Descriptive+Writing

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/spring/kids-poems-rhymes/
 * __Resources:__ **


 * __Mystery Object Description__ **
 *  Before **: Explain to the kids that you are going to go outside and gather one natural object from outside to describe to their classmates. Prior to doing this lesson, it would be helpful to have done some descriptive writing using the five senses.
 *  During **: Give each child a small brown paper bag for their object. Remind them not to tell/show their peers what their object is.
 *  After **: Once back inside, have the children write a descriptive paragraph about their object. Focus on using their five senses to describe how the object feels, looks, sounds, smells (but not tastes!!). You could then have their children share and have their peers guess what's inside the bag. Their descriptions could also be written in the form of riddles, such as "I am brown and shades of orange. I can be all different shapes based on what I come from. I feel rough on one side and smooth on the other side. I may smell like fall or rain. What am I?

**Resource**: Trait Craite - Word Choice
 * Goal**: Use precise nouns, vivid verbs, and colorful adjectives
 * Before: **One of the first lessons in the word choice section (4th grade) has to do with avoiding "obvious" words and replace them with words that are more creative. For example, to describe a bird, words NOT to use are: feathers, fly, beak, and chirp. Words to use instead could include: soar, hop, sing, downy, wings, south. A sample paragraph could be: "It's winter, and I notice extra traffic in the sky above. Ponds, meadows, trees, and backyards in the south are preparing for their guests to arrive. Feeders have been filled, and worms take cover because they know they may be a snack for the impending visitors. As the visitors arrive, they land in a cherry tree to give their weary, downy wings a well-deserved rest. They are happy with their vacation destination." The lesson in this resource works very well.
 * During: **Provide students with idea cards that include a topic and "obvious" words they may not use. Have students think of words they could use instead of the "obvious" words. [Word cards are included in the Trait Crate lesson, but the existing word cards do not have to do with nature. Possible word cards you could include are: squirrel, chipmunk, butterfly, dandelion, robin, clouds, cardinal.] The attached blackline master will help students organize their thoughts. Have students write and edit their paragraph.
 * After: **Have students share their paragraphs with a partner, or in small groups. If someone guesses what they are describing, have the other students share which words were descriptive and "telling". If no one guessed the topic, have students share words the author could have used. You may want to repeat this lesson the next day to give students more time to practice the word choice skill.

1. ** After getting to the site, give students a few minutes to select an object to observe, i.e., leaf, grass, flower, insect, squirrel, bird, etc. 2. In their schoolyard journal, students will write ideas for each column. They will reminded to add details and clarifying information.
 * __What Does It Look Like? Where Does It Live? What Does It Do?__ **
 * Goal **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">: To help students use a variety of sentences and ideas to describe something in the schoolyard
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Before: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Tell students which site they will be visiting to observe something in the schoolyard. Based on the area, students will predict what they will see. Before they go outside, have students make a 3-column chart in their journal with the headings, "Looks Like?", "Lives?", "Does?"
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">During:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">After: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Students will use their ideas from their journal to write a paragraph to describe what they observed. You may want to challenge students to not use the name of the object so that it remains a "mystery". Students will share their paragraphs with classmates.