Imagery and Sensory Details

What is Imagery? Imagery is the use of vivid descriptions to create pictures inside the reader’s mind.

What are Sensory Details? Descriptive words that appeal (attract or influence) to the 5 senses to create “word pictures” in the readers mind. They help the story come alive!!

What are the five senses? Hearing Sight Touch Taste Smell

What kind of examples of sensory details are these? The birds sang sweetly. The tinkling of broken glass. She shrieked with joy.

What kind of examples of sensory details are these? As stinky as a dirty diaper. He reminded her of her grandfather, a scent of peppermint and tobacco.

What kind of examples of sensory details are these? The sour leftover impression of vomit. As salty as a potato chip. Thick, not-too-sweet chocolate, with a hint of orange. The bitterness of getting her mouth washed out with soap.

What kind of examples of sensory details are these? The bright green leaf glistened in the sunlight. The students at El Cajon Valley High School shined in the hall with their bright red and blue school colors!

What kind of examples of sensory details are these? She caressed the cool, smooth cover of the laptop. The lotion gave her baby-soft skin. He was tied tightly, and the rough bark gouged his back. It was as soft as rabbit’s fur. The biscuit was as hard as a rock.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 2: Directions Rewrite the following “sense-less” sentences using sensory details. Be creative! Use your imagination!

Practice 2: Sentences The pizza was delicious. The fans enjoyed the game. It was raining outside today. I ate the nachos. The students clapped during the movie. These are my very old tennis shoes.

Warm-up Directions Norman Rockwell, a famous 20th century American painter, created an astonishing 321 covers for “The Saturday Evening Post,” each portraying typical American life and values. His covers were so successful that when his art appeared on the magazine’s cover, 50,000 – 75,000 additional copies of the Saturday Evening Post sold at newsstands. For each of the Rockwell paintings that follow, create a list of sensory details for each picture. Then write a descriptive paragraph on the slide that follows using your sensory detail list. Be creative and use your imagination to describe the scene in each picture.

Picture 1 Sight: Hearing: Touch: Taste: Smell:

Picture 2 Sight: Hearing: Touch: Taste: Smell:

Picture 3 Sight: Hearing: Touch: Taste: Smell:

Picture 4 Sight: Hearing: Touch: Taste: Smell:

Picture 5 Sight: Hearing: Touch: Taste: Smell:

Picture 6 Sight: Hearing: Touch: Taste: Smell: