wLesson Plan: Informative Discourse – Describing a Scene/Setting
CONT’D
Grade Level: 11
English A
Topic: Informative Discourse – Describing a Scene/Setting in Short Story Writing
Resource Focus: Key Techniques for Descriptive Writing (Sensory Details, Spatial Details, Mood/Tone)
Objectives
1. Define informative discourse and explain its role in describing a scene/setting.
2. Identify and use sensory details (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) in descriptive writing.
3. Apply spatial details to organize description logically.
4. Establish a mood/tone in a passage through careful word choice.
5. Produce a descriptive paragraph using the S²M² Framework (Senses, Space, Mood).
Introduction (5–7 minutes)
Teacher Activity:
- Project or display an image (stormy beach, bustling market, or abandoned house).
- Ask students guiding questions:
• What do you notice first?
• What might you hear if you were standing in this scene?
• What mood or feeling does this place give you?
Link to Lesson:
Explain that when we use language to inform through description, we are practicing informative discourse. Writers
use it to help readers clearly see, hear, and feel a scene in a story.
Definition (share on board/slide):
Informative discourse is communication used to give information, explain ideas, or describe something clearly so
that the audience understands it. Its goal is to inform, not persuade or entertain.
Development / Main Activity (35 minutes)
Stage 1 – Mini-Lesson (10 minutes)
Content Focus: Key Techniques for Descriptive Writing
1. Sensory Details – vivid words that engage sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.
- Example: “The salt-sticky breeze stung my lips as gulls sliced the air above.”
- Quick Drill: Pick an object in the classroom; list 2 sensory details.
2. Spatial Details – showing arrangement of objects/people in space.
- Example: “To my left, coconut carts lined the fence; beyond them, minibuses idled in smoke.”
- Quick Drill: Sketch the classroom; describe it left-to-right in 3 lines.
3. Mood/Tone – emotional atmosphere of the scene.
- Example (Joyful): “Music bubbled from the bus; children skipped, bracelets chimed.”
- Example (Eerie): “Shadows crawled along the wall; dogs skulked by torn posters.”
- Quick Drill: Rewrite one line to make it “ominous” without saying scary.
Stage 2 – Guided Practice (10 minutes)
Activity: Provide the following passage to pairs/groups:
“The market buzzed with life. Vendors shouted out prices as the scent of ripe mangoes and fried fish mingled in the
hot afternoon air. Children weaved through the crowd, their laughter ringing out above the clatter of pots and pans.
The air was thick with excitement and noise, every corner bursting with movement.”
Guided Questions:
1. Which words describe sounds?
2. Which words describe smells?
3. What mood does the passage create?
Stage 3 – Independent Writing Task (15 minutes)
Prompt: Choose ONE of the following scenes and write a descriptive paragraph (6–8 sentences). Use at least 3
senses, spatial details, and create a clear mood.
- (a) A storm approaching a village
- (b) A bustling market
- (c) A deserted classroom at night
Student Example:
“Thunder rolled in the distance as dark clouds swallowed the sky. The smell of wet earth rose with the first drops
of rain, and chickens scattered across the muddy road. Doors slammed shut as villagers hurried inside, their voices
muffled against the howl of the rising wind. The air felt heavy, charged with fear, as if the whole village was holding
its breath.”
Conclusion / Wrap-Up (8 minutes)
Activity:
- Invite 2–3 volunteers to read their paragraphs aloud.
- Class responds:
• What images or feelings did this description give you?
• Why is description important in short story writing?
Teacher’s Closing Point:
Good description informs by painting a picture and engages by creating atmosphere. Using Senses, Space, and
Mood makes writing vivid and memorable.
Assessment
Formative: Oral responses, highlighting activity, class discussion.
Summative: Writing task graded with rubric (10 marks).
Rubric (10 marks total):
Sensory precision – 4 marks (≥3 senses, vivid details).
Spatial cohesion – 3 marks (clear vantage point, signposts).
Mood control – 3 marks (consistent atmosphere).
Materials Needed
Projector/printed images (storm, market, abandoned house).
Handouts (definition, examples, passage).
Writing materials.