1
CW W2
Narrative Writing Focus: Descriptive (Sensory) Language
Tues, 9-10
What is descriptive language?
- It is...language...that...describes...using sensory details
What is it's purpose?
- It allows us to have SENSORY recreations of experiences, objects, life stuff
- Adding sensory language helps your reader to EXPERIENCE the scene you are trying to describe
- SHOWS the reader rather than TELLS them by using sensory details
- It is language that, when thoughtfully placed, give purpose and depth to whatever you are describing.
- Makes writing seem real, vivid, colorful, detailed
- If you can't picture what you're writing, neither can your writer
Compare...
- He had a loud, funny laugh.
- When Lee showed the class her pun, his shrill, cackling laughter was heard up and down the halls of GP.
- Her eyes were bright blue
- Her eyes sparkled like sapphires in the dark
The What
&
The WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Due on Friday:
- Signed Syllabus
- Student Survey
Imagine how boring the world would be without descriptive language...
The flow of most units...
Unit Overview: Storytelling
Why stories?
- “Those who tell the stories rule the world.” (proverb)
- You are natural storytellers. You tell stories ALL THE TIME
Why Personal Narratives?
- Writers usually write about things that matter to them
- The building block of other genres of writing
- We get to know each other better
1. Notes on the focus of that unit
2. Practice: in-class activities practicing the unit's writing focus
3. Draft #1: In class drafting time
4. Writing Workshop: peer workshopping with Draft #1
5. Draft #2: you revise Draft #1 and turn in Draft #2 to me to get general feedback
6. You decide if you want to keep revising that draft to submit in your portfolio
More info on Portfolio will be given when we start drafting...
Fun fact: psychologists found (in studies from 2011 and 2012) that the brain processes "tangible" (i.e. sensory words) faster than other words, and our brain is "activated" when we read sensory words.
Fun? Just me?
Station Time!!!
Let’s be honest…humans these days struggle with being intentional with their language.
Before we get into writing longer prose, we're going to practice putting on our sensory language hats.
Purpose:
- Learn to be intentional with language & sensory details by describing objects using ONLY one sense at a time
- Use SHOW words and phrases
- Learn to avoid words like, "small, funny, weird, big"
- Create a word bank of sensory details to apply to writing tomorrow (and forever)
- If you can't picture what you're writing, neither can your writer
If you're having trouble...think: what does this object remind you of? Turn it into a simile or metaphor
Sep 9-13, 2019
Wed, 9-11
The What
&
The WHYYYYYYY
DO NOW #1 (9-10)
HW: Finish the "TELL -> SHOW Sentence" Practice Sentence by tmrw
Due Friday:
- Signed syllabus
- Student survey
Take out your paper from yesterday. Reflect on what you just did and rationalize why you made the choices you did.
- Why did you pick your specific color of paper?
- What, specifically, did you do to it?
- If you drew something, what is the significance behind each image?
- If you manipulated the paper, what did you make and why?
- If you added materials to it, what do they represent?
- How does your paper (and whatever you did to it) reflect something about YOU?
- 7 minutes
- Please write in complete sentences!!!
- Be ready to share with your table group
Thurs, 9-12
The What
&
The WHYYYYYYYYYYY
Due Friday:
- Signed Syllabus
- Student Survey
DO NOW!!!!! #2 (9-11)
Application Time!!! Transforming TELL -> SHOW
Transforming TELL -> SHOW sentences
(excerpts from The Handmaid's Tale)
TELL: I have a lot of plastic bags.
SHOW: “Not many things are plastic, anymore. I remember those endless white plastic shopping bags, from the supermarket; I hated to waste them and would stuff them in under the sink, until the day would come when there would be too many and I would open the cupboard door and they would bulge out, sliding over the floor.” (27)
Write a favorite (SCHOOL APPROPRIATE) song lyric that easily comes to your mind.
- What do you think this song lyric means?
- How do you feel about the song and why?
- Describe what was happening the last time you heard that song?
- Does this song remind you of a specific event or person? If so, why?
