📚 Part 1: Understanding Descriptive Writing

1. What is the main purpose of descriptive writing?

To persuade the reader to agree with an opinion

To help the reader experience a scene or object vividly

To explain how something works step by step

To tell a story with a clear beginning, middle and end

2. Which of the following are the five senses used in descriptive writing? (Tick all that apply)

Sight

Sound

Memory

Touch

Taste

Smell

Movement

3. Which sentence uses more effective descriptive language?

The dog was brown and ran fast.

The chocolate-coloured spaniel bounded across the field like a spring released from a coil.

There was a dog that was running.

The animal moved quickly through the grass.

4. What type of figurative language is used in this phrase: "The wind whispered through the trees"?

Simile

Metaphor

Personification

Alliteration

✏️ Part 2: Analysing Descriptive Language

5. Read this descriptive passage and answer the questions below:

"The ancient kauri tree stood like a weathered giant, its massive trunk scarred with deep grooves that told stories of countless storms. Emerald moss clung to its bark, soft as velvet beneath my fingertips. The earthy scent of damp soil and decaying leaves filled my nostrils, while overhead, the canopy rustled with the gentle symphony of native birds."

a) Identify one example of a simile from the passage:

b) List three different senses that are appealed to in this description:

1. ___________________ 2. ___________________ 3. ___________________

c) Find an example of personification in the passage:

6. Complete these descriptive phrases by adding vivid sensory details:

a) The ocean waves ________________________________

b) The freshly baked bread _____________________________

c) The thunderstorm _________________________________

🎨 Part 3: Creating Your Own Description

7. Choose one of the following settings and brainstorm sensory details using the chart below:

A busy Auckland market

A misty morning in Fiordland

Your school cafeteria at lunchtime

My chosen setting: _________________________________

SIGHT:

SOUND:

SMELL:

TOUCH:

TASTE:

8. Using your brainstormed ideas, write a descriptive paragraph (4-6 sentences) about your chosen setting. Include at least three different senses and one example of figurative language (simile, metaphor, or personification).