Describing Things in Writing

Introduction Lesson Topic: Descriptive Language Length of Lesson: 30 min. VA Standards of Learning:

o 1.13: The student will write to communicate ideas for a variety of purposes.

a) Generate ideas;b) Focus on one topic; andc) Revise by adding descriptive words when writing about people,

places, things, and events.

ObjectivesStudent will:

1) Understand how descriptive language can affect a story;2) Describe objects using their senses;3) Learn how to incorporate descriptive language into writing; and4) Learn how to generate ideas for a story.

Materials Laptop computer with external speakers Opaque plastic bag or gift bag Rubber ball Squeaky dog toy Rock Mini stuffed animal Play-dough “Describing Things” worksheets

Advanced Preparation Connect laptop computer and external speakers. Test external speakers to ensure quality of sound. Copy enough “Describing Things” worksheets so that each student will have one

copy. Place rubber ball, squeaky dog toy, rock, mini stuffed animal, and play-dough

(taken out of the container immediately before lesson to prevent hardening) into opaque plastic bag.

Teaching and Learning SequenceIntroduction / Anticipatory Set

Explain to students that this week we will learn how to describe things in writing. Tell them that adding descriptive words can help us visualize better the object about which the author is mentioning.

Tell students that you will play sound bits of two people with different descriptions of the same object.

Ask students to close their eyes as they listen to the sound bits so that they can try to visualize what the authors are describing.

Play Sound Bit 1. Play Sound Bit 2. Tell students to open their eyes. Ask students which author—the first one or second one—they liked listening to

better. Tally the results on the blackboard. Explain to students that the first author did not describe the object very well, that

they only talked about what the object was and what it was doing. Explain to students that the second author added descriptive words to add detail

about the object and the actions made by the object.Lesson Development

Show students the opaque plastic bag containing the rubber ball, squeaky dog toy, rock, mini stuffed animal, and play-dough. Do not tell the students what is inside the bag.

Explain to students that, without peeking into the bag, they will touch the random objects with their hands.

Tell students that they have ten seconds to feel the objects and think of words that describe the objects they are touching. After ten seconds, the student is to pass the bag to the person on their right.

Notify each student when their ten seconds is over so that they can pass the bag to the next person.

After all students have finished touching the objects, collect the bag from the last student who had the bag.

Ask students to raise their hands to share with the class one word that describes an object they felt in the plastic bag.

Write on the blackboard each descriptive word that the students share. After students have provided at least ten or fifteen descriptive words, ask students

what they think the objects in the plastic bag were. If a student guesses an object correctly, pull out the object to show to the class.

If students were unable to identify all five objects within the first minute or two, show the students the unknown objects.

Explain to the class that the words on the blackboard are helpful for describing things. Tell them that words like these can be helpful when writing stories.

Explain to students that this week they will work on writing a short story (8 to 10 sentences) about an object. Tell them that by the end of the week they will record their short stories using Garage Band, and that their stories will be posted on the class blog for the parents and other students to hear.

Pass out “Describing Things” worksheets. Tell students that today they will select the object they want to write about. Explain what the students will do with the worksheet: choose an object; draw the

object in the box; and write words that describe that object. Remind students that they can use words that describe color, size, and shape. Tell students that after writing the words that describe their object, they should try

to write three sentences about their object using those descriptive words.

If students are finished, tell them to turn to the blank side of their worksheets and write down ideas for their story.

Closure When everyone has finished, ask students to share their objects, descriptive

words, and ideas with the rest of the class. Ask students what they thought about the lesson. Show students a picture of the front side of the elementary school. Ask students to think of words that can be used to describe the picture. With students raising their hands, call on several students to give one word that

describes the picture of the school.

AssessmentFormative

When listening to the sound bits, ask students to pay attention to the words the authors use to tell their stories.

Observe students as they feel the objects in the opaque plastic bag to see how they respond facially to the touch (to make sure students are paying attention to the details of the objects).

Walk around the classroom while students are working on their worksheets to make sure students are on task and understand the assignment and material.

Summative Ask students to find words that describe the picture of the school. Ask students to share their work with the class. Check students’ worksheets and homework to check student understanding of

descriptive language.

References Virginia Department of Education. (2010). English Standards of Learning

Curriculum Framework

Virginia Department of Education. (2010). English Standards of Learning for Virginia

Public Schools