An Inter-Disciplinary Mini-Unit

Level: High School

Purpose: To write descriptively using the five senses, various literary conventions, and elaboration

Overview: These lessons focus describing various objects using sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. These sensory descriptions will then be expressed in simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole. Finally, students will elaborate on their descriptions and will compose a final paragraph.

Lesson One: Students will randomly select objects and will compose descriptive phrases about the object using the five senses.

(Language Arts)

Lesson Two: Students will use their sensory descriptions to incorporate similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole into their writing. (Language Arts)

Lesson Three: Students will elaborate on their literary descriptions based on the five senses by adding specific illustrative details to their writing. (Language Arts)

Lesson Four: Students will use all of their descriptive writing to compose a paragraph. They will then participate in a peer review process. (Language Arts)

Lesson One

 Objective:

Students will randomly select objects and will compose descriptive phrases about the object using the five senses.

Materials:

your choice of objects (potato chips, chess pieces, shoelaces, etc)

paper, pens or pencils

Procedure:

1. Have each student choose an object. A variety of objects will add to the class.

2. Have students write 3 phrases in response to the following:

Describe how your object looks.

Describe how your object smells.

Describe how your object feels.

Describe how your object sounds.

Describe how your object tastes.

(optional - save for last)

3. Allow students to reread their responses and place a star next to their favorite. Then invite them to share that description for the rest of the class.

Lesson Two

 Objective:

Students will use their sensory descriptions to incorporate similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole into their writing.

Materials:

objects used in lesson one

paper, pens or pencils

Procedure:

1. Have each student retrieve their object from lesson one.

2. Define the following literary terms: simile, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole

3. Allow students to consult their work from lesson one as they write 3 phrases in response to the following:

Write a simile that describes how your object looks.

Write a metaphor that describes how your object smells.

Write a personification that describes how your object would move if it could.

Write an onomatopoeia that describes the sound your object makes.

Write a hyberbole that describes how your object tastes.

4. Allow students to reread their responses and place a star next to their favorite. Then invite them to share that description for the rest of the class.

Lesson Three

Objective:

Students will elaborate on their literary descriptions based on the five senses by adding specific illustrative details to their writing.

Materials:

written work used in lessons one and two

objects used in lesson one

paper, pens or pencils

Procedure:

1. Have each student retrieve their object and written work from lessons one and two.

2. As a class, define and discuss elaboration. Have one student volunteer to share one response from the previous day. Write the example on the board. Prompt the class to add details to elaborate on this statement. For example, a student writes, "After falling on the desktop, the chess piece goes CRASH." The students can then add details that answer questions such as "What else goes crash?" Continue drawing out the elaboration until you have a statement similar to "After falling on the desktop from a height of twelve stories, the chess piece goes CRASH like thunder at 3:45 am on a pitch black night as heard in a little boy’s top bunk."

3. Instruct students on the proper punctuation for compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

3. Have the students elaborate on their favorite statement for each category from lesson two and punctuate them properly.

4. Have students share their favorite elaborations with a neighbor.

Lesson Four

Objective:

Students will use all of their descriptive writing to compose a paragraph. They will then participate in a peer review process.

Materials:

written work used in lesson three

objects used in lesson one

paper, pens or pencils

Procedure:

1. Have each student retrieve their object and written work from lesson three.

2. Based on the writing done in previous lessons, have the students write a good descriptive paragraph about their object. Be sure that all senses and literary terms are used.

3. After a draft is completed, allow students to peer review another’s paragraph.

The students should be able to define simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole. They also should be able to use these literary terms when writing descriptively.

The students should be able to elaborate a basic descriptive phrase. The students should also be able to punctuate compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

The students should be able to write an elaborated, descriptive paragraph. The students should also be able to complete a peer review.

Instructions: Read another student’s work. Based on their writing, complete the following checklist. Circle yes or no to each. If the answer is no, please comment.

CONTENT

Are all five senses included? yes no

_______________________________

Are all literary terms included? yes no

_______________________________

List your favorite elaboration.

_______________________________________________________

Are there any sentences that need more

elaboration? yes no

_______________________________

Are transitions used? yes no

_______________________________

Are there topic and concluding sentences? yes no

_______________________________

MECHANICS

Are all commas used correctly in compound,

complex, and compound-complex sentences? yes no

_______________________________

Are all words spelled correctly? yes no

_______________________________

Does the paragraph have a title? yes no

_______________________________