Author:
Elisabeth
Subject:
Secondary English Language Arts
Material Type:
Lesson
Level:
Middle School
Tags:
  • Descriptive Writing
  • Lesson Plan
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Text/HTML

    Education Standards

    Descriptive Writing Snapshot

    Descriptive Writing Snapshot

    Overview

    Students will use what they have learned about descriptive writing--show don’t tell, vivid verbs and adjectives, sensory details, and figurative language--to write a snapshot detailed description of a picture they find or create.  Students select a picture of their choice and then write an extended paragraph. 

    Summary

    Students will use what t they have learned about descriptive writing--show don’t tell, vivid verbs and adjectives, sensory details, and figurative language--to write a snapshot detailed description of a picture they find or create.  Students select a picture of their choice and then write an extended paragraph.  (Image retrieved from Open source Pixnio.com)

    • Four 45 minute sessions
    • Syncronous or asynchronous
    • Elisabeth Thomas, Patricia Bronson, Elise Orgill, Rebecca Williams

    Background for Teachers

     

    • To teach this lesson, you will need an understanding of how writers use desriptive language to improve their writing. 
    • Teaching poetry, short stories, or other writing that uses this type of language is a good way to show how authors use it effectively in exemplary writing. 

    Step 1 - Goals and Outcomes

    Step 1 Goals and Outcomes

    In this section, you will include the learning intentions and success criteria for students based on student data. Learning intentions are essentially the objectives of the lesson -- statements of what students are expected to learn. Success criteria define how students will show that they have met the learning intentions. They tie closely to the assessment portion of your lesson and the rubric students will use to gauge their success. The following sections, sentence starters, and examples can help you compose your own learning intentions and success criteria:

    Learning Intentions:

    • Students will be able to write a descriptive extended paragraph using sensory and figurative language.
    • Students will use the writing process to improve and refine their descriptions
    • Students will publish and share their writing for classmates to read.
    • Students will identify how others used descriptive language in their writing. 

      RL 7.3 literary elements: symbolism, simile, metaphor, personification

      W 7.5 Use the writing process to revise and improve.

      W 7.6: Use technology to publish and collaborate.

     

    Step 2 - Planning Instruction

    Step 2 Planning Instruction

    Student Background Knowledge

    • Prior to this lesson, students will need to have an understanding of descriptive language and sensory language-- similes, metaphors, vivid verbs, and powerful adjectives. 

    Strategies for Diverse Learners

    The length of the paragraph or the way the lesson scaffolds revision can vary for diverse learning levels.  ELL studnets could write their desriptions in their native languages.  Advanced students could extend this writing or publish this writing as part of a collaboration or creative writing excercise to combine images and writings to make a cohesive story. 

    Step 3 - Instruction

    Day 1:

    1. Review the following terms: simile, metaphor, personification, sensory langauge, strong adjective, vivid verbs. Have students work in partners to define the terms and idenify it in a short text. 

    2. Introduce assignment with rubric and examples attached below. 

    3.Instruct students that will be finding or creating images they use to inspire their descriptions.

    4. Discuss what would make a strong image for description--action, color, interesting details, etc. 

    5. Show the Google Doc models attached in the lesson and have students discuss what they notice in the image with partners. As a class, show what makes the image effective for this assignment.

    6. Finally, give students time to find or create their perfect image.

    Day 2:

    1. Students will create their first draft on the template provided in the attached Template for Drafting.

    2.  Use the attached revision instructions to present the two revision rounds and tasks to students.

    3. When they finish with the first draft, they will select a revision slip for the first round of revision (see the attached list of revision slips for the teacher to distribute). Each slip in this round pushes students to add different types of figurative language like simile, metaphor, or personification. 

    3. The second round of revision has a slip (again, use the slips attached to the lesson) that  asks students to replace or add sensory language--vivid verbs and adjectives. 

    4.  Use the attached Annotation Instructions to present to students the steps they will follow for the self-annotating their draft. They will annotate their final draft with colors that indicate where they used figurative language, strong adjectives, sensory language from the revision rounds. 

    Day 3:

    1. Students will publish their final draft on a Padlet for easy access for all students.

    2. Using the Padlet, students will need to read several of their peers' snapshot descriptions to complete the attached scavenger hunt assignment.  The scavenger hunt requires that students find different examples of figurative and desriptive language.  Remind students that color coded annotations will help students find what they are looking for in the desriptions they read. 

    3. Use the final 5-10 minutes to have students help fill in the gaps in their scavanger hunt by sharing tips of Snapshot descriptions they should read/use.

    Step 4 - Assessments

    Step 4 Assessments

    See the attached rubric for the rubric used to grade the final draft.