Students will learn the following in this lesson:
- review their knowledge of nouns.
- discover how crucial it is to describe a noun.
- acquire the skill of using adjectives in sentences.

- How do linguistic conventions and grammar affect written and spoken communication? 
- How do literary and informational texts become meaningful to strategic readers? 
- What exactly is the topic of this text? 
- How do I learn unfamiliar vocabulary? What methods and tools do I employ? 
- What will appeal to the audience the most? 
- Who is the target audience? 
- Why acquire new vocabulary?

- Adjective: A word that describes a noun. 
- Descriptive Words: Words used to describe or give details about something, some places, or someone 
- Noun: A word that names a person, place, or thing.

- copies of the Descriptive Writing Chart, one per student, plus class viewing copy or chart paper (LW-1-1-1_Descriptive Writing Chart)
paper, pencils
- one brown bag for each student filled with three to five sensory items
-  Brian P. Cleary. (2001). Hairy, Scary, Ordinary; What Is an Adjective? Lerner Publishing.

- You will monitor students during the discussion to determine whether they grasp the ideas of an adjective and a noun. You will also listen to their responses. 
- Assess students' knowledge of nouns and adjectives by having them write sentences. Provide suggestions for development. 
- Assess students' proficiency with proper comma usage by having them write sentences. Provide suggestions for development.

Direct Instruction, Modeling, Active Participation, and Scaffolding 
W: To write more precisely and interestingly, students will learn how to use adjectives. 
H: Teachers read the picture book My Luscious Lollipop by Ruth Heller to the class. Students make observations about a range of objects using at least three of their five senses (sight, touch, and sound). 
E: To write descriptive sentences, students will first record their observations using a graphic organizer. They will learn to use all five senses to make their observations more detailed. Next, students will verbally communicate what they have observed to one another. With the data they have entered into their graphic organizers, they will then be able to compose descriptive sentences. 
R: It is recommended that the teacher have the students share the descriptive words they have used for nouns. The teacher can then ask the students if they can think of any other words that would be more interesting or descriptive.
E: Using adjectives, students will be able to compose sentences describing a specific object. Students will be able to explain the adjectives they used and why they thought they enhanced the meaning of their sentences when they orally present their sentences to their peers. 
T: This lesson begins with teacher modeling, followed by large-group instruction and learning. After that, students share their writing and have individual practice time. 
O: Observation, recording observations, creating intriguing detail words (adjectives) to modify nouns, and using these observation records to write intriguing, descriptive sentences are the skills that this lesson teaches. These skills develop the fundamental understanding of descriptive writing. 

Focus Question: Why is it necessary to provide our writing with more detail?

Part 1

For this whole-group exercise, ask the students to gather in a designated area.

Then, ask them if they are aware of a particular student you have in mind. If they are not, provide them with details such as where the student is seated (by the front, back, window, door, etc.) until they can accurately identify the student. You can ask them questions like "Why were you unaware of the student's identity at first?" to draw their attention to the need for more details and descriptions. Keep providing them with helpful details that set the student apart from other pupils. Ask them what specific details were necessary for them to identify the student and why those details were helpful.

"We're going to discuss adding detail to your writing today. Using descriptions and details will make your writing clear and engaging, just as they helped me identify the student I was thinking of." Display the descriptive writing chart graphic organizer (LW-1-1-1_Descriptive Writing Chart) on chart paper or the class viewing copy. Go over each heading and demonstrate with a familiar object—like a pencil or shoe—how to fill in the chart. "Everything you are describing is a noun. A person, location, or object is a noun. Give instances.

Put three to five objects with various textures, shapes, colors, sounds, and smells (e.g., pinecone, paper clip, bell, cotton ball, toy animal, kazoo, Slinky, modeling clay, blocks, etc.) in a brown paper bag for each student (as well as one for you). Demonstrate how to describe the feel of each item (noun) in the teacher bag using the items there, and then record these adjectives on the descriptive writing chart.

Next, as you take out each item from the bag, describe it verbally and complete the chart to illustrate how to fill in the remaining characteristics of each item. Keep in mind that not every object will have a word for every sense; for instance, a bell or a pinecone may have terms for taste, smell, or sound, but other objects will not. The students should help you describe each item in your bag and enter the information into the chart. Teach the students by example that you must take enough information about an object to record it so that a reader who cannot see it can still identify it.

