10Th Grade Exploration 4

10th Grade Exploration 4

Here is the Common Core standard for which you are seeking to aim (from Standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 ):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

YOUR GOAL FOR THIS EXPLORATION:

Paint a picture in your reader’s mind by replacing dull, vague writing with specific, telling, sensory details.

Learn it

1.  It was Mark Twain who said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

Think about Mark Twain’s quote. In a short paragraph, explain what you think he means by it, giving some examples from your own writing to support your conclusion:

2.  Read through the following resource and completing the below activities (taken directly from the resource) on showing, not telling writing:

http://www.foremostpress.com/authors/articles/show_not_tell.html

“Writing Exercise—Take this phrase: ‘It was hot.’ Rewrite it without the word ‘was’. Better yet, don't even use the word ‘hot’. Think of all the things you can use to describe heat. Make a list, if you want. Write a few sentences that SHOW the weather is hot.”

“Writing Exercise—take a word: scary, weird, ugly, etc. And then tell what it looks like. What does scary look like? Weird? Ugly? Don't say the baby was ugly (and you know, we've all seen one ugly baby in our lifetimes), describe it. Don't say the man acted weird -- tell us how he acted. SHOW us him in action.”

Now, pick one part of your narrative rough draft which seems to be telling the reader what you want to communicate rather than showing. Re-write it here, using the advice of Shirley Jump:

3.  Read the following tutorial on sensory language:

http://www.sophia.org/sensory-language/sensory-language-tutorial

List two lessons you learned:

1.

2.

Here’s an idea for brainstorming sensory details with a graphic organizer:

http://www.writedesignonline.com/assignments/senseweb.html

Discover it

1.  Following are excellent examples of “showing” writing in famous poetry:

http://www.writedesignonline.com/assignments/shownottell.html

Write down 3 of your favorite examples of “showing” writing from the poetry:

1.

2.

3.

2.  Read the excerpts from the following website, searching for sensory details. List them below:

http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf

Page 102 Gogol, Nikolai. “The Nose.” Translated by Ronald Wilks. Diary of a Madman, and Other Stories. New York: Penguin,1972. (1836)

Example: Sight—“A gentleman with a lathered cheek”

Smell—“smelt hot bread”

Other sensory details in “The Nose”:

Page 105 Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Translated by Stanley Corngold. New York: Bantam, 1972. (1915)

Sensory details in The Metamorphosis:

Page 106 Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1987. (1953)

From Part 1: “The Hearth and the Salamander”

Sensory details in Fahrenheit 451:

Page 109 Zusak, Marcus. The Book Thief. New York: Knopf, 2005. (2005)

From “The Flag”

Sensory details in The Book Thief:

Employ it

Take a closer look at your rough draft. Brainstorm places in which you can add sensory details. Try re-writing at least five sentences from your rough draft to incorporate each of the following senses:

Sight—

Smell—

Taste—

Touch—

Sound—