CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY LESSON PLAN (Long Form)
Student Teacher: Stephanie Schroeder!
Grade Level: 5 and 6
State Standard:!LA 6.2.1.a, LA 6.2.2.a, LA 6.2.2.d!
Subject: Creative Writing !
Name of Lesson: Descriptors!! !
Period / Time:
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I. Goal: What is descriptive language? How should we use it to
better our writing?
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
II. Objectives:
Write a list of descriptive words.
Participate in discussion about descriptive words/dead sentences.
Give an example of each: Descriptor; synonym; adjectives; adverbs
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
III: Faith / Values Integration:
Creativity, talents
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
IV. Integrated Technology:
iPad “Buttons” app - This app requires some modification since not
all sounds are appropriate for the classroom. Thereʼs an option to
save desired sounds in a separate location, so I arranged a folder
that had 19 different sounds to “touch” and listen to. I renamed the
buttons with numbers so the students would focus more on the
sound than what the sound is.
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
V. Materials:
Station materials: (instruction sheet and thesaurus for each)
Sight: Bright patterned paper, cotton balls, carrots, glitter, oil/
water/food coloring mix in clear container.
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
Smell: onion, cinnamon, cilantro, lemon, kool-aid, coffee
Touch: marbles, brown sugar (in a baggie), rice, cornstarch and
water (in a baggie), salt (in a baggie)
Listening: iPad "Buttons" app
Taste: sugar, salt, cutie oranges, chocolate chips, saltine
crackers, cucumber slices
VI: Procedure:
A. Set / Hook: (5 minutes) (Put a "dead sentence" on the board.
Ex: The dog ate his food. Engage the students in discussion:
What do you know about the dog? What do you know about the
food? What do you know about how the dog ate his food? If this
were an opening sentence to a book, would you be interested?
(Also have the words descriptor, adjective, adverb, synonym
and thesaurus on the board to discuss later.)
B. Transition: (5 minutes) This sentence doesn't give the reader
enough information to give them a picture in their minds. What
does it need? (Either examples of words, i.e., brown, salty,
messy, or the type of word, i.e., adjective, descriptor, etc.) These words are examples of adjectives - an adjectiveʼs job is to
describe a noun or a pronoun. (Write definition on board under
adjective.) Can anyone tell me what an adverb does?
(Describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.)
C. Main Lesson: (26 minutes) Good writers have a good
collection of words that describe and identify their stories in
order to make their stories better. These words are called
descriptors (Write definition on board under descriptors) adjectives and adverbs can be called descriptors that they can
use in their writing. Sometimes different words can have the
same meaning. What are those called? (Write definition under
synonym on the board.)
As we begin our own creative writing process, we need to make
sure that were thinking about how to use descriptive language.
After directions are given, we're going to break off into groups of
two or three, five groups total. There are five senses stations set
up. We will break off and each group will start at their own
station. As you explore what is available, make a list of words
that DESCRIBE what you're experiencing. Don't tell me what it
is, tell me what it's like. At the taste station, is it tangy? Sweet?
Sour? At the touch station, is it hard? Coarse? Soft? Squishy?
Be creative! You must come up with at least fifteen different
words for each station, as a group. In order to come up with
fifteen separate words at each station, you may need to come up
with synonyms for some of your words. For example, a synonym
for sweet could be sugary. A synonym for bright could be radiant.
Use the thesauruses at each station! A thesaurus is like a
dictionary, but instead of definitions, it gives synonyms. Each
group will get five minutes at each station, and we'll rotate
around the room.
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
D. Transition: (4 minutes) Come back as a group, look at “dead
sentence”. Use some of the words from the group lists to liven
up the sentence, giving more description to the readers.
E. Conclusion: (5 minutes) Exit ticket: Give an example of each:
descriptor, adjective, adverb, pair of synonyms. Tell me what a
thesaurus does in your own words. Give assignment.
