Dear Dr.

Hartman,
Originally I had no idea what I wanted to do for this assignment as I was still trying to wrap my
head around what writing was and how on earth I was going to teach it. After looking through the
Common Core standards for writing, I came across the third section under Text Types and Purposes
which discussed writing narratives. I read it and thought to myself That sounds like fun! I think Ill do
that! When I read the section further about using sensory language, I knew I had my basic idea
solidified.
Throughout the time the class has been discussing the writing assignment and just in general, I
have had songs and poetry on the brain and using sensory language seemed to fit with them,
specifically poetry, since imagery what makes the poem by carefully chosen words. Ive thought of it as a
study of words that give the readers clues as to the senses being used (squishy, waxen, sour, etc.). I
imagined asking my students to write down a list of at least ten descriptive words for each of the senses
to see the variety of words that can be used. I also had a side thought about how someone would write
a narrative or scene description minus a sense, like only things heard or seen, tying in yet again with my
thesis.
The only thing I had come up with to present for the group time was a meager and vague
sentence (I thought) asking my students to write about an experience using sensory language and
beginning with a freewrite of what they already knew about it. That was as far as I had gotten, and it felt
like precious litte. After discussing with my group, I came up with more ideas, such as asking the
students to observe life through the senses and record them, and having them use a thesaurus to help.
I have imagined the piece to be part of a portfolio, with the process work on this piece included.
As to the organization of this assignment I feel like I have no idea what Im doing. My thoughts feel
scattered all over the place in that area. Ive thought of having a rubric similar to Elbows in the article
we read last week (strong, satisfactory, weak) as a type of assessment, more along the lines of seeing
where the student is. The other thought/idea I had that I know I want to incorporate is some of the
things I learned from Structure of the English Language; in flipping through the Image Grammar text I
got really excited because I could totally see using those techniques to compliment everything else. Im
confused as to whether or not start it from a section on poetry, presenting it as part of a unit or not. Im
not even sure what to be asking myself. However, in spite of my being scatterbrained Im excited to
work on this project!
Thanks,
Carol
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Carol Ashey
Dr. Hartman
ENGL 483
1 March 2014
Writing Assignment Design Draft 1
Grade: 9
th
Grade

Rationale: Posit the question of what is sensory language and how it is incorporated into writing. Where
is it most commonly seen (poems, songs, etc.)? How does this type of writing compare to others?

Common Core Goals for Unit:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3d: Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or character.

Sensory Writing Assignment:
Students will write an experience, either real or imagined using sensory language. Students will begin by
free writing on what they already know of the experience, and then decide the format they want it to
take be it a poem, song, or narrative, etc. If a narrative, it must be at least one to two pages in length,
two to three stanzas for a poem, and two verses and a chorus for a song. Students will observe life
through the senses (what you see, hear, smell, taste, touch) and collect words via a thesaurus that
express the senses.

Resources: Image Grammar book; various strategies, chapter 2 is currently best choice

Options:
Poem (2-3 stanzas)
Song (two verses and chorus)
Narrative/description
Experience

Original Writing Assignment Design Draft

Write about an experience, real or imagined, using sensory language. Begin with a freewrite on what
you know about the experience.
Rubric:
Categories strong, okay, weak
Narrative 1-2 pages,
Poem 2-3 stanzas
Song two verses and chorus
Use of sensory language
Use of brush strokes