DESCRIPTIVE / NARRATIVE WRITING

SENSORY IMAGERY

Ms Christina Koumandari – Year 3

 Lesson Objectives:
GENERAL AIM: 1. Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and
the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful
description / story.
Learn how to write 2. Draw inspiration from an image to craft an imaginative
original, powerful description / story.
& imaginative
descriptions for
various audiences Lesson Outcomes:
and purposes. 1. You will learn to use the 5 senses in a powerful manner to
create an imaginative and powerful description of a
scene.
2. You will practise building powerful descriptions of a
scene using a wide range of effective vocabulary, varied
sentence structures and sensory language.
 Imagine you are in one of the cars stuck in this massive traffic jam.

Activity 1: While watching the video, make notes on the following questions on your
handout.

Write down two things you can see:

Write down two sounds you can hear:

Write down two things you can almost taste in

your mouth:

Write down two things you can touch/feel:

Write down two things you can smell:

LO 1: Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful description.
 Which additional
writing tools, other than ESSENTIAL
the 5 senses, are WRITING
essential to create a TOOLS
vivid, imaginative,
descriptive paragraph?

LO 1: Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful description.
LO 2: Draw inspiration from an image to craft an imaginative description / story.
 Using all the essential Tires were yelping – the sound was deafening! I screamed as the
writing tools we’ve worked car skidded into the enormous pile-up of cars which unfolded
before me. My foot kept hitting the brake menacingly but...
on, let’s have a look at how CRASH! I jerked forward shielding my head. I hit the curb
an exemplar description violently. When I managed to get my senses together, I rolled

could sound like… down the window to discover what was happening around me. The
dusty smoke was as thick as fog and I could feel it permeating
inside my lungs, bringing me close to suffocation. The smell of
the putrid fuel filled my car and I could actually taste the bitter
carbon dioxide. Warm acidic sweat was running down my
forehead burning my open wounds, like sizzling magma. My
palms were leaking uncontrollably, but still I felt cold. I felt colder
and colder with every second. The constant horning from the
hundreds of cars surrounding me made me realise that only
destruction, disaster and disorder accompanied this chaos. A
wave of panic hit me aggressively… “How many people died?”

LO 1: Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful description.
LO 2: Draw inspiration from an image to craft an imaginative description / story.
 Activity 2: In pairs, you have 5 minutes to brainstorm whatever information you can elicit
from this image.
Consider the
feelings, senses,
connotations of
colours of this
scene…

LO 2: Draw inspiration from an image to craft an imaginative description / story.

 REMEMBER!
SHOW, DON’T TELL …

He was unhappy.

Carefully, he wiped away his burning, glistening

tears, watching his whole life being consumed by
the raging fire before his startled eyes.

There was snow everywhere. ➔

Activity 3: Turn this simple / telling
___________________________________________________
description, to an embellished
___________________________________________________
descriptive sentence, SHOWING
___________________________________________________
and not telling what is expressed.
___________________________________________________

LO 1: Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful description.
LO 2: Draw inspiration from an image to craft an imaginative description / story.
 Activity 4:
Have a look again at the image provided below.

In your groups, you have 10 minutes to produce 3 effective,

imaginative, descriptive sentences, focusing ONLY ON THE ONE
Group A: SENSE you will be responsible for.

Group B:

Group C:

Group D:

Group E:
 Activity 4 (continue): REMEMBER to avoid using simplistic descriptions and to put to use
all the writing techniques and rules we’ve practised on…
Group A:

Group B:

Group C:

Group D:

Group E:

LO 1: Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful description.
 ✓ Did we include sophisticated adjectives?

✓ Did we use the most appropriate words?

✓ Did we add detail to the verb?
✓ Did we add some extra information to turn our
simple sentence to a complex or compound one?
✓ Did we use figurative language?
✓ (e.g. personification / simile / metaphor /
symbolism etc.)
✓ Did we try to use alliteration / sibilance /
ASK onomatopoeia?
YOURSELVES!
 Activity 4 (continue): You can write the improved / corrected sentences here…
Group A:

Group B:

Group C:

Group D:

Group E:

LO 1: Apply the 5 senses effectively to connect the reader and the writer and create vivid imagery for a powerful description.
 Homework: Writing Task
(for the following lesson)
Imagine you are a director or photographer…
act like a moving camera, recording
everything that unfolds around you, whilst you
move.

Write1-2 paragraphs in your exercise book,

describing the image below, involving all 5
senses and drawing from all the ideas and
language techniques we have shared in class
today, as well as the past days.

Your description should start with the

sentence…
“Underneath my pounding feet, the snow parted
way…”

Learning Outcome 1: You will learn to use the 5 senses in a powerful manner to create an imaginative and powerful
description of a scene. Learning Outcome 2: You will practise building powerful descriptions of a scene using a wide
range of effective vocabulary, varied sentence structures and sensory language.
 ‘How to make a boring story dramatic.’
[Link]

JUST TO SHOW
YOU THAT
WRITING
CREATIVELY IS
NOT AN
IMPOSSIBLE
QUEST…
 Activity 3

There was snow everywhere ➔ The garden looked like it

had been decorated in sweet, powdered sugar, as tiny
snowflakes of pure delight gave life to the dull trees;

TEACHER’S complete silence enveloped the surroundings.

EXEMPLAR Activity 4
SENTENCES TOUCH - The snow falls steadily and hard, weighing
down my eyelids and ultimately forcing me to close my
eyes and lose sight of my direction… I feel body attacked
by tiny white soldiers in an effort to ambush me.
 WRITING
TECHNIQUES / DEVICES

Form Figurative
Sensory Language Choice of
- Paragraphs Imagery diction
- Complex Sentences - Metaphors
- Alliteration
- Punctuation
- Visual - Personification
- Adjectives
- Aural (sound) - Similes
- Short dramatic sent. - Sibilance
/ One-word sent. - Olfactory (smell) - Pathetic Fallacy
- Verbs
- Tactile (touch) - anthropomorphism
- Rhythm / Pace - Assonance
- allusion
- Repetition - Gustatory (taste) - Adverbs
- symbolism
- Listing technique - Jargon (scientific
= emotive language lang. / colloquial)