up close and personal

IDEASExploding the Moment/Adding Details

Materials Needed:Nothing!

1. Tell students that it is important for your reader to fully understand what a character looks like in their writing. Good writers add lots of detail so the reader can see the same picture in their mind that the author does. 2. Tell the students you have some “magic binoculars” (you can just use imaginary ones) and are looking at a person/pet/character (this powerpoint shoes a dog). Tell the students that they need to ask you questions, getting more and more specific, to see what you see. Record the questions asked. 3. After students have a solid number of questions, share your picture of your person/pet/character with them. Discuss how many questions they needed to ask before they had a clear picture of that person/pet/character.4. Use the question list as a graphic organizer to help them describe a character in their writing.

*You can use this lesson with the activity EXPLODING THE MOMENT to show adding detail of things/places.

Up Close and Personal Up Close and Personal Writing – IDEAS Writing – IDEAS

Good writers use good detail…Good writers use good detail…

• Take a look at the penny you have with your naked eye. What do you see? Make a list of what that penny looks like!


• What did you see? Turn & Talk to your partner. Share your observations!


• Now…look at that penny again with a magnifying glass EXPLODING what you see!

• Go back to your list and add to it! Maybe with the magnifying glass, you notice scratches!

• Can you see Abe Lincoln in the building on the back? Or count how many stairs there are?


Hi Abe!


• What did you add to your list? Turn & Talk to your partner again and share the things you saw when you EXPLODED that view!


• Just like looking through a magnifying glass, good writers add lots of detail to their writing EXPLODING moments.

• Let’s take a look at some published work…


• Which does a better job of EXPLODING the moment?

Option AThe book of potions was wet and had really disgusting pictures. It was kept in a restricted section

because it was so horrible.


• Or…Option B

Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the three of them bent over the damp-spotted pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the restricted section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and

there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who

seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of

arms out of her head.


• Option B EXPLODES that moment using excellent detail and gives us a better idea of what that book might look like!

(page 164)

up close and personal

Documents

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