Using Sensory Details

1. Using Sensory Details

2. How do you add sensory details to your writing? • Let’s look at an example! • Example Text: Paragraph Without Sensory Detail • Grandmother Workman reached over and grabbed her grandson's arm. He was nervous because the staircase was so steep, but she leaned against him and they began to climb.

3. With sensory details… • Example Text: With Sensory Details • Grandmother Workman lurched over and grabbed the pale skin of Randal's thin forearm with her leathery hand. Randal looked ahead toward the winding spiral staircase, fidgeted with a small hole in his baseball jersey,and bit his lip. His mouth filled with the sweet, coppery taste of blood as she leaned in closely toward him, breathing her hot breath on the damp hair at the base of his neck. She smelled of wet cigarettes and bacon. As they slowly climbed the long, steep staircase, the only sound was his grandmothers' labored breathing and the mournful creak of the wooden stairs.

4. Think, write, pair, share. • Describe the differences between the text with sensory detail and the one without sensory details. What do you notice? Give an example of what makes the second example better.

5. So, what are sensory details? • When writers describe the five senses in their writing, it means using sensory details • What are the five senses? • Sight • Smell • Taste • Touch • Sound

6. Copy an example from the text for each: • Sight • Taste • Touch • Smell • Sound • Emotion?

7. Let’s practice! Think, write, pair, share: • Use sensory details to make the following sentences more vivid: • I was so mad that I had to wait in line so long for the movie. • The beach was hot and crowded. • Winning the lottery made me happy.

8. Reflect: • Describe sensory details and how using them can make your writing better.