VII. Assessment:
Informal: Class discussion, walking accountability walk of group
collection of words during senses stations.
Formal: Exit ticket tells me that they understand the vocabulary
words from the day.
Required Adaptations/
Modifications:
VIII. Assignment:
Required Adaptations/
Each student needs to come up with three different choices for their Modifications:
final writing assignment that are either fiction or non-fiction.
IX. Self-Evaluation:
Today I will be monitoring myself to see how well I interact with
each individual student. I see this as being my biggest challenge
today because I know about 90% of these students from living in
this town for the past 10 years. I need to make sure Iʼm not favoring
anybody, but that Iʼm helping all students out in the stations
simulation.
X. Coopʼs
Comments:
The various stations
set the stage well for
the rest of the unit. My
students were forced
to think outside of the
box and become
engrossed in
descriptors. They
loved it and you could
visibly see their
engagement and
excitement.
Sound/
Listening
Station
• The iPad is set up with buttons that have been numbered. You may play any of the
sounds as many time as you wish. You may also choose the “random” button!
• You may not leave the buttons that Miss Schroeder has pulled up. Don’t change
anything on the screen - you may only play with the sounds that are there, nothing else
on the iPad.
• As you listen to the various sounds, don’t describe what the sound is, describe what the
noise sounds like. For example is the noise deep? High pitched? Is it loud? Soft? Here
are some examples to get you started:
(as)clearasabell-pitchedaudiblebass1brassyclearcracklecreakydeepdeepen
depthdiscordantdissonancedulcetear-splittingeasyeasyontheeye/eareuphoniousfullfullness
gratingharmonioushighhigh-pitchedhollowhollowlyinaudiblelowlow-pitched
mellifluousmelodicmelodiousplaintivepoundingpureraucousresonancerhythmicshrillsilvery
sonoroussqueakysquelchstaccatosweettimbretinnytonetunetunefultuneless
Don’t be afraid to ask Miss Schroeder for help, this could be a tricky station! :)
Smell
Station
• Each cup has something different in it. Each person in your
group should take the time to smell what’s in each cup.
• The smells may be familiar to you, but remember not to write down what they are.
Write down how they smell. Sweet? Tart? Spicy? Citrusy?
• Here are some examples to get you started:
acidy, acrid, airy, biting, clean, crisp, dirty, earthy, faint, feminine, fetid,
fishy, fresh, floral, flowery, light, loamy, masculine, moist, musty,
nauseating, perfumed, pungent, putrid, rancid, redolent, repulsive,
rotten, sharp, sour, spicy, spoiled, stale, stinking, sweaty, sweet, tart,
wispy
• Please don’t eat anything at this station. You’ll have the opportunity to taste things at a
different station! :)
• Challenge: Find words that are different from your “taste” list - often tastes and smells
can be described the same way!
Touch
Station
• This is a fun station! You get to touch
a whole bunch of stuff!
• If the stuff is in baggies, please don’t
break them open - we need other
people to experience them too!
• Please try not to make a mess with
things that are not in baggies.
• Be creative! Are the things crunchy? Soft? Squishy? Pokey? Don’t forget about the
thesaurus!
Sight
Station
• This station is meant for looking only! Please don’t touch anything at this station you’ll have the chance to do that at a different station! :)
• As you observe each of the items, write down what they look like. What color are they?
Do they look bright or dull? Big or small? Be creative!
Taste Station
• Make sure we don’t spread any germs at this station! If
the sample item is in a cup, then each person may take
their own cup and throw it away when they’re done. There’s
enough for everyone to have one!
• If the item is in a bowl, you may use your hands to sample it - one per
person, please! We need to make sure there’s enough for everyone. :)
• As you sample different items, remember to write down how they taste, not what they
are. Is it sweet? Is it sour? Is it citrusy?
• Challenge: Find words that are different from your “smell” list - often tastes and smells
can be described the same way!