Learning Target

1. Learning Target I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing.

2. I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing. Whenever we saw Mrs. Lisbon we looked in vain for some sign of the beauty that must have once been hers. But the plump arms, the brutally cut steel-wool hair, and the librarian’s glasses foiled us every time. We saw her only rarely, in the morning, fully dressed though the sun hadn’t come up, stepping out to snatch up the dewy milk cartons, or on Sundays when the family drove in their paneled station wagon to St. Paul’s Catholic Church on the Lake. On those mornings Mrs. Lisbon assumed a queenly iciness. Clutching her good purse, she checked each daughter for signs of makeup before allowing her to get in the car, and it was not unusual for her to send Lux back inside to put on a less revealing top. None of us went to church, so we had a lot of time to watch them, the two parents leached of color, like photographic negatives, and then the five glittering daughters in their homemade dresses, all lace and ruffle, bursting with their fructifying flesh. [From The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides]

3. I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing. We got ice cream from the ice cream truck. It was hot outside, so we decided to get ice cream. When we heard the familiar sound of the ice cream truck’s music, we knew we would soon feel some relief from the August heat.

4. I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing. The hallways were noisy. During the school day, the hallways were noisy. On the first day of school, the halls were filled with the sounds of lockers clanking and the voices of children excited to be reunited with their friends.

5. I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing. The book was really good. When I finished reading, I realized how much I had enjoyed the book. Once I finished reading the last page of the novel, I was suddenly flooded both with happiness that the story had ended well, but also sadness that it was over.

6. I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing. Think-Write-Pair-Share Use descriptive words and phrases to enhance each of the following sentences. Dinner was ruined. The mall was crowded. We watched the sun go down. I was exhausted.

7. I can use descriptive words and phrases to enhance my writing. Now that you’ve had some practice, try incorporating more descriptive words and phrases into your own writing.