- You must include a word or phrase appealing to each of the five senses (please underline)
WRITE FOR 7 MINUTES. YES, YOU MUST BE WRITING FOR 7 MINUTES. If you run out of things to write about, write about anything that comes to mind
Writing Sample Expert Groups
Your Turn!
TELL: He closed the book.
SHOW: “He lets the book fall closed. It makes an exhausted sound, like a padded door shutting, by itself, at a distance: a puff of air. The sound suggests the softness of the think oniony pages, how they would feel under the fingers.” (90)
Step 1: Assign a sentence to each table group member.
Step 2: On the bottom of your Graphic Organizer (or on a separate sheet of paper), transform the TELL sentence to a SHOW passage using SENSORY DETAILS.
- Expectations:
- Write a solid paragraph (6 sentences min.)
- Integrates ALL FIVE senses
- Use a thesaurus if you're having trouble
- HAVE FUN WITH IT! BE (wait for it...) CREATIVE!!!
Step 1: Randomized groups of 5-6
- Each person read what they wrote
- Discuss the Pre-Class Meeting Discussion Questions
- Be ready to share
- TELL -> SHOW paragraphs
- Share out descriptive words/phrases you used
- Pre-Class Meeting Questions
Step 2: Whole class show-and-tell
TELL: The egg was smooth.
SHOW: “The shell of the egg is smooth but also grained; small pebbles of calcium are defined by the sunlight, like craters on the moon. It’s a barren landscape, yet perfect; it’s the sort of desert the saints went into, so their minds would not be distracted by profusion.” (110)
1. I was exhausted.
2. The puppy was a terror.
3. My friend was so mad.
4. The English teacher was strange.
(Please be nice with #4...)
Student Cards
DO NOW!!!!!! #3 (9-12)
Describe your favorite way to spend a free day.
What would you wear? What would you do? With whom? What would you eat throughout that day?
Do you think you could do this everyday if given the opportunity?
Canvas
- Open Canvas & go to our course page
- Then angle your screen down
Thank you!
How to succeed in this course 101
1. Finish your work
2. Finish it on time
3. Finish it the best you can
4. Follow expectations
Computer Expectations
1. Be responsible
2. Follow instructions
3. Don't think you can beat the system
Computer Stuff
- Logging in:
- Username: same as last year
- Password: same as last year
- If your PW from last year doesn't work, then try your STUDENT ID #
- Write your name & computer # on the sign-up sheet. THIS IS YOUR COMPUTER FOR THE REST OF THE SEMESTER. REMEMBER IT.
- IF YOUR COMPUTER ASKS YOU TO UPDATE, DO NOT UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!
- Once you're logged in, titlt your screen down
Mon, 9-9-19
Remind
Week Overview
Silly-Bus & Participation Rubric
(I'm not going to read everything to you)
The What
&
The WHYYYYYYYYYYYY
Signed syllabus due on Friday (for points)
Monday
- DO NOW
- Syllabus stuff
- Computer & Canvas stuff...
Tuesday (assembly)
- Course/Unit Overview
- The language of narratives
Wednesday (extended Grizzly Period--Senior Meeting)
- The flow/structure of narratives (breaking down narrative examples)
- HW: Finish Disc. Prep
Thursday (extended Grizzly Period--Junior Meeting)
- DISCUSSION!! YESSSSSSSSSS #seminartimeanytime
- HW:
- Signed Syllabus & Student Survey due
Friday
- SIGNED SYLLABUS & STUDENT SURVEY DUE #freepoints
- Class Meeting Intro************
DO NOW
- GET A COMP BOOK OR NOTEBOOK BY TOMORROW!!!
- Signed Syllabus due on Fri
- Student Survey due on Fri
- Select a piece of paper.
- Write your name visibly on the paper.
- Do something/anything to your paper—the only catch is that whatever you do to your paper needs to reflect something about YOU, and you need to be able to explain your choice(s).
- Use or don’t use the provided supplies
- Hold on to your paper. Add things to it if you want. We’ll do more with this tomorrow. DON’T LOSE.
You have 7 minutes