Descriptive Writing

DAILY WORD PRACTICE:
THIS IS A TIMED PRACTICE TO WRITE AS MANY 2 LETTER WORDS AS POSSIBLE.
http://www.sporcle.com/games/slipkid/2_words_same_5_letters

Introduction: Descriptive Essay
Students will review the elements of a descriptive essay
Students will incorporate vivid details into their written work

How to Write a Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay is a type of essay that strives to provide the reader with a more vivid experience and understanding of the item being described. Rather than focusing on statistics and facts, a descriptive essay paints a picture by utilizing detailed observations and descriptive words.

A descriptive essay typically portrays a place, a person, a memory, an object, or an experience. Regardless of what is being described in the essay, it should focus on what the writer perceives and experiences.

When writing a descriptive essay, you must also determine the overall purpose of the essay. By determining the reason for your essay, you can better focus your ideas and determine what information should be included in the essay. For example, if writing a descriptive essay about a person, you need to decide if you want to focus on that person’s appearance or on a specific trait the person has. For example, you might write a descriptive essay that describes how the person is a hard worker, brave, or honest.

When writing descriptive essays, remember the phrase “show, don’t tell.” Your goal should be to describe the subject rather than simply tell the reader. For example, rather than say, “I was tired after my workout,” you might say “Sweat rolled off of my brow and I tried to catch my breath as I painfully walked to the locker room after completing a fast-paced, 30 minute workout.”

In order to show your reader rather than tell, you need to focus on using your five senses. These five senses include sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. When considering the situation you are writing about, think about how all five of your senses are used in that situation.

Tips and Examples:

There are several methods writers use to describe something in an essay. They may choose vivid, fresh language, or they may use examples, or they might take something ordinary and by comparing it with something extraordinary, make it interesting, or they may use their senses.
When someone asks you to describe something, the first step you might take is to jot down the first words that come to you.

If I say "egg," for instance, you might write down the following string of associations: "round, white, brown, fresh, scrambled, farmer, chicken, goose, over-easy." But another student might write down "ostrich," while yet another chooses "dinosaur." Then a medical student might chime in with "ovulation, zygote, baby." At some point, someone else may take it a step further and mention "fragility." The point is that the one little word "egg" can conjure up a number of associations, all coming at the subject in a different way. So when you are asked to describe an event or a person, start with the obvious, but don't stay there.

Tips
1. A well-focused subject can be ordinary or extraordinary, but you should strive to make it as interesting as possible by emphasizing what makes it interesting or new and unusual. Pick something specific, an event or a person or an animal.

2. How you treat your subject is directly related to how your reader will react to it. Give plenty of specific descriptive detail. If you're describing an event, watch people moving and hear them talking. Create a dominant impression for your reader.

3. Create a clear pattern of organization. Your introduction should work from general to specific, ending in a thesis sentence. You should have several paragraphs that develop and describe your topic, and your conclusion should restate your thesis or conclude your event.

Practice Exercise #1

Below are three words. Take a few minutes and write as many details as you can about each subject.

Education
Vehicle
Circle

Academic Content Standard:
5.1.11A- Write with a distinctive focus.
1.5.11B- Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic.
1.5.11C- Write with controlled organization
1.5.11D- Write with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition.