1. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. What is Descriptive Writing? Descriptive writing helps readers create a clear picture in their mind of objects people places events Descriptive Writing

2. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. What is Descriptive Writing? Descriptive writing provides details that help the reader see, hear, taste, smell, or feel something that the writer has experienced. Descriptive Writing

3. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Descriptive Writing Traits A clear, focused, and complete topic Well-constructed paragraphs that are organized into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion Paragraphs that each have a topic sentence and supporting details Transition words that connect ideas Descriptive Writing

4. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Descriptive Writing Traits A voice and tone that are appropriate for the purpose and audience Descriptive Writing Precise, descriptive language that creates a picture for the reader

5. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Descriptive Writing Traits A variety of sentences that make the writing interesting and easy to read aloud No or few errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling Descriptive Writing

6. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Strong Nouns and Verbs Colorful Adjectives and Adverbs Sensory Details Vivid Descriptions Figurative Language Prepositional Phrases Mood Tone Descriptive Writing Descriptive writing paints a picture in the reader’s mind. To do this, the writer uses the following:

7. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Descriptive Writing Example Sensory Details I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Descriptive Writing

8. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Descriptive Writing Example Prepositional Phrases Descriptive Writing I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me.

9. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Descriptive Writing Example Strong Verbs Descriptive Writing

10. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Descriptive Writing Example Colorful Adjectives Descriptive Writing

11. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Descriptive Writing Example Colorful Adverbs Descriptive Writing

12. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mood is the feeling a reader gets when reading a description. The mood can be happy, scared, excited, or sorrowful, to name a few. Writers choose their words carefully to create any mood they want. Descriptive Writing

13. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The mood of the description below might be a scared or eerie feeling. Silver moonlight streamed through the tree branches as Greg inched forward and peered nervously over the edge of the rocky cliff. White mist curled around the jagged rocks below. Greg took a deep breath and ordered himself to stay calm. Suddenly, a deafening howl echoed through the canyon. Greg knew he had to get to safety fast. Descriptive Writing

14. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tone is how the writing sounds. It is the attitude a writer expresses in a piece of writing. The tone can be serious, casual, friendly, or joking, to name a few. The tone should also be appropriate for the purpose and the audience. Descriptive Writing

15. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The description below has an informative, serious tone. Franklin Chang-Diaz is a Hispanic astronaut. He was born in Costa Rica and came to the United States in 1969. After graduating from college, Chang-Diaz was one of nineteen people to be chosen for the United States space program. Finally, on January 12, 1986, he blasted off into space aboard the Columbia spacecraft. Descriptive Writing

16. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Descriptive Paragraph Observation Report Character Sketch Description of a Process Description of a Place Descriptive Article Descriptive Writing Some common types of descriptive writing include the following:

17. Strategies for Writers Grade 4 © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All Rights Reserved.