featuring both internal and external conflict. They then swap scenes with a partner. Each partner reads the scene and provides feedback using these prompts: 'What is the main internal conflict? What is the main external conflict? How could the author increase the suspense in this scene?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Collaborative Problem-Solving
• 35 min · Individual

Individual: Tension Rewrite

Students rewrite a dull scene from a familiar story, inserting foreshadowing and conflict. They highlight changes, then pair-share for feedback before class gallery walk.

Explain how foreshadowing contributes to building suspense in a story.

Facilitation Tip

For the Tension Rewrite, remind students to read their drafts aloud to hear where suspense drops or where pacing feels uneven.

What to look for

Present students with a short passage from a novel or short story. Ask them to identify one example of foreshadowing and explain what it might suggest about future events. Then, ask them to identify one type of conflict present in the passage.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model how conflict and suspense feel in real life before translating them to text. Use mentor texts, but focus on process: show how a writer revises a flat scene by adding internal struggle or slowing the pace. Avoid overemphasizing genre clichés; instead, connect techniques to universal emotions like curiosity or dread. Research shows that students improve when they see their peers’ work as feedback, not just the teacher’s, so structure activities for visible progress.

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying types of conflict, applying foreshadowing in their own work, and revising scenes to heighten suspense. They should explain their choices using the language of narrative craft, not just intuition.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During conflict discussions, a student says, ‘Conflict means only physical fights.’

  During the Conflict Web Design activity, ask students to map a character’s fear of failure or a family argument as conflicts, then discuss which type creates deeper emotional tension.

• During the Suspense Chain Story, a student argues that suspense requires violence or loud noises.

  During the Suspense Chain Story, highlight how a character hesitating before opening a letter or a clock ticking creates tension without action, and ask students to revise their contributions accordingly.

• During the Tension Rewrite, a student insists that every conflict must end with a clear solution.

  During the Tension Rewrite, provide paired mentor texts—one with a resolved conflict, one unresolved—and ask students to explain how each ending affects reader emotion before revising their own work.

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Methods used in this brief

• Collaborative Problem-Solving