Descriptive Writing

“Show” Me All About It

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What is descriptive writing?

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Descriptive writing usessensory details to paint amental picture of a person, place, thing, or event.

What are sensory details?

• Use the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling.

• They help descriptions come alive in the reader’s mind.

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Characteristics of good descriptive writing

1. Includes many vivid sensory details that paint a picture and appeals to all of the reader's senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste when appropriate. Descriptive writing may also paint pictures of the feelings the person, place or thing invokes in the writer.

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Characteristics of good descriptive writing

2. Makes use of figurative language such as analogies, similes and metaphors to help paint the picture in the reader's mind.

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Characteristics of good descriptive writing

3. Uses precise language. General adjectives, nouns, and passive verbs do not have a place in good descriptive writing. Use specific adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs to give life to the picture you are painting in the reader's mind.

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Characteristics of good descriptive writing

4. Is organized. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include: • Chronological order: time (first, second, third, etc.)• Spatial order: space (top to bottom, left to right, etc.)• Order of importance: least to most important• Logical order: common sense (similarities-

differences; Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?”)

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How do I choose a topic for a descriptive paragraph?

• Think about interesting people you know.• Think about favorite places you’ve been.• Think about an object you know a lot about.

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What is a topic sentence?

• The topic sentence names your topic.• It is the first sentence in the paragraph.

What are the body sentences?

• Body sentences include the details of the topic.• They use sensory details to describe the person,

place, thing, or event.

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What is the closing sentence?

• The closing sentence ends the description.• It is the last sentence in the paragraph.

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Invitation to Read

• Read the following descriptive paragraph.• See if you can find all the sensory details.• Can you find the topic, body, and closing sentences?

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My Grandmother

My grandma’s name is Wanda, but I call her “Nana.”

She has short, white hair. Her hair was blonde when she

was younger. She likes to wear green and blue dresses.

She has a fun, loud laugh. She makes Thanksgiving

dinner for us every year. She has strong arms and likes

to give big hugs. Nana is the greatest.

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Invitation to Write

• List three people you know well.• Choose one to write about.• List details of what he or she looks like, sounds like, and

likes to do.• Use these details to write a descriptive paragraph about

your person.

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