Descriptive writing

Teacher notes: The Jungle

Descriptive writing is an important and enjoyable aspect of English.
This resource pack exposes pupils to descriptive writing. It prompts
them to use comprehension and prediction, as well as identify and
analyse writers’ methods.
It also allows students to use the text as a prompt for their own
creative writing.

The resources will:

> expose pupils to descriptive writing

> give pupils the opportunity to practise inference and descriptive

skills

> give pupils the opportunity to practise reading and comprehension

skills

> give pupils the opportunity to analyse writers’ methods

> use texts as prompts for writing

National Curriculum Objectives:

• Develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly

challenging material

• Reading high-quality works from English literature, both pre-1914

and contemporary, including prose, poetry and drama

• Choosing and reading books independently for challenge, interest

and enjoyment

• Learning new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary

and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries

• Checking their understanding to make sure that what they have

read makes sense

• Knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary

choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features,
presents meaning
Descriptive writing

• Studying setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these

• Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and

information through stories, scripts, poetry and other imaginative
writing

The pack contains:

> The Jungle text with vocabulary definitions

> PowerPoint teaching slides

> Comprehension questions with answers

> Descriptive writing match-up activity sheet

> Planning sheet for writing task

Descriptive writing

First session

Teach Apply Notes

Descriptive • Display PowerPoint Slide 2 • Students pick the best

writing • Ask students to pick the best sentence.
• Elicit that the bottom two are better because
they provide more detail, the vocabulary is
more advanced and descriptive and the use of
sensory imagery allows us to create a better
picture of how it looks.
descriptive sentence and
justify their choices.
• They may start identifying
descriptive writing techniques
and start commenting on their
effects.

Descriptive • Introduce the descriptive writing match-up • Pupils match the techniques
writing activity with the instructions on slide 3. with the definitions.
techniques • Students need to match the techniques to • Check answers and correct
their definitions on the descriptive writing any misconceptions.
match-up worksheet.
• Students that require more challenge can
write in their own examples.
• If students are stuck, ask them to answer
the ones they are familiar with and complete
the rest by deduction. The aim isn’t for them
to get all the answers correct in the first
instance; it’s to familiarise them with the
techniques to identify and eventually use
themselves.
• Look at the answers on slide 4. If students
have created examples, encourage them to
share these.
Descriptive writing
Teach
Read the text • Read the text extract.
• Ask students to summarise the jungle in three
words so you can ascertain which students
may not have understood the text.
Comprehension • Ask students to answer the comprehension
questions questions and consolidate understanding.
Answers to • Go through each answer as a class.
comprehension • Prompt pupils to provide their answers with
questions justifications from the text.
• The answers are on slides 7 - 16 or are also
available on the comprehension answers PDF.
Annotation of • Ask students to read the text and identify the
text descriptive techniques from the first task.
• They should identify what the technique is
and the effect it creates.
• The instructions are on slide 17 and there
are examples on slide 18 which you can go
through after the task.
Apply Notes
• Pupils summarise the jungle
individually or in pairs.
• Pupils can highlight the
text as they go along to aid
understanding.
• Pupils can self check their
answers based on the board.
• Pupils can highlight the parts
of the text that show the
answer if they were incorrect.
• Students highlight and
annotate where descriptive
writing techniques are used, as
well as how they present the
jungle.
Descriptive writing

Teach Apply Notes

Main question • Now students have looked at the writer’s use • Students use the answers to
of language, look at the question on slide 19 the previous questions to list
(“The writer has created a vivid and exciting their answers.
description of the jungle.” How far do you • Students share their answers
agree with this statement?). with the class, discussing
• Break down the two elements of the question, various reasons.
listing how this is done. There will be
crossover between these two elements.
• Discuss answers as a class. Answers are on
slide 20. (You do not have to show these to
students, necessarily).

Final • Ask students to write a ‘What How Why’ • Students write a reading
consolidation paragraph answering the question. They analysis response to the main
should use the prompts from the previous question.
task.
• There is a model and scaffold for a What
How Why paragraph on slide 21 but this can
be adapted to whatever format of reading
analysis paragraph students are familiar with
(PEE/PETAL etc).
Descriptive writing

Second session

Teach Apply Notes

Writing • Recap descriptive writing techniques. See the • Students do the retrieval
lesson questions on slide 22. practice task.
• Discuss answers as a class. Answers are on • As a class, students figure out
slide 23. As a class, try to establish what the the effects of the techniques.
effect created is.

Planning • Students will now plan their own descriptive • Students complete the
writing piece. There is a guide on slide 24 and planning sheet.
on the planning sheet. The guide is for weaker
students – stronger students are by no means
restricted to this template.
• Give examples for each section if students are
struggling.
• It may also be useful for students to compare
notes after they have finished so they have a
breadth of ideas/help if they are stuck.

Writing • Students write their descriptive piece. Remind • Students write their version of
them to include descriptive language. the story.
• Students should use the suggestions for
success (slide 25) to ensure high-quality
writing. For those struggling, direct them to
the model opening which they can use.
Descriptive writing

Teach Apply Notes

Self assessment • Ask students to self-assess their work against • Students self-assess their
the suggestions for success (slide 25). work.
• Where they haven’t met the suggestions, they
can add them in a different colour pen.