Describing...

• We can use both adjectives and adverbs to describe.
• Words, and phrases, and sentences, and paragraphs can be used to describe.
• Describing words and phrases come in two types - those that describe nouns and those that describe verbs.
• Adjectives "add" information to a noun. (They "describe" the noun.)
• Adverbs "add" information to a verb. ran how? ran quickly. Adverbs often describe how something was done.
• A thesaurus is a great tool for finding rich describing words. Learn to use it. This can be a book or a free online resource like The Sage.

Practice with words

• Choose a person, place, thing, or event (noun). Write down all related describing words that you can think of. Hint: Use your 5 senses. Use a thesaurus to help you find new, varied, and interesting words. Avoid ho-hum common describing words.
• Choose an action word (verb). Write down related describing words. Ask yourself: how? Use a thesaurus to help you find new, varied, and interesting words. Avoid ho-hum common describing words. Instead of "He came soon." write, "He came immediately."
• Choose a descriptive category such as color, texture, shape, size, cost, value, appearance, sound, taste, smell, feeling (anger, sadness, fear, joy), quantity, speed, ability... list as many words for that category as you can think of. Use a dictionary or thesaurus to help you think of more. Ask family members, neighbors, relatives... to give you more ideas. Save your words and choose from them when you are writing. Identify the words in your list as adjectives or adverbs. Hint: If the word fits in a sentence before a noun, it is likely an adjective. If it fits in a sentence after a verb, it is likely an adverb.
• Choose a piece of art or an illustration. Use adjectives to describe the color, shape, line, mood....
• Think of a describing word. Look it up in a thesaurus. Choose your three top favorite synonyms. Example Big becomes gigantic, towering, or colossal. Small becomes wee, pocket-sized, or minute. Slowly become
• Socials: choose a historical person, place, thing, or event. Write your selection as a title. Underneath make a list of words that describe this person, place, thing, or event.
• Science: select a person, place, thing, or event from you recent study. Write your selection as a title. Underneath make a list of words that describe this person, place, thing, or event.
• Fine Arts: select piece of art, an illustration, a piece of music.... Write your selection as a title. Underneath make a list of words that describe your selection.
• Career Education: select a job or occupation in your community or in a historical setting. Write your selection as a title. Underneath make a list of describing words that relate to your selection. Example. carpenter: strong, faithful, responsible, accurate, precise (Be careful to identify words that describe qualities of the carpenter as opposed to things he has or does.)
• Play "I spy" using descriptive words.
• Imagine playing "I spy" in a historical setting. How? State your setting: Mackenzie arriving at Bella Coola. Using a descriptive word, state what you spy: I spy with my little eye, something that is wooden. Listeners guess what wooden things would be in that setting. Use any setting from Socials, Science, literature... It is a fun game to play with younger children after reading a book. Not only does it increase vocabulary, their familiarity lets you know just how much of the story they retained.
• See "Lists" for more word ideas.
• Challenge yourself to incorporate a variety of skill clusters. For example, use descriptive words in a list.

Practice with phrases

• Make sure you understand what a phrase is. Don't know? Look here.
• Select a person, place, or thing. Picture it in your mind. Picture where it is sitting. Write phrases that describe its location: on the table, near the door, by the clock.... each of these phrases begins with a preposition.
• Socials: choose a historical person, place, thing, or event. Write your selection as a title. Underneath make a list of phrases that describe this person, place, thing, or event.
• Science: select a person, place, thing, or event from you recent study. Write your selection as a title. Underneath make a list of phrases that describe this person, place, thing, or event.
• Take notes using powerful descriptive phrases
• Visual Arts: Choose a piece of art or an illustration. List descriptive phrases relating to content, color, shape, line, mood, technique, materials used (with a brush, on stone, on paper...)
• Music: Choose a musical selection, an instrument, a musician.... List descriptive phrases relating to your selection
• Adapt activities from "Practice with Words" by substituting "phrase"
• Prepositional phrases: this is a good time to learn about prepositional phrases. These are a special form of phrase that tells when and where (Next time you are at your library, look for "Rosie's Walk". This whole story is built of prepositional phrases. Use it as a model for writing your own prepositional phrase story. Better yet, use the model to write a prepositional story about a historical or scientific person, place, thing, or event and meet several skill clusters - describe, story forms, history...)
• Similes: similes are a special type of phrase that makes a comparison as fat as a pig, as light as a feather, as clear as day, worked like a horse, hair like a rope.... (key words: as, like Note that similes can add information to either a noun or a verb. Similes are not metaphors)
• Show, rather than tell through the use of active verbs and precise modifiers
• Note: Become familiar with phrases and you will make sense of the Apostle Paul's writings with much greater ease since he uses phrases a lot!

Practice with sentences

• As soon as a student begins to combine words into sentences, show them that it takes powerful words to make powerful sentences.
• Make sure the student knows the elements found in a complete sentence. Make sure every sentence has these elements.
• Combine descriptive words and descriptive phrases to make vivid, image producing sentences. Practice writing both short and long sentences. A single powerful sentence is of more value than several bland sentences. It is challenging yourself to improve that will bring about learning. Just writing something down doesn't strengthen your ability. "Just writing" simply lets the reader know your current ability level.
• Relate your sentences to historical periods, people, places, events, and or Scientific concepts..... How? Write your title. Underneath, list powerful descriptive sentences related to that title.
• Adapt appropriate word and phrase activities (above) for use with complete sentences.
• Write one powerful sentence. Underneath, write the sentence again using a different word order. Challenge yourself to find as many variations as possible. The variations may not all be grand but they will help you to realize just how many ways an idea can be stated.

  Examples

  Tommy laughed heartily.
  Tommy heartily laughed.

  Erica stumbled toward the small cottage.
  Toward the small cottage, Erica stumbled.

  With a flick of his gigantic wrist, Goliath unsheathed the monstrous sword.
  Goliath unsheathed the monstrous sword with a flick of his gigantic wrist.
  The monstrous sword was unsheathed with a flick of his gigantic wrist.

Practice with paragraphs

• When a student understands the concept of powerful sentences, they can begin to combine those sentences to form powerful paragraphs.
• Make sure the student knows the elements found in a paragraph. Make sure each paragraph has these elements.
• Combine powerful descriptive sentences to make vivid, image producing paragraphs. Practice writing both short and long paragraphs. A single, short, powerful paragraph is of more value than several long, bland paragraphs. Challenge yourself.
• Relate your paragraph(s) to historical periods, people, places, events, and or Scientific concepts..... Select your topic. Collect ideas. Use a graphic organizer if you find it helpful. Write your paragraph. Proofread it. Read it out loud. Edit. Turn in your final copy.
• The Writing Site descriptive writing
• Four Rules for Good Descriptive Writing rules and sample assignment
• Show, don't tell 6 strategies toward better descriptive writing
• Show Don't Tell from "To Build a fire: by Jack London
• Editing and Revising a Descriptive Paragraph Excellent! delete excess improve verbs vary syntax insert modifiers
• Writing Descriptive Paragraphs sample and written exercises Idea: choose a character and use this exercise within a historical context

Practice with poetry

• Write poetry liberally sprinkled with descriptive words and phrases. see "Poetry Forms"

Practice with essays

• Strategically write an essay incorporating relevant descriptive words and phrases. see "Essays"

Practice with dialog

• Write dialog using lively descriptive words and phrases. See "Dialog"

Practice, practice, practice. : )