Student Writer Instructions:
Today you are writing a descriptive paragraph based on someone observing something moving past them. Your challenge will be to think like an artist to create a vivid picture with a minimal amount of words. Just as artists use color and texture to create beautiful paintings, you will use color and texture words to create a description which creates a picture in your reader’s mind.
In describing a passing train, remember how Blue Balliett creates a specific picture with only a few words on the first page of Chapter 3 in Chasing Vermeer. Remember how Balliett uses interesting phrases like "a shout of red hair," and try to do something similar in your writing today.
If you don't have an idea for a scene, use the interactive buttons below. First, select a wheeled vehicle by pressing button 1. You will describe what you see in that vehicle as it speeds past you. Keep in mind that the speed of the vehicle will affect the type of detail you see.
Choose a couple of color, texture, and shape words by pressing Button 2. These are only to get you started—try to weave in as many good adjectives from your own brain as you can.
Button 3, for those who dare, will provide you with a challenging phrase to work into your description.
When you are finished with your writing, your teacher will have you work with it to try strengthening your artistic touch even further. |
