Descriptive Food Paragraph
Look at the example paragraph below about a lemon. Can you find the
introduction and conclusion sentence? Can you find all five of the senses
(sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)? Can you tell why the writer put the
senses in the order she did? Can you tell how the writer feels about this
food?
My mother gave me a lemon last summer. Its yellow surface was bright and sunshiny.
It was shaped almost round, but was slightly pointed at each end. Its size was almost as big
as a baseball. As I sliced into it, I heard the knife make sharp cutting noises and heard the
juice spurt out. I put it to my lips, and the cold wet liquid made me pucker up. My cheeks
were drawn together with its bitterness. Its tart and tangy smell almost made my eyes
water. As I tasted it, I was sure I had never tasted anything more sour in my entire life. I
made up my mind right then and there never to eat another lemon unless it was sugared and
in lemonade.
Now it’s your turn! Choose a food you either love or hate, and write a
descriptive paragraph. As you write, follow these guidelines:
1. Frame your paragraph with an introduction sentence at the beginning
and a conclusion sentence at the end. The introduction should “set the
stage” (where and when you ate the food), and the conclusion should
give your feeling about the food.
2. Be sure to use all five senses listed above. The senses should be
organized in the sequence you would experience them when really
eating the food.
3. Use especially descriptive words, and show your feelings about the
food through your choice of words. A word’s definition is its literal
meaning, but a word’s “feel” is its gradient meaning (for example –
thin, or slender, or skinny, or anorexic?). Use the gradient meaning
that will show whether you love or hate the food.
4. Use at least one simile or metaphor in your description. For example:
a. Simile: The orange was as round as a basketball.
b. Metaphor: The apple was October crunching in my mouth.
5. Edit carefully for the following: complete sentences (no fragments or
run-ons), spelling, capitalization, end punctuation, commas, subjectverb agreement, and possessives.
Rubric: Descriptive Food Paragraph
Title
Organization
Sequence
Flow
Five Senses
Word Choice
Literal/Gradient
Meanings
Simile/Metaphor
Conventions
Quality Work
Mouth-Watering
5 pts.
Writer has a
creative title.
Writer has both an
introduction and
conclusion sentence.
All sentences fall in
a logical order.
Paragraph is told like
a story and is easy to
read.
All five senses are
used.
Words are especially
descriptive.
The writer uses
gradient meanings
well; the word choice
effectively shows
the writer’s feelings
about the food.
The writer uses at
least one simile or
metaphor, and it is
creative and
effective.
The writer has
edited for spelling,
capitalization, end
punctuation, commas,
subject/ verb
agreement, and
possessives. There