GCSE English Revision: the descriptive writing task

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GCSE English Revisionthe descriptive writing
task!
How to effectively describe a place
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What are the key features of writing to describe?

• Present tense
• 2nd/3rd person
• Snapshots
• Five senses
• Adjectives
• Verbs
• Adverbs
• Showing not telling

• Variety of sentence lengths
• Use of imagery (personification/similes/metaphors)
  
• Develop an air of mystery
• Structure into logical sequence

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Activity One - planning
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Planning

• Create a paragraph plan before you write every
  paragraph should be a different snapshot view of
  the bigger picture.
• Heres an example.

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Sample task describe a doctors waiting room

• PLAN
• Busy reception desk phones, forms
• A worried mother with child on lap
• Toddlers fighting over toys
• Notice board signs, warnings, appeals
• Rising tension how people react to waiting
• View outside window

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Your turn describe a school yard during
lunchtime

• PLAN
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -

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Activity Two observing closely
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What is unimpressive about this description?

• A girl sits on her mothers lap. She has blue
  eyes and brown hair.
• Thats right it isnt interesting. Thousands of
  girls have blue eyes and brown hair! Try to point
  out something special, some individual feature,
  when you describe people.

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Why is this better?

• A schoolgirl lounges on her mothers lap. Her
  eyes are red-rimmed as if she has been rubbing
  them and her long hair is tangled.

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Improve this description

• A toddler plays with some building blocks. He is
  wearing a green shirt and blue trousers.
• Compare your rewritten sentence with your
  partners and decide on the best one to share
  with the rest of the group.

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Activity Three using the senses
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Using the five senses

• Why is it important to use the five senses in
  your description?
• Imagine you are sitting in the waiting room.
  Note down ideas in response to the prompts on the
  next slide.
• (Your aim is to create a tense and unhappy
  atmosphere.)

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Sensory prompts

• You read a poster what does it say?
• You hear a sound from outside what is it?
• A sound inside catches your attention what is
  it?
• You watch a pensioner reading a newspaper. What
  do you notice about him?
• What do you begin to imagine about the life of a
  worried looking teenage boy?
• How does your seat feel?
• What can you smell?

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To sum up so far

• Break the view into snapshot
  scenes by planning
• Describe specific details not
  the obvious and everyday
• Use the senses to create
  atmosphere