ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD.

DIPLOMA IN TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN

LANGUAGE

Lesson Plan number 1Prepared by: Miss Nida Khan

PREREQUISITES OF A GOOD DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

GRADE: O LEVELSUBJECT: ENGLISHTIME: 45 Minutes

AIMS: The students shall be able to develop:Communicative competence—the ability to

communicate with clarity, relevance, accuracy and varietyCreativity—the ability to use language, experience and

imagination to respond to new situations, create original ideas and make a positive impact

Critical skills—the ability to scan, filter and analyse different forms of information

Cross- cultural awareness—the ability to engage with issues inside and outside own community dealing with the familiar as well as the unfamiliar

CORE OBJECTIVES

To enable the students to: Communicate appropriately, with a clear

awareness of purpose, audience and registerCommunicate clearly and develop ideas

coherently, at word level, at sentence level and at whole text level

Use accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar

Communicate creatively, using a varied range of vocabulary, sentence structures and linguistic devices

LESSON OBJECTIVESBy the end of lesson the students shall be able to:Have a knowledge of the purpose and

significance of description and its typesIdentify the various stages in writing

descriptive essayLearn and use the new vocabulary creatively

and innovativelyUse a variety of sentence structures

METHODOLOGYDirect Method

Visual Technique

PREPARATION •Projector•Pictures•Thesaurus

PRESENTATION

The students shall be divided in almost four groups

and shall be handed over the pictures to study.

APPROACHWorking in groups look at the given

pictures and reserve the first thought and feeling that you have in your mind along with the other significant and minute details that you notice.

(The response time given shall be 3 to 5 minutes to the whole class).

WHAT IS DESCRIPTION?

Description is a way of giving the details about an object, event, location, person, etc. When you describe something, you are telling about its physical and other traits. Give lots of details to make the scene real for the reader.

TYPES OF DESCRIPTION

Objective-- Objective description attempts to report accurately the appearance of the object as a thing in itself, independent of the observer's perception of it or feelings about it.

Example: Lincoln's Objective Self-Description"If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said, I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly; lean in flesh, weighing, on an average, one hundred and eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair, and gray eyes…"(Abraham Lincoln, Letter to Jesse W. Fell, 1859)

• Subjective-- Impressionistic description is very different. Focusing upon the mood or feeling the object evokes in the observer rather than upon the object as it exists in itself, impressionism does not seek to inform but to arouse emotion.

Example: Rebecca Harding Davis's Impressionistic Description of a Smoky Town"The idiosyncrasy of this town is smoke. It rolls sullenly in slow folds from the great chimneys of the iron-foundries, and settles down in black, slimy pools on the muddy streets. Smoke on the wharves, smoke on the dingy boats, on the yellow river--clinging in a coating of greasy soot to the house-front, the two faded poplars, the faces of the passers-by. The long trains of mules, dragging masses of pig-iron through the narrow street, have a foul vapour hanging to their reeking sides. Here, inside, is a little broken figure of an angel pointing upward from the mantel-shelf; but even its wings are covered with smoke, clotted and black. Smoke everywhere! A dirty canary chirps desolately in a cage beside me. Its dream of green fields and sunshine is a very old dream--almost worn out, I think."(Rebecca Harding Davis, "Life in the Iron Mills." The Atlantic Monthly, April 1861)

QUESTION:

Do you see any literary device used in Rebecca Harding’s impressionistic description?

(Asked with reference to the prior lesson on similes, metaphors, personification)

WHAT IS A DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF WRITING A

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY?

WHAT SHOULD BE THERE IN A DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYTake time to brainstormUse clear and concise languageChoose vivid languageUse figures of speechUse your sensesEssay should have a proper beginning,

middle and endWhat were you thinking?Leave the reader with a clear impressionBe organized

TIPS FOR WRITING A DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYFirst decide on what you want to

describeWhat is the purpose of this

description?What should you include in this

description?Drafting your essayAvoid unnecessary description

Activity 1

Now sit back, close your eyes and imagine a person who scared you or impressed you the most. Open your eyes after 1 minute and explain what you saw using different words.

IS USING NEW WORDS REALLY IMPORTANT IN DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY?

adds variety to the essayenhances your knowledgeimagination is not limited

USE A VARIETY OF SENTENCE STRUCTURES

Vary the rhythm by alternating short and long sentences.

Vary sentence openings.

PRACTICE

WORKING IN GROUPS

Activity 2Read out the sample descriptive essay and then answer the following questions:What is the subject of the sample essay?Does the author make use of fresh and varied

vocabulary? Underline and write them.Does the author use her senses to describe the

scene? Give examples.Is there any literary device used by the author?Write the meanings of the following: Looming, trade in, serenity, intimidating, imperceptible, assault, dislodged

W O R K I N G I N P A I R S

Activity 3

Write descriptive paragraph using at least two literary devices and sentence structures on one of the following topics:Your dream houseA treasured belongingThe oceanThe perfect shopping

mall

RECAPITULATIONWhat is description?What should be there in a descriptive essay?

Why should we write a descriptive essay?

What literary devices can be most commonly used in descriptive essay?

PRODUCTION

INDEPENDENT WORK

Write a descriptive essay between 350- 500 words on ONE of the following topics using the list of descriptive adjectives. (You can also look up for the synonyms of the adjectives from the thesaurus). • Describe the sights, sounds, smells and

tastes of the busiest street in your area.• Describe the backstage during a play or a

concert• Describe your favorite place of

entertainment and write about some of the people who work there.

• Describe two interesting and different buildings in your neighborhood. You should describe their appearance and atmosphere and not just tell stories about what happens in them.

LIST OF DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVESList of Adjectives Describing Sound

List of Adjectives Describing Taste

List of Adjectives Describing Touch

List of Adjectives Describing Color

Blaring Bitter Hard Azure

Cooing Delicious Loose Aqua

Deafening Fresh Rough Blue

Loud Hot Smooth Black

Melancholic Icy Slippery Crimson

Noisy Juicy Sticky Cyan

Soft Spicy Sharp Gold

Shrill Sweet Scattered Green

Squeaking Sour Soft Magenta

Silent Salty Tender Orange

Thundering Tasty Uneven Pink

Whispering Tasteless Wet Turquoise

e.g. Blaring loudspeaker e.g. Delicious pastry e.g. Rough surface e.g. Green diamond

.