exercises for Descriptive Words?

[Writerdaddy]

I'm doing some great writing things with my twin 10 year olds including plenty of chances for writing descriptively.

Despite all we've done to emphasize descriptive writing, through the senses, etc., it's not happening spontaneously in other writing even when it is obviously needed and its a struggle even with my instigation.

 

The problem is not their imagination, but their words: they just seem not to reach easily for non-straightforward-and-functional words. So today I am having them collect cool descriptive words now on notecards.

 

I've done both IEW style requiring and banning of words, and sensory detail writing exercises etc. I am always keen to hear about writing programs, but also right now really focused on this one thing-- building the actual descriptive vocabulary words.

 

Do you know of any good resources, games, etc. for building descriptive vocabulary?

 

A bigger question could also be, resources etc. that basically open up how cool words can be in general. They haven't at all got hooked on the joys of planting a nice juicy word that changes everything.

 

thanks!

[Critterfixer]

Mine twins just turned eleven, and I also struggle with getting them to use descriptive language, except descriptive language they have seen and heard used before. We end up with some pretty hackneyed phrases sometimes! But I'm convinced that a lot of fear of using words that are unfamiliar is well, because they are unfamiliar! 

Then there is the problem of not being familiar with the full meaning of a word. It's easy to have a mental picture of what you want to describe and then to fall apart trying to find the words to convey the exact nuance of the details. I find that while my boys are comfortable enough using a ten-dollar word in oral usage, they often are a little nervous to put that down in print where it may not mean exactly what they thought it meant. 

 

The only thing I'm doing right now that seems to be bearing fruit in their writing is to take whatever model I'm using for writing that week (we have been using various books in discussing fiction lately) and having them pick their spelling and vocabulary words for the week. I thought they might actually go easy on themselves, but instead they pulled quite a few difficult ones, since I'm using some things well above their comfortable reading level, but things that really illustrate certain fiction components. Anyway, they chose these words, learn to spell them and we look them up to find out what they mean. I then give the the job of creating sentences with their new words. They do a few of these a day. And, I'm seeing those words pop up in original composition now. 

[Writerdaddy]

Hey those are some great points. I like especially the spelling-- I never thought about the fact that once you learn to spell something you probably want to use that word.

 

One resource I have is "IF you're trying to teach kids how to write" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865303177/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

there are a quite a few pages dedicated to word play in there.

 

 

[Critterfixer]

One thing, though...I think the key for us has been letting them choose what words they would like to play with. I tried the same thing with assigned words--not the same. I have to trust that they will choose words that they want to learn and to use, and that is making the difference for us. 

Of course, nobody is saying I can't happily suggest some of my favorite synonyms to go along with their new acquisitions from the word department.

[MotherGoose]

One thing that's helped my dd is having a "cheat sheet" of words that are above her spelling level but are words she'd like to use. That way she can just copy them down without having to worry about the spelling or ask me.

[Clear Creek]

A thesaurus. In Writing & Rhetoric one of the exercises is to take a provided sentence and use your mind or a thesaurus to come up with either more descriptive words or more precise nouns and verbs (they are worked on separately), and the sentence is rewritten at least three times using words each time. You could easily do this with a sentence that you make up, and your kids could compare their new sentences once they are finished.

[Tanikit]

You could always try oral descriptions first and while they tell you, you write down any descriptive words they use, praising the ones that describe more accurately and working on finding better words when the description is more vague. Once they hear themselves use this in their speech it will be easier to hear it in their own heads and write it down. Also taking children out to a place where they can use all their senses and then describe it orally before writing it all down also helps.

 

Of course working on vocabulary is also important - try reading them descriptive passages from classic stories (there is a fair amount of this in the WWE texts, but any classic that you are reading should have good selections.) Talk about what methods the passages use to describe various scenes/characters and why those methods are so effective.

[Farrar]

Mad Libs has been good for us because it generates more creative word choices - especially adjectives.

 

There's a book of good word lists from Scholastic that's useful.

 

One of the things one of my boys has found useful has been sentence imitation a la Killgallon. It seems to bring out those interesting word choices - I think because they don't have to think of the structure AND the words, you know?

 

I'd also be interested in more wordplay games. The ones in If You Want to Teach Kids to Write... are a good start though.

[Writerdaddy]

Thanks for the replies. It's great to get ideas. Love to hear more.

 

Coincidentally, my kids were playing this game last night at a Thanksgiving party with a bunch of older kids and it seemed like a blast. One of my kids could barely play it and the other could not really at all, but it's definitely a great fun language game from what I saw at a distance:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-A4625-Electronic-Catchphrase-Game/dp/B00D4NJS9O