How to implement it?

Hopefully, descriptive writing were as simple as "showing"! Descriptive writing is a skill —and an art— that requires instruction, practice, and time to learn. The good news is that it can be taught explicitly. An understanding of the characteristics of effective descriptive writing, combined with a set of structures and strategies to support learning and practice, can enhance students' development as authors of vivid and evocative writing.

What is effective descriptive writing like?

Descriptive writing authors use a variety of styles and techniques to connect with readers, but effective descriptive writing often shares these characteristics:

​ • Vivid details. Specific details paint a picture in the reader's mind and appeal to the reader's senses. Descriptive writing can also go beyond creating a strong sensory impression to give the reader an "image" of the feelings that the description evokes in the writer.

​ • Figurative language. Tools of the writer's craft such as analogy, simile, and metaphor add depth to the authors' descriptions.

​ • Precise language. General passive adjectives, nouns, and verbs are used sparingly. Instead, specific adjectives and nouns, along with strong action verbs, bring to life the image being painted in the reader's mind.

​ • Careful organization. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include: chronological (time), spatial (location), and order of importance. Descriptive writing about a person could start with a physical description, followed by how the person thinks, feels, and acts.

What is effective instruction like?

There is no one right approach to teaching descriptive writing, but effective instruction often includes:

​ • Model texts. Read aloud and analyze high-quality model texts to help students understand how authors use descriptive writing to connect with readers.

​ • Focus on the five senses. Help students establish the connection between sensory input (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) and descriptive writing.

​ • Teacher modeling. Modeling different ways to generate descriptive writing.

​ • Guided practice. Structured and repeated practice, adapted to meet the needs of the students. Feedback and review.

​ • Constructive feedback cycles from the teacher and peers followed by a reflective review.

Diversity in the classroom

For second language learners, students with varied reading skills, and younger students.

​ • Use dictation as a way to help capture your students' thoughts and ideas.

​ • Provides sentence frames for writing descriptive sentences or paragraphs.

​ • Use images and other sensory stimuli.

​ • Provides novice writers with real or virtual experiences that give them something to write about. Trips to a relative's house, a playground, or a supermarket provide real-life experiences that can be recorded by a new writer.

​ • Encourage your students to work with a partner or in a small group to develop first drafts.

​ • Work with your students to brainstorm and create a bank of interesting and descriptive words that they can incorporate into their writing.

Evidence

Akerson, V. L., & Young, T.A. (2005). Science the ‘write’ way. Science and Children, 43(3), 38-41.

MacArthur, C., Graham, S., & Fitzgerald, J. (2016). Handbook of research on writing (2nd Edition). NY: Guilford.

Miller, R.G., & Calfee, R.C. (2004). Making thinking visible: A method to encourage science writing in upper elementary grades. Science and Children, (42)3, 20-25.

This article is a free adaptation and translation of: Reading Rockets (n.d.) Summerizing.https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/descriptive-writing