Descriptive Writing Paints A Picture
In my Lit. 102 course we began discussing another type of writing. This time around the topic was one I find quite intriguing- Descriptive Writing. Although this writing technique is one that I have encountered and had to make use of many times, the reinforcement was quite necessary. As my lecturer began explaining what this type of writing entails, what came to my mind, was an artist painting a picture. This is because I believe that this is what descriptive writing should do. Descriptive writing should create a mental picture in the mind of the readers. So, for a reader who never visited the place, met the person or does not know about the thing you are writing about, what this type of writing should do, is use words to paint a vivid picture for the reader. But how do good writers do this?
Descriptive writers make use of showing, rather than telling sentences ( as discussed in one of my previous blogs). They also use a lot of sensory details, that allows the reader to see, hear, smell, taste and touch along with the writer. What can also be utilised in this type of writing, is figurative language such as, personifications, similes, metaphors and onomatopoeias. Additionally, as I learnt, key to descriptive writing is careful organisation. This, I must admit was new to me. However, my lecturer explained that organisation of descriptive pieces can be spatial, chronological, general to specific, order of importance or even most important to least important.
In this course I am privy to so many writing techniques and tips, that honestly makes me excited to write again. Also, as I learn and improve my own writing, I am also able to see how I can bring these techniques across to my young learners. I can not wait to return to the classroom to demonstrate improvement of my craft.
Here is a graphic organiser that I found can be used with young children, when planning for their descriptive writing pieces.
source: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Descriptive-Writing-Graphic-Organizers-Examples-Rubric-and-More-52440
Shevon, that was quite a fitting analogy you used, comparing descriptive writing to painting a picture. I must tell you though, one of the most impactful part of the lesson for me, was when our lecturer allowed us to close our eyes and imagine an abandoned house. We then had to describe that house using sensory details, which made it so much easier than if we were just given the topic and told to write. It was exciting to hear, how our ideas flowed as we listened to each other. That is a strategy I intend to employ upon my return to the classroom, as I have experienced first-hand the effectiveness of it's use.
ReplyDeleteHi Erica. I do agree with you. I thought that was a very compelling strategy to use when teaching about descriptive writing. Closing your eyes and picturing the scene, makes it easier for your imagination to run wild. I think I can use this strategy as a good introductory activity, when teaching my students about descriptive writing, they can even be asked to draw a picture of what they described.
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