Wed, Feb. 10

Blocks C&D:
Silent Reading -- 20 minutes
Notes on Description (see below)
Homework: Finish descriptive paragraph and grammar sheets from Monday!
Sense of Sight Activity

Shoe
Leaf
Bread
Sidewalk

These are all things that you might see everyday.
Please choose one of the above objects .
 Close your eyes.
 Visualize a specific picture in your minds.
 Now write several sentences, using the sense of sight to create a picture which will be seen by the reader.
Example: A gold bar of DIAL, oval and cracked. The letters look like an old tombstone and inscription. It has fallen from the sink and rests in the cobwebs and sand behind the waste basket.

Please use original detail . For example, the description of the bar of soap is so particular that it could have existed only in that exact moment in that very place.

Notes: (cut and paste and print!)

Descriptive Writing

When writing descriptively, an important rule of thumb is Ashow, don=t tell@.

Writing that tells merely summarizes an event or impression, whereas writing that shows actually paints a picture of that impression or event in the reader's mind. Writing that shows makes the experience come alive, and makes it real for the reader.

Writing that Ashows@:

 uses the active rather than the passive voice

 lets the character=s words, appearance, and actions speak for themselves

 is economical (uses specific nouns and verbs rather than relying on modifiers)

 includes reactions (thoughts and feelings) of the people involved wherever possible.

 includes dialogue rather than summarized talk

 includes details of time and place

 makes use of comparisons and contrasts

 is filled with figurative language

Examples:

Writing that tells: Sara was a bit of a dreamer, but she had a certain something that drew my attention right away. When I first saw her, she was sweeping.

Writing that shows: The first time I saw Sara she was holding a large broom, sweeping, her body twisting around the object as if she were dancing with it.

How to Write a Description

When writing an informative description, use clear, specific sensory details. To identify the details to include, you might ask yourself these questions about your subject.


 What is its size? Shape? Weight?

 What color is it?

 Of what material is it made?

 What is its texture?

 For what is it used?

 How is it made?

 How does it taste? Smell?

 What does it sound like if it is hit?


When writing imaginative description:

$ use figurative language and imaginative comparisons to evoke an image in the reader=s mind and create an emotional response.

$ concentrate on creating an overall mood or atmosphere and choose images that will contribute to it.

$ Organize your description to help your reader navigate through it.

 Use chronological order when the sequence in which things happened is most important (e.g. when you are describing an even or process).

 Use spatial order when the position of things is most important (e.g. when you are describing a place).

 Use order of importance when a certain aspect deserves the most attention (e.g., when you are describing a series of steps, but one step has to occur or the others won=t matter).