Assignment #6 Chapter 10 Descriptive Writing

“Descriptive writing is painting pictures with words” (p.221). This chapter explores the descriptive writing, its techniques, and how to teach them. The techniques are adding specific information, choosing words carefully, creating sensory images, making comparisons, and writing dialogue. I found that the students can develop their writing in an attempt to write more specifically and to add more information with sensory words, metaphors, dialogues. Reading the section of the word choice (p.224), I thought that it is valuable to teach alternative and vivid words of English to the students.

“Children learn about descriptive techniques through minilessons” (p.227). In the minilesson, there are six activities available according to this chapter: Creating five-senses clusters, Listening attributes, Building sentences, Crafting comparisons, Creating dialogue, and Adding words to wordless picture books. I found interesting to the cluster, character map, dialogue picture. Plus, it is quite adaptable to the group to follow the writing process: Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, and final copy.

Reference:Tompkins, G. E. (2008). Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product. NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Here are some interesting articles about this chapter.
http://www.montanalife.com/writing/descriptive_writing_techniques.html

Response to Ja Eun Kim:
Creating sensory images are not easy to children, but Students need to learn some techniques for descriptive writing from their teachers. They have to be careful with word choices, provide specific information, create sensory images and dialogues, and use comparisons in their descriptive writings. She also understand this method is not easy. But she defines this activity will one of the most helpful activity.