Lesson Plan: Writing Descriptive Paragraphs
Unit: ESL Writing
Class: Low Intermediate
Standard: 4.2- Organize, write and edit a descriptive or narrative
paragraph on a familiar topic, applying capitalization, spelling, punctuation
and basic grammar rules. W4.11-Uses tools such as simple dictionaries,
grammar checklists and basic computer applications when writing
Purpose of Instruction: Organize, writes and edits a descriptive or
narrative paragraph on a familiar topic, applying capitalization, spelling,
punctuation and basic grammar rules.
Materials Needed: Picture, pens or pencils, ELMO
Introduction: Review previous writing activity using a picture. Access prior
knowledge about a “descriptive” paragraph. Inform students that they will
do a descriptive writing activity using a picture.
Modeling: Discuss the elements of a descriptive paragraph. Show
example of descriptive, writing with the classroom.
Guided Practice: Pass out index cards. Explain to students that they will
look at a picture. Place picture on ELMO. Ask student questions about the
picture. They will write their answers to the questions on their index cards.
Tell the students that they will look at the picture for two minutes. The
instructor will tell the students that they will write 2 descriptive paragraphs
about the picture using phrases/description(s) they wrote on their index
card. They will be allowed twenty minutes to write their paragraphs.
Evaluation: Students will write a descriptive paragraph that contains
accurate punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar.
Reflection: This lesson introduced students to the descriptive writing
process using a picture prompt. The lesson will help students explore
descriptive writing. An added element to this lesson would have been to
have the students share their paragraph(s) with a partner, or the
classroom.
SIA Authentic Lesson Plan-Writing
Thursday Morning- February, 2013
Resource-Real Life English: Page 5; Ventures 2: Unit 1 page 3 Section B
page 3, lesson B 2
Class-ESL Low Intermediate
Class Time: 35-45 minutes
Objective: Students will use pictures as a writing prompt, to complete
sentence writing structure, the use of vocabulary, spelling and punctuation
in writing.
Materials: Picture, Index cards, pen or pencils
Classroom environment: Whole group participation
Procedure: Access prior knowledge on different types of writing. Review
definition of “describe”
 Pass out index cards. Tell students that you will be asking them
questions about a picture, and they will write their responses to the
questions on their index card.
 Present picture to class: Have students view picture for 2 minutes
 Ask a series of questions about the picture: What is happening in this
picture? Can you describe this picture? Where was this picture
taken? Etc.
 Instructor will inform students that they will write two descrptive
paragraphs about the picture according to answers written on their
index card.
Close-Whole group discussion. Question and answer session about writing
the paragraph.