"I will now jot down a sentence regarding one of the nouns in my bag on the board." Write, "I have a pinecone." Ask :

"Is this a complete sentence?" (yes )
"Is this sentence interesting?" (Students' responses may differ, but steer them away from no.)
"Is there any way I can improve this sentence?" (Students should elaborate with descriptions or details.) Write: “I have a pinecone that is brown, prickly, sticky, and smelly.”
"Now, is this a more engaging sentence? Is everything more clear?" (Yes, both.)
"I added descriptive terms when I added the words sticky, brown, prickly, and smelly. These terms, which characterize a noun (pinecone), are known as adjectives. I used every word on my list of pinecone characteristics to help describe the pinecone."

For the upcoming activity, have the students take a seat.

"What kinds of words are nouns?" (Students should be able to provide examples and explain that a noun is a person, place, or thing.)

"Which of the words on the board is a noun?" (Students are to respond with a pinecone.)

"Today, we will be writing detailed descriptions of various nouns. I would like each of you to use an interesting adjective to describe the contents of your bag. Before writing down the description of each object, reach into your bag and feel each one without looking at it. Then, take out each item and write its name under the "Noun" heading on your chart. Next, describe the appearance, sound, and even the possible flavor or smell of each item. Finally, record these details on your chart."

(Make sure that students note down their observations based on prior knowledge or scent instead of tasting items.) As you move around the classroom, help students record their observations on the charts. It would be helpful to talk to students about word choice at this stage. Adjectives can vary greatly in their level of interest. For instance, a word like small can be expressed in more imaginative ways. Ask students to come up with synonyms such as tiny, little, mini, etc. This technique can be an effective way to demonstrate that some words are more captivating or expressive than others.

After completing this assignment, students should save their descriptive writing charts so they can utilize them for Lessons 2 and 3 as well as Part 2.

Part 2

Read Brian P. Cleary's picture book, Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? to the students gathered in the gathering area. "Reflect on the functions of adjectives and their significance in writing as I read." (Adjectives are used to define nouns. Writing is more precise, detailed, and engaging when it includes adjectives.)

In this task, you need to demonstrate how to write a descriptive sentence using the adjectives listed for one of the items on your completed descriptive writing chart from Part 1 of the lesson. You should also check if there are any more appropriate or intriguing adjectives to use than those listed on the chart. After that, conduct a mini-lesson to show how to use the data from the descriptive writing chart.

Language Skills Mini-Lesson

Go back to Ordinary, Scary, Hairy: What Is an Adjective? to carefully review sentences where three or more words are used in a series with the appropriate comma placement.

"We're going to write a few sentences with three or more adjectives. These are a few instances." (Write these for the class to see on sentence strips or in another format.) "Discuss with a partner the punctuation in these sentences that you have noticed." Give students time for discussion and ask them to share their observations. "Use commas to separate each time you write three or more adjectives or list three or more items. A comma indicates to the reader when to pause briefly. Lists are easier to read when items are separated by commas." Make a big comma for the students.

To help the class understand adjectives, copy a few more sentences from the book Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? without commas. Ask the students to identify the adjectives in each sentence. Then, add the commas to the sentences one by one, and let the class see where you think they should be placed.

Write more sentences from the book on sentence strips, but this time, leave out the commas. Divide the class into groups, and give each group one sentence to work on. Ask them to put the commas in the correct places in each sentence. Allow the groups to compare their work with the book to ensure accuracy. Finally, go over the correct placement of commas in each sentence as a class.

Students will work in pairs to create a detailed sentence for a single item on each of their charts. The sentence should start with a capital letter, end with punctuation, and convey a complete idea. They need to ensure that they properly comma-separate their adjectives in their sentences and use the sensory words from their chart. I will be going around the classroom, watching and assisting students with their writing. Afterward, I will ask every student pair to share their sentences with another student pair.

Lastly, assign students to write descriptive sentences about the things that are still in their bags on their own. Remind them to write engaging and detailed sentences about each object using the sensory words from their chart. Ask students to share their sentences with the class as a whole by going to the gathering area. Say, "I truly enjoy the word you chose. What made you choose that word?" After that, they will discuss why they selected the adjective. "What additional terms could you have used to describe the object?" Ask another student to assist them if they are having trouble coming up with a word.

Students can take some time to think back on their work and consider how to do it better the next time around by asking these kinds of questions.

Extension:

It is suggested that students work in groups of two or three and take turns holding up picture cards. Each student should think of one or more adjectives to describe the item on the card. This game can help students practice using more adjectives.

You can also ask the students to describe interesting items or images using as many sense words as they can. This can be turned into a game to see which group can come up with the most intriguing adjectives to describe an item.