It’s All in the Details…

2. It’s All in the Details… Linza Todd

3. Why use details? • They help you as an author do your job; which is to describe with your words so that the reader can visualize what you are talking about. • Details make writing exciting!

4. Why use details? • Just a few details in your writing make all the difference in the world. • Readers want lots of details so they can picture things in their minds. • Be sure you explain what you mean. • Don’t assume someone will know what you mean.

5. Why use details? The point of writing is to make your reader see the same exact picture that you had in your head when you wrote the words. So, if you just mention a "dog," how are they going to know the color, size, and personality of the dog you envisioned if you don't tell them specifically?

6. Let’s see details in action… • Here is a sentence without any specific details. Can you visualize what I am picturing? I walked up to the house and knocked on the door. • What kind of house did you visualize?

8. Let’s try it again… • Here’s my revised sentence. Using specific details, can you visualize this house better? I skipped up to the small white cottage and tapped on the faded red door.

9. Let’s see details in action… • Here is another sentence without any specific details. Can you visualize what I am picturing? I did a lot of fun stuff on my birthday. • What kind of “fun stuff” did you visualize?

11. Let’s try it again… • Here’s my revised sentence. Using specific details, can you visualize this birthday better? On my birthday, I had dinner at my favorite restaurant Olive Garden and then went to the movies with my friends to see Hunger Games.

12. Now for a paragraph… • Here is a paragraph without any specific details. What do you think? Our school is a great place to get an education. We do many things to learn at school. We play and have fun and do special things in all of our classes. Our teachers help us learn so we can have a good future.

13. BORING!

14. Our school is a great place to get an education. We do many things to learn at school. We play and have fun and do special things in all of our classes. Our teachers help us learn so we can have a good future. B.B. Harris Elementary is an incredible place to get an education. My amazing teacher lets us play a baseball game on the board that teaches us new vocabulary words, such as conservation. It’s a blast. During recess we play kickball, football, and tag. My teacher will do whatever it takes to help us learn and have fun! Here’s the same paragraph, but revised with specific details…

15. Tips to Remember for adding Details… Make them specific. Here’s the difference: • NOT specific: We play and have fun. • Specific: We play science games that teach us about the solar system.

16. Tips Continued… • Use your senses to describe things: • Sight • Sound • Taste • Touch • Smell Example: The room was a pale yellow with beige carpet and smelled like sour milk.

17. Final Tip… Have fun! Writing is fun!

18. Writing Task… • Playing or having fun can mean a variety of things. • Listen to the following paragraph…

21. On Saturday afternoons, my friends and I meet under the giant old oak tree near the park. We ride our bikes through the woods and look for animals. Sometimes we stop and climb a gigantic tree that has wooden slats nailed to it to form stairs. I like to sit way up top and hold on to the rough branches. Other times, my friends and I use Benny's metal detector to hunt for buried objects. Once, we found a silver charm bracelet that belonged to Mrs. Reynolds. I don’t get to see my friends much during the week because we go to different schools, but we sure have a ton of fun when we get together on the weekend.