This document provides guidance for teaching descriptive writing, including the purpose and structure of descriptive texts, focus words like adjectives and verbs, example writing prompts, and teaching strategies. It suggests having students work with partners to practice descriptive writing, describes how to introduce a subject and use details and main ideas, and provides lists of adjectives, verbs, and teaching resources to support descriptive writing instruction.

1. Professional Learning- Descriptive Writing:
For this session you will be working with a partner from another team in the school.
Purpose: To describe the subject using lots of detail.
Describes the
characteristics
of a particular
thing.
Often used in
other text
types.
Structure of a descriptive text:
o Introduce your subject.
o Describe the important characteristics in detail.
o Sum up the main ideas.
Word Focus:
Adjectives: Adjectives are the words that we use to add details to a noun.
Lists of adjectives can be found at:
http://www.examples-help.org.uk/parts-of-speech/list-of-adjectives.htm
http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/12894/adjective-list
Verbs: A word which refers to an action or event, e.g. run, learn, dream.
Adverb: An adverb is a word that modifies the meaning of a verb, adjective or another
adverb. Most adverbs in English are formed by adding – ly to an adjective.
Lists of verbs can be found at:
http://www.eslgold.com/grammar/verb_list.html
A NAPLAN teaching strategy involving verbs:
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/712assessments/naplan/teachstrategies/yr2010/i
ndex.php?externalsetref=esla&substrandref=Language%20%C2%BB%20Verbs&stageref=1-
2&id=literacy/language/ll_verb/ll_verb_s12a_esl_10
Andrea Hillbrick 2011

2. Teaching strategy to build a verb bank:
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/7-
12assessments/naplan/teachstrategies/yr2008/literacy/language/LL_Verb/LL_Verb_s3a_ES
L.htm
In the writing examples, the
adjectives are highlighted in green
and the verbs in orange.
Text Types: Information for Teachers
Check out the text types that require descriptive language at:
http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/texttypesforteache
rs.pdf
English continuum:
Email attachment: Ideas Communicated in Writing Developmental Overview
Select a level that relates to your students. Scan the document and discuss the links to
descriptive writing.
How does this inform your writing learning program?
What do you need to find out about your students before teaching this text type?
Texts to support the students to write descriptions:
Advertisements, art work, atlases, everyday objects, feely box, picture story books, poetry,
postcards, magazines, maps, material, movies, music, newspapers, online virtual tours,
photographs, recipes, travel brochures, videos, wordless texts, wrapping paper
What other things could you use in your classroom to support your students to describe?
Opportunities for authentic descriptive writing tasks:
Describe……
o The outfits on the catwalk or pictures in magazines.
o A car of the future.
Andrea Hillbrick 2011

3. o The shoes you are wearing today.
o A picture from a picture story book.
o The crazy outfit from the dress up corner.
o The location on postcards or travel brochures.
Australian images for postcards can be found at:
http://www.blackstump.com.au/card.htm
o The view through binoculars (imaginary).
o Using your five senses.
(Refer to the five senses behind the door to be used to plan writing)
o Shepparton to an overseas pen pal and email buddy.
o An underwater scene.
A collage of photos can be found at:
http://echeng.com/journal/2008/08/03/underwater-photography-collage/
o An imaginary lost pet, toy or a belonging.
o A favourite song or piece of music.
o How you feel when you win a game, race, prize…
o The scenes from the Jeannie Baker texts.
http://www.jeanniebaker.com/
o A dream.
o The taste of food in the role of a food critic.
o The worst food you have ever eaten.
o Your favourite food.
o Your ideal bedroom.
o Something that makes you happy.
o Your most embarrassing moment.
o The objects you have felt in the classroom feely box.
o A character from the text in a character profile.
o A sporting event as a commentary.
o A product in a radio/television advertisement.
o The difference in a before and after photo.
Queensland Floods – before and after photos:
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/floodrelief/queensland-floods-interactive-
before-and-after-photos/story-fn7ik2te-1225987255127
Shepparton – past and present
http://www.heritageshepparton.com.au/
o A setting or event in the point of view of an animal.
o An art work.
o An online virtual tour.
http://www.mcg.org.au/Tours/Virtual%20Tour.aspx
http://www.vrwebdesign.co.uk/nationalgallery/
o A scene of a familiar room.
o Characters, people by creating ‘who am I? clues’.
o The characters created in a mix and match book.
You can create mix and match characters online to describe at:
http://www.abc.net.au/splatt/games/mixmatch/default.htm
o A setting in a movie or book.
o The route using a map or as a GPS.
Andrea Hillbrick 2011

4. o Artwork created by the students.
o A movie or book as a review.
o An aerial view photograph.
o View from Google Earth.
o A favourite toy.
o A student made diorama.
o A student made collage.
o The clues for a treasure hunt.
o Room decorations for a special event.
o The parts of a machine, engine, movable toy.
o A famous person using the model of a Fantale wrapper.
What opportunities would engage your students in writing descriptive texts? Why?
Where will you start?
Teaching strategies:
o Read a strong descriptive text and ask the students to visualize or draw the
description.
o Play the barrier game to develop the students’ abilities to describe orally.
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/english/literacy/s
trategies/tsvels12speak.htm# 7
o Use a recall tray for the students to describe.
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/english/literacy/s
trategies/tsvels12speak.htm# 7
o Listen to David Attenborough as a model for descriptive texts
The videos can be found at:
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=david+attenborough+videos&hl=en&rls=com.mi
crosoft:en-au:IE
SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&prmd=ivnso&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&ei=TN1VTdGV
AYjIvQPG17CzBQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQqwQ
wAA
o Play ‘What’s in the box?’ to build students questioning skills to find out the
description of the object.
o Explore forms of poetry that involve descriptive writing.
http://www.tooter4kids.com/forms_of_poetry.htm
o Teaching ideas for creative writing that involve descriptive writing:
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/creative.htm
o Play ‘I spy’ using descriptions.
Andrea Hillbrick 2011

5. o Add text to wordless picture story books to describe the pictures.
Some titles include:
Anno's Journey (Philomel, 1978) Illus. by Anno. ISBN 0-399-20762-7
Changes, Changes (Macmillan, 1971) Illus. by Pat Hutchins. ISBN 0-02-745870-9
Clown (Holt, 1996) Illus. by Quentin Blake. ISBN 0-805-04399-3
A Day, A Dog (Front Street, 2000) Illus. by Gabrielle Vincent. ISBN 1-886910-51-0
Deep in the Forest (Dutton, 1976) Illus. by Brinton Turkle. ISBN 0-525-28617-9
Do You Want to be My Friend? (Philomel, 1988) Illus. by Eric Carle. ISBN 0-399-21598-0
Good Dog, Carl (Simon & Schuster, 1985) Illus. by Alexandra Day. ISBN 0-671-75204-9
Home (Greenwillow, 2004) Illus. by Jeannie Baker ISBN 0-06-623935-4
Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief (Putnam, 1999) Illus. by April Wilson. ISBN 0-8037-
2354-7
Oh! (Abrams, 2000) Illus. by Josse Goffin. ISBN 0-810-93660-7
The Arrival Illus. (Lothian 2006) by Shaun Tan. ISBN: 978 0 7344 0694 1
Window (Greenwillow, 1991) Illus. by Jeannie Baker. ISBN 0-688-08918-6
Why? (North-South, 1996) Illus. by Nikolai Popov. ISBN 1-55858-534-6
Zoom (Viking, 1995) Illus. by Istvan Banyai. ISBN 0-670-85804-8
Andrea Hillbrick 2011