Suspense toolkit © Pie Corbett 2017

To create suspense to build tension, scare the reader and keep the reader wanting to find out what will happen you might want to:
N/R Y1/2 Y3/4 Y5/6
As in N/R plus: As in Y1/2 plus: As in Y3/4 plus:

• put the main • isolate your character/s • let the threat get closer and closer • hide the threat;
character into a scary o in darkness/cold • use an abandoned setting or lull the
setting – forest, old o in a derelict setting • show the character’s feelings by reader with a cosy setting
bridge, empty house reactions, e.g. she froze
• use scary sound effects, e.g. • personify the setting to make it sound
• make the main something hissed • include short punchy sentences for dangerous – use the weather and/or
character hear or see o or show a glimpse, e.g. a drama time of day to create atmosphere
something hand appeared …
• use rhetorical questions to make the • make your character hear, see, touch,
• describe the threat • show your character’s reaction, reader worried – Who had turned out smell or sense something ominous
e.g. she shivered the light?
• make the main • surprise the reader with the unexpected
character escape! • use exclamations to show • use empty words to hide the threat –
impact something, somebody, it, a silhouette • suggest something is about to happen

• use dramatic connectives to • select powerful verbs – crept, grabbed, • reveal the character’s thoughts, e.g. She
introduce suspense and drama smothered wondered if she would ever escape the
– at that moment, suddenly, darkness.
unfortunately • use dramatic connectives – in an
instant, without warning, out of the blue • slow the action by using sentences of
three and drop in clauses.
Useful ideas for teaching suspense – always co-construct the toolkit with the class
Model all aspects of the toolkit and display word banks, sentences and ideas on prompt cards, washing lines or learning walls
N/R Y1/2 Y3/4 Y5/6
As in N/R plus: As in Y1/2 plus: As in Y3/4 plus:

• Collect, display and use • Read stories with suspense – • Collect language banks for • From novels, collect and compare different
images of scary settings, innovate on sentences scary settings, ominous suspense paragraphs and innovate
e.g. castle, bridge, forest, weather, cold and darkness –
lake, old house • Dramatise stories where main sort by mood • Use film clips to discuss how to manipulate
character hears or sees the reader; write short suspense scenes
something scary • Raid novels for scary scenes,
• Raid picture books & fairy descriptive passages and
tales for scary settings • Use drama to create a suspense scene
• Show main character’s write ‘in the style of’
and notice descriptions
reactions • Compare suspense sections • Use sound effects, music and voices to create
and analyse effect created suspense
• Use pictures and photos • Collect words to describe a
of scary places and •
character’s reaction and use in Use drama to recreate • Hot seat characters from drama and a novel
describe these sentences, e.g. froze, hid, suspense, mime how a to explore feelings and thoughts at moments
ducked down, trembled, character reacts and hot seat of suspense – turn into writing
• Imagine a story shivered
happening with a scary
• Use ‘in a dark, dark house’ to • Gather word banks for suspense using the
moment • Rehearse sentences using build suspense senses
dramatic connectives to
• Compose simple introduce a sound effect or • Collect verbs, dramatic • Rehearse suspense sentences using sentences
descriptive captions and glimpse, e.g. At that moment, connectives, empty words, of three to build tension and drop in clauses;
sentences she heard ... / At that moment, descriptive phrases to use contrast with rhetorical questions and short
she saw when building suspense sentences
• Dramatise and imagine
being in a scary setting, • Show images of scary places
showing reactions and list what might happen

© Pie Corbett 2017: This resource may be reprinted to support in-school training but should not be forwarded to others or used for commercial gain.