Descriptive Writing: Make your writing "POP"
Make your Writing 'POP'
Have you ever thought about how authors and writers are able to provide such colourful and lengthy writing pieces? In this weeks session we learnt about Descriptive Writing and Techniques that eloquent writers use to make their pieces go, 'POP'!
What is Descriptive Writing?
Macrorie (1985), stated that we must encourage our students to 'show not tell'. This statement is one out of so many things that I took away with me from this week's session. As primary teachers we must encourage our students to paint word pictures using dialogues, word choice, sensory images, specific details and figurative language. These are techniques that proficient writers use. Another mouthful that I took away from this week's session!
After reading last week's blog on the 12 Writing Strategies Islands, you're probably wondering what's popping this week. In this week's blog let's talk about the popcorn flavours.
Popcorn Flavors
I went across the road and saw a bear.
The bear got stung by the bees.
He ran to the pond close by.
...blah blah blah.
Are you tired of receiving these dry, unsalted, flavorless compositions from your students? When modeling the writing process for your students, keep in mind to include these techniques:
Technique 1: Specific Details
As you pop your popcorn add some butter so it isn't dry. As you model the writing process for your students add some details to your characters, the setting, and even the behaviour of your characters by using adjectives. Teachers must remember to encourage their students to add specific details to their writing even if it is just a phrase or a sentence. Encourage your students to make their writing juicy. I went across the crooked, black road and saw a big, brown bear.
The big, brown bear got stung by the tiny bees.
He ran to the shallow little pond close by.
See what I did? I have added some details by describing the road, the bear, bees, and even the pond.
Technique 2: Word Choice
Let's add some pepper and salt to pop our popcorn. "Oops" that wasn't the wisest choice. Writers must be careful when choosing the words to express their ideas. As indicated by Lumen, "their precise choice of words can enable readers to gain clarity and grasp your intended meaning quickly." Lumen also stated that the writer's word choice can also affect the reader's attitudes towards the composition. It is therefore essential that the writer choose specific nouns, use vivid verbs, add colourful modifiers, differentiate between similar words and avoid the inclusion of tired words. Technique 3: Figurative Language
Some persons may not want to much butter in their popcorn. So, let's give it a flavour and add some chocolate. Now we will have some popcorn that is as sweet as honey. Writers must be reminded to add figurative language as it is an effective way to communicate ideas, elicit emotions and help readers to form mental images of what they read (Turner, 2021). Simply put, writers use figurative language to add flavour to their writing. Technique 4: Dialogues
Not everyone likes chocolate. For me, I like strawberries, so why not try some strawberry flavoured popcorn and a hint of salt? Writers use dialogues to bring readers closer to the climax of their writing piece (Writing Routines, 2021). The use of dialogues also allow readers to be able to see the different emotions between the characters. Technique 5: Sensory Images
When you pop your corn listen to it as it pop, smell it, see it, touch it but most of all taste it. As primary teachers when modelling the writing process we must remind our students to include words that will describe how the character's behaviour, characters, and setting smell, taste, feel, looks and sounds. 
Adding 'pop' to writing is a great idea. Helping our students to use more descriptive words and details helps not only them but he reader as well. We should strive to encourage our students to do this every day even if just in their daily writing like journals or sentence construction both orally and written. Great tip
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your feedback Jackie. And yes we should strive to encourage our students to use these techniques even if its just not a sentence but a phrase and eventually they would write sentences then paragraphs and perhaps a whole composition
DeleteMohanie, I enjoy reading your blog. Descriptive Writing indeed make your writing POP! Also, it is important that we teachers use techniques to help our students embrace their creativity in their writing. I love all these tips Mohanie. Job well done!!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your feedback Zoe. Yes it is very essential that we as teachers help our students see their own creativity and that they realize writing doesn’t come with a snap of the finger but with practice.
DeleteMohanie, I really enjoyed reading this week's blog post. I think the play on the word 'pop' added a good flare to the writing piece. As teachers we really have a huge responsibility to ensure that we teach students to flavour their writing pieces. I will definitely try to have student make their writing 'pop' when I return to the classroom.
ReplyDeleteYour feed back is appreciated Onida. I agree with you, as Teachers we indeed have a huge responsibility.
DeleteMohanie I really loved this weeks blog. How you displayed the information with the 'pop' added to it made it fun and enjoyable and still informative. You and I are teachers in the primary school district and descriptive writing is very important learning skill to help students clarify, further describe and relate to their surroundings and environment. Thank you for your little flavour into writing. The 'pop' will be a definate lesson I will be teaching my class.
ReplyDeleteTamar I appreciate your feedback and am glad to see that you have been following my blogs and willing to introduce the various strategies and techniques to your students so that they can better their writing. Your comment has definitely motivated me to post more each week so that I will be able to share with teachers like yourself. #keep following
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