Integrate Projects | Can You Picture It?

Can You Picture It? A Lesson about Descriptive Writing

Jeanne Munoz
Curriculum Integration Specialist

This Integrate Project requires 45 minutes a day for 10 days and meets language arts and NCTE standards for 5th -7th grade. All resources, teacher-led activities, and student-centered activities are included in the Lesson Plan. Two sample student activities and a rubric are also included.

Students brainstorm words on a clustering page that asks about what they see, feel, hear, smell, and experience emotionally in their room. Students can use the graphic organizer provided with this project. Then students brainstorm sensory adjectives in small groups for a word wall and an Excel database of the word wall can be constructed.

Students revise their writing to create an informal letter then type their letters on the computer in a word processing document. Writing partners work together to complete the editing process.. Each uses the peer editing rubric checklist to score the writing prior to printing a copy for the teacher. Students calculate scores on the rubric by using AutoSum.

After the teacher looks over the letter, it may be sent to the e-mail pen pal with a request that the pen pal draw a picture of the room and either scan it and e-mail it back, fax it, or mail it.

Using a Writing Rubric

The new writing activity is ready. The lesson plan and materials are complete. It is standards-based, technology-rich, and actively engages the students. You are excited and ready to improve your students' descriptive writing skills. But, have you considered how you will measure their success? How will you evaluate whether or not the standards have been mastered and the outcomes accomplished? Consider using a rubric. A rubric is a powerful tool for evaluation and for setting predetermined criteria for quality work. Rubrics can be developed to assess mastery of academic standards, technology proficiency, and the process skills involved in completing a task.

As you look over the Integrate Project, Can You Picture It?, investigate the corresponding rubric as an example of an assessment strategy that is effective at defining your expectations for success as well as evaluating the accomplishments of your students.

Note: If you are using Netscape on a Macintosh, you will not be able to open the student activities that use MS Excel. Please use Internet Explorer to open these files.

Lesson Plan (MS Word)
Rubric (MS Excel)

Student Activities
Brainstorm (MS Excel)
Graphic organizer (MS Word)