Description Using Art and Photography

This is a fantastic activity that helps connect with children who are particularly creative or have a good imagination. Descriptive writing relies on good awareness of the senses and these can be addressed through good discussion and use of art work. Provide photos of well-known scenes such as falling Autumn leaves or beautiful idyllic images of the beach. Ask the children to draw and paint them so they become fully immersed in the world and are able to describe it in more detail. When ready, ask the children to mind map their ideas- sometimes the first thing that comes to mind is the best idea. Combine the great ideas with super sentence structure (and subordinate clauses) and you have a winning piece of writing like the examples created by pupils in my class a couple of years ago.

Autumn Leaves

Breathing in deeply, the smell of freshly mown grass wafts through your nostrils as a gentle breeze whips your flailing hair behind you. Wispy leaves are rubies settling silently in a wooden casket, layering its essence. With great reluctance, Autumn leaves let themselves be blown to the very peaks of the highest mountains and the brittle twigs follow closely behind after being stolen off their perches. Listening carefully, the swish and rustle of the whispering trees can clearly be heard amongst the silence of the early morning. Continuously, textured bark ungulates in waves around a chocolate covered centre, that unbelievably doesn't melt. Relaxing in the sun, furry moss sits in the grassy undergrowth with the oozing mud and the scurrying insects. Leaves as red as crimson cherries fall into the awaiting basket below. The ground is a mouth waiting impatiently to swallow the leaves and devour their juicy innards. Shadows silently creep on tiptoe, not daring to leave its lair. Logs barricade all entrances. There is no way to disturb the leaves that have settled and are now sleeping in hibernation. The rustle of movement gives whispering trees eyes and logs a sense of smell. Trees entwine and form borders around an Autumn filling. Winding wildly, weeds curl around its prey... a beautiful tulip decides to suddenly spring into action and suck life out of the enemy. 

Crashing Waves

As sharks swim swiftly and cunning crabs claw their way across the sandy floor, a brutal wave crashes into the rugged rocks as ferociously as an angry tiger. Gazing wonderously in awe, a cotton wool cloud cheers on the raging ocean, that is battling against the absurdly strong boulders, in the hope of freedom. Crash! Mercilessly, a foreceful wave erodes the monsters of the vast sea. Crying out loudly in pain, the angry wave attempts to weaken the rocks as indestructible as steel. Cursing, the furious wave retreats, glistening beautifully in the glorious sunlight, almost giving up. But then... the sun comes into full view, beaming radiantly. A solitary island stands alone, the ruler of all the sea. It beckons towards the wave, murmurs then send sit away. Thousands of miles away, the wave tries to find its way back. Silently watching and waiting for the wave to return, the horizon stays put, never closer yet never further. However, the sea stays moving and it will forever more... Colliding with the rocks, a wave beats on the rocks throbbing away at your eardrums. A salty aroma ascends to your nostrils and it is unmistakenly the smell of sea water. A strong taste of rage and anger emerges from the ocean, and you wonder why the sea is so angry.

Mountain Landscape

As the river reflects the mountains, it is just like a mirror. Frighteningly, the forest darkness creeps up on you and grabs you with a fright. Crunching under your feet, it feels like a rocky beach. Towering above your head, the trees sway in the wind, the birds tweeting and singing above you. Sneakily, the elevated tall towering tree waits for an animal and then it drops a pinecone straight onto its head.

Reflecting everything, the lake is a mirror wanting to be safe. Beautifully, the mirror's little waves move as gentle as the skin of a peach. It looks up at the mountains asking for help because it needs protection. Happily, the blue sky looks at every move that happens. Looking, the indigo blanket takes information from everything that moves.

Beach Scene

Swiftly, the marshmallow like clouds get nibbled opulently as they vanish into thin air. Pleasantly, the fluffy clouds move out of the way of the sun light so the sun can gently spread warmth to all far away lands.

Calmly, clouds spread a thick layer of golden sand over the island. Pink pearls and scarlet red crabs sink violently into the thick moist carpet of golden honey sand...

Silently, waves crash, mermaids sing as the aqua ocean sings out to the others by the smooth golden sand. While fish swim slowly through the tropical ocean, they leave a warm humid scent in the air.

Snowy Forest

Can you use the photograph below and the painting to help write your own descriptive piece. There are millions of photos out there that can be used for your own writing and art work... give it a go!