Modes of Writing: Part 1--Descriptive Writing Based on Tennessee State Curriculum Standards from the 2009-2010 school year. Prepared by Andy Lombardo, Sevierville Middle School. While I will try to include as many resources as possible, this lesson is meant to be a bare-bones lesson to which you can add your own activities, resources, etc. Modes of Writing: Part 1--Descriptive Writing SPI 0701.3.11 Identify individual writing selections as technical, narrative, persuasive, AND/OR descriptive in mode.

Descriptive Writing Goal of Descriptive Writing: To paint for the reader a mental picture of what is being described.

Descriptive Writing Make observations of what you want to describe. Watch it closely. Think of ways you can describe the subject using your senses (touch, taste, look, feel, hear) Choose words that are specific (instead of blue tell what kind of blue… sky blue, powder blue, cerulean, azure, cobalt, indigo, turquoise, teal, sapphire, navy…) How do you write descriptively?

Descriptive Writing Avoid generic words like big, very, a lot, small… Use vivid verbs… try to think of the most vivid and action-oriented verbs you can think of that will match your subject. Use similes and metaphors to compare your subject to something. How do you write descriptively?

Descriptive Writing Think about what the focal point of your subject is: what is the most important thing, visually, that you want to get across? What is the mood of your subject that you want to get across? If you want to show something is happy or angry, your descriptions will be totally different. How do you write descriptively?

Compare these two paragraphs: She was really thin. She had light skin and dark hair. She had dark eyes that showed she had a strong spirit. She was so thin you could count her bones. Her skin was dead white. Fine, dark brown hair was scraped back so tightly that you could see the pulse throbbing at her temples. But Cora’s black eyes snapped with anger. Once you looked into them, you knew Cora’s spirit was strong. What does the second paragraph do that the 1st doesn’t? C&C using a Venn Diagram

C&C using a Venn Diagram Figurative Language (dead white—metaphor, so thin you could count her bones—hyperbole, eyes snapped with anger) Vivid verbs (scraped, throbbing, snapped, looked) Generic descriptive words (really, light, dark) Weak verbs (was, had, showed) Description of Cora’s hair, skin, eyes ¶ #1 ¶ #2

Your turn to write descriptively: Remember… vivid verbs, specific details, similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole… Use your senses… look, touch, taste, hear, smell Think about your focal point and mood. For the following pictures, describe what you see in the picture… try to SHOW, not TELL.