Writing WorkshopDescriptive Writing: Descriptive Essay

Through the power of language, a good writer of description can open up new worlds for the

Descriptive Essay

Assignment: Write an essay describing something you’ve observed. Your teacher, classmates, family, or friends will be your audience.

description can open up new worlds for the reader. As you plan and write your essay, think about how you can use descriptive details to bring your subject to life.

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Descriptive Essay

Choosing a Subject

Finding More Ideas

Gathering Ideas

Feature Menu

Organizing

Getting Started

Assignment

1. Can I observe the subject closely, or can I picture it

2. Would a reader find it as interesting as I do?

Use these questions to help you choose a subject to describe.

Descriptive EssayChoosing a Subject

can I picture it clearly?

interesting as I do?

Cool! Yuck!

Descriptive EssayChoosing a Subject

3. Can I think of enough sensory details for a full description?

Smell:Hmm. I don’t

Taste:I’ve eaten fried frogs’

legs.

Touch: soft,warty, damp,

cool

Hmm. I don’t know. How would I

find out? See:puffed throat,

brown and spotted,bulging eyesHear: croaking,

burplike sounds;

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Descriptive EssayFinding More Ideas

What would you enjoy observing and describing?

an interesting

object?

an animal and

its unusual

behavior?

Descriptive EssayFinding More Ideas

What would you enjoy observing and describing?

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a person you

already know?

a place where you’ve

been happy?

the first time you

did something?

1. What facts do I know about my subject?

Descriptive EssayGathering Ideas

To gather details about your subject, freewrite for a few minutes about each of these questions.

Tiger is three months old. She was a

She chews Mom’s plants and unrolls toilet paper. Sometimes she hides in my closet. She races around the house and then curls up in my lap to sleep.

Tiger is three months old. She was a birthday present. She’s a tabby.

2. What actions are associated with my subject?

Grey with black stripes; big, grey eyes. Smells like pet shampoo and sometimes like cat food. Her fur is soft, but her claws and her little teeth are sharp! She meows loudly.

3. What are some sensory details about my subject?

Descriptive EssayGathering Ideas

4. What are some of my thoughts and feelings about my subject?

I miss her when I’m at school. Hugging her makes me feel better when I’m upset. Sometimes I get mad at her when she doesn’t listen.

• A simile compares things by using like or as.

• A metaphor makes a direct comparison.

You can help your description come to life by using figurative language.

Tiger’s teeth are like little knives slicing my hand.

Descriptive EssayGathering Ideas

• Personification gives human characteristics to things.

• A metaphor makes a direct comparison.

Tiger is a tornado tearing through the house.

She sang a sweet, welcoming song with her purr.

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best for describing

best for describing a place

Organize your essay in one of these three ways:

Spatial order

Order of

Descriptive EssayOrganizing

uses location, such as top to bottom, front to back, and left to right

puts the most important best for describing objects and people

Chronological order

Order of importance

arranges details in time order

puts the most important details at the beginning or at the end

best for describing events

I love Mrs. Gold’s sense of style. She wears crazy hats and enormous, colorful glasses to match her outfits.

Read the following excerpts from students’ descriptive essays. See if you can identify the method of organization used for each.

Descriptive EssayOrganizing

I love Mrs. Gold’s sense of style. She wears crazy hats and enormous, colorful glasses to match her outfits. and enormous, colorful glasses to match her outfits. Her wild, curly hair never looks combed but always smells like flowers. But the thing I like most about her is her constant smile! It spreads across her face and makes me feel happy and loved.

Order of importance

and enormous, colorful glasses to match her outfits. Her wild, curly hair never looks combed but always smells like flowers. But the thing I like most about her is her constant smile! It spreads across her face and makes me feel happy and loved.

Read the following excerpts from students’ descriptive essays. See if you can identify the method of organization used for each.

Descriptive EssayOrganizing

Grandpa brought a stool for me to stand on because the horse was a giant! I was shaking in my shoes, but Grandpa brought a stool for me to stand on because the horse was a giant! I was shaking in my shoes, but

Chronological order

the horse was a giant! I was shaking in my shoes, but I climbed onto the stool and faced the horse. She smelled like leather and hay. I carefully reached out to touch her, but I was moving in slow motion. I placed my left hand on the front of the saddle. Then I slowly lifted my right leg . . .

the horse was a giant! I was shaking in my shoes, but I climbed onto the stool and faced the horse. She smelled like leather and hay. I carefully reached out to touch her, but I was moving in slow motion. I placed my left hand on the front of the saddle. Then I slowly lifted my right leg . . .

Read the following excerpts from students’ descriptive essays. See if you can identify the method of organization used for each.

Descriptive EssayOrganizing

Beside the cabin was a huge oak tree alive with birds. Its branches and leaves hid a large, flat rock that Dad Beside the cabin was a huge oak tree alive with birds. Its branches and leaves hid a large, flat rock that Dad

Spatial order

Its branches and leaves hid a large, flat rock that Dad told me was great for nighttime sleeping. Behind the rock was a glassy lake that shimmered in the afternoon sun.

Its branches and leaves hid a large, flat rock that Dad told me was great for nighttime sleeping. Behind the rock was a glassy lake that shimmered in the afternoon sun.

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Think of the prewriting details you’ve gathered as the building blocks of your descriptive essay. Now, it’s time to “stack” the blocks and start writing!

Descriptive EssayGetting Started

figurative languagefigurative language

feelings actions

tastessmellssounds

thoughts

sights

Writing WorkshopDescriptive Writing: Descriptive Essay

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