Show Me; Don’t Tell Me

by Melissa Cook

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help students improve their descriptive writing skills and be able to identify adjectives. Students should learn to write descriptive paragraphs that include specific details and ideas that they can use effectively in their writing. This lesson can be presented after Writing Workshop has been operational for a few weeks.

Materials needed:

Paper
Pencils or pens
Highlighters
Writing Portfolios
Starburst and/or Hershey kisses (any type of sensory object)

Time required:

15-20 minutes

Objectives:

NCTE

ü Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

ü Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

(NCSCS) Language Arts

ü Competency Goal 6 – The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.

6.01 Model an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:

· Applying the parts of speech to clarify language usage.

Script:

“Today we’re going to look at the importance of adjectives in your writing. Instead of telling me what the character is doing, eating, seeing, or touching, show me what the character is doing, seeing, eating, or touching. For example, you can easily tell me ‘The car was red and fast.’ However, I can actually visualize the car better if you were to show me using adjective words, such as ‘The shiny apple-red Mustang whizzed by me.’ Now, I can actually see the car you’re describing and an image is beginning to form in my mind.

We’re going to try experimenting with adjective words and forming sentences using adjectives that can show your reader instead of just telling the reader. First, I’m going to distribute objects for you to describe. (Begin distributing Starbursts and Hershey kisses.) Rule one for this lesson; you cannot eat your candy while you are working. Rule two, you cannot eat your neighbor’s candy while you are working. I want you to look at your piece of candy, smell it, touch it, and write on your paper all of the adjectives you can think of that describe your piece of candy. I’ll give you three minutes; begin now.”

(Give students time to follow these instructions.) Now that you have your descriptive words, I want you to come up with one or two sentences about your piece of candy using your descriptive words. (Give students time to follow these instructions.) Is there anyone who would like to volunteer to read your sentence to the class? (As students read their sentences aloud, write them on the board or overhead, so other students can see them.) Now that we have seen and written some sentences using adjectives, let me read a page from [(this can be a book of your choice) a sample of the page can be distributed among the students so they can follow along and highlight descriptive words they find.] so you can see how a writer uses adjectives in order to bring the reader into the story. You just received a copy of the paragraph I’m preparing to read. Please, follow along with me and highlight all the descriptive words you locate in the text. (Read a few descriptive paragraphs from your reading selection.) You have heard some descriptive sentences and have written some descriptive sentences. Look at any particular piece of writing in your portfolio that you’re currently working on and begin adding description where you would like to have your reader see what’s happening.

Activities:

Now that students have an idea of how to bring a reader into their own writing, take this opportunity for students to look at any existing writing they have started and give them time to add more descriptive sentences to their own pieces of writing. A sheet of adjectives can be displayed in the conference area of the writing workshop or can be copied so that each student has a copy in their writing journals.

Additional Resources:

List of Adjectives

http://www.abcteach.com/abclists/adjectives.htm

Descriptive Words

http://www.admin.uottawa.ca/English/CareerServices/words.htm

Descriptive Words and Phrases (Best Website)

http://www.cclc.umn.edu/students/descriptive01.pdf

Sensory Adjectives

Angular

Bent

Big

Billowy

Black

Blonde

Blushing

Branching

Bright

Brilliant

Broad

Brunette

Bulky

Chubby

Circular

Clean

Cloudy

Colorful

Colossal

Contoured

Craggy

Crinkled

Crooked

Crowded

Crystalline

Curved

Cute

Dark

Deep

Dim

Distinct

Dull

Elegant

Enormous

Fancy

Fat

Filthy

Flat

Flickering

Fluffy

Foggy

Forked

Fuzzy

Gigantic

Glamorous

Gleaming

Glistening

Globular

Glowing

Graceful

Grotesque

Hazy

High

Hollow

Homely

Huge

Immense

Light

Lithe

Little

Long

Low

Misty

Motionless

Muddy

Murky

Narrow

Obtuse

Pale

Petite

Portly

Quaint

Radiant

Rectangular

Reddish

Rippling

Rotund

Shadowy

Shallow

Sheer

Shimmering

Shiny

Short

Skinny

Small

Soaring

Spotless

Square

Steep

Stormy

Straight

Strange

Sunny

Swooping

Tall

Tapering

Translucent

Ugly

Unsightly

Unusual

Weird

Wide

Wiry

Wispy

Wizened

Touch Words

Breezy

Bumpy

Chilly

Cold

Cool

Cuddly

Damp

Dank

Dirty

Downy

Dry

Dusty

Elastic

Filthy

Fluffy

Frosty

Gooey

Greasy

Gritty

Hard

Hot

Icy

Loose

Lukewarm

Melted

Plastic

Prickly

Rough

Searing

Shaggy

Sharp

Silky

Slick

Slimy

Slippery

Slushy

Smooth

Sodden

Soft

Solid

Sticky

Stinging

Sweaty

Tender

Tepid

Tight

Uneven

Warm

Waxen

Wet

Wooden

Sound Words

Bang

Bark

Boom

Buzz

Coo

Crackling

Crash

Crunching

Cry

Deafening

Echoing

Faint

Groan

Growl

Gurgling

Harsh

Haw

Hiss

Hoarse

Howl

Hushed

Husky

Lapping

Loud

Melodious

Moan

Muffled

Mumble

Murmur

Mutter

Noisy

Pealing

Pop

Purring

Quietly

Raspy

Reverberating

Rumble

Rustle

Scream

Screech

Shriek

Shrill

Shloshing

Snapping

Snarl

Snort

Softly

Splash

Squeak

Squeal

Thud

Thump

Thundering

Tinkle

Wail

Whimper

Whine

Whisper

Whistling

Smell Words

Acrid

Antiseptic

Bitter

Burning

Choking

Clean

Delicious

Fragrant

Fresh

Medicinal

Musty

Pungent

Putrid

Rancid

Rich

Rotten

Salty

Smoky

Sour

Spicy

Stale

Stinky

Strong

Sweet

Sight Words

Touch Words

Sensory Adjectives

Smell Words

Taste Words