Lesson:
We spent most of this class period reading aloud the place descriptions the students had written, matching them up with the photos that inspired them. The students were successful in that their classmates were easily able to match the correct image to its corresponding description. In fact, I thought they did a fabulous job, especially with the similes, metaphors, and personification I had asked them to include. I was pleased and impressed.
We also discussed how to describe a person. All that we learned in our previous lessons will still apply, of course, including vivid word choice, strong sensory details, and so on. More than that, I hope the students will be able to imbue personality in their descriptions. As I told them, we want to 'meet' a person, not read an autopsy report.
As we discussed the best ways to convey someone's unique personality, the class came up with wonderful ideas that were exactly right. In particular, in addition to straightforward physical descriptions, the students decided to focus attention on:
eyes (sad, kind, twinkling, tired, etc.)
mouth (smiling, frowning, scowling, laughing easily, etc.)
facial expressions
hand gestures
body language (posture, style of walk, etc.)
personal choices (grooming, clothing choice, etc)
We concluded by reading aloud two example descriptions, one of Jo from Little Women, and one of Mr. Lorry from Tale of Two Cities.
Assignment:
Students are to write a descriptive paragraph of a person. Their description is to be both accurate and kind, bearing in mind the feelings of others. They are NOT to make a story or report of it --- just straight description, with as much detail and life as they can muster.
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