Updates

Just a reminder:  for class on October 5th, you should bring a printed copy of your descriptive writing rough draft.  We will be sharing them in class and I will be collecting them at the end of the day.

Also, for anyone who has not completed both of the blog entries due thus far (description of a meal & face descriptions) I will be checking your blogs this Thursday at noon.  If you would like partial credit for those assignments then please post all blogs by that time.  Have a great week....

Brainstorming your Descriptive Writing Assignment

What is your topic?

Why have you chosen this topic?

How do you want your readers to feel or think about this topic?

Who is your audience? / Who do you want to read and understand your writing?

What sensations do you feel can SHOW the ideas that you want to convey?
(What do you want readers to hear, see, touch, tasts, and smell?)

Write a short outline for your descriptive piece? 
What will be the point to each paragraph? 
How can you support and elaborate on this point? 

Your "Face" Descriptions

Just a reminder:  I would like everyone to post your "face" descriptions to your blogs before 12:00 on Thursday afternoon (September 27).  The rough draft and the functional outline are due on October 5th.  See the post below for details.

Homework: Due on October 5th

Descriptive Writing Assignment:

On October 5, the rough draft for your descriptive writing assignment is due.  You may write about any experience or event that you believe is worth sharing with others.  In the writing, I will be looking for the following:

1) Descriptive language – SHOW me don’t tell me what is happening in the piece.

2) A clear purpose – The writing should clearly SHOW a certain point of view, idea, concept, or point of view related the events.

3) At least 2 to 3 pages in length.

* For the rough draft, I am not going to pay attention to grammar.  At this point it is more important to use good descriptive language and to clearly convey your idea or your purpose for writing.  We will worry more about grammar issues when you produce a final draft.

You should also bring a completed FUNCTIONAL OUTLINE on October 5th (you can follow the guidelines posted last week. 

Descriptive Writing 2: September 21st

[Take a Snapshot]

Check out this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

He is lazy and his laziness is a burden to society.


We need to do more to help homeless people.


The woman might be nervous about her safety.


You would like to convince views of this picture to stay in school.





From "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell

"When I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick - one never does when a shot goes home - but I heard the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd. In that instant, in too short a time, one would have thought, even for the bullet to get there, a mysterious, terrible change had come over the elephant. He neither stirred nor fell, but every line of his body had altered. He looked suddenly stricken, shrunken, immensely old, as though the frightful impact of the bullet had paralyzed him without knocking him down. At last, after what seemed a long time - it might have been five seconds, I dare say - he sagged flabbily to his knees. His mouth slobbered..."

Homework for September 21st

1) Please post the short descriptions that we worked on in class.  Remember I would like you to describe your experience eating one meal.  You can focus on the food, on the setting, on other people, etc.  Please remember to SHOW ME don't tell me about the experience.  Use as many active verbs and as much sensory description as possible.  Please upload your descriptions to your blog before Thursday September 20th at noon. 

2) Find a published piece of descriptive writing that you really enjoy.  It can be of any length (but shorter is better).  It should be in English (sorry I can't read Korean very well), and it should be similar to the kind of descriptive writing that you feel you would like to do.  Please copy the piece and bring it to class next week, September 21st. 

Have a great week!

Descriptive Writing: September 14

- Description versus Explanation




- The teacher was angry when he walked into the room.

Try using a thesaurus




- Sensory Descriptions
The lemon was sour. -------->
Her/his lips were soft. --------->
The wind felt cold. --------->
His voice was terrible. -------->
The soup smelled strong. -------->
The Dankook hill is high. -------->



A functional outline consists of brief statements about how each sentence functions within an essay; the purpose of writing a Functional Outline is to focus on how a writer develops coherence in a piece. Functional outlines may be written either in the margins of the essay itself or on a separate sheet of paper, such as the Functional Outline Worksheet below:

Steps For Writing a Functional Outline:

1. How many paragraphs are in the essay? _____

2. What is the main point of the entire essay? ______________________________________________________________________________


3. Look at each paragraph: Paragraph One: Main Point: ____________________________________________________________________

Function of Each Sentence:

a) ____________________________________________________________________________

b) ____________________________________________________________________________

c) ____________________________________________________________________________

DO THIS FOR EACH PARAGRAPH IN THE ESSAY

4. In the space below, indicate the function of each paragraph in the essay:

Paragraph #1 _______________________________________________________________

Paragraph #2 ________________________________________________________________

Paragraph #3 ________________________________________________________________

Paragraph #4 ________________________________________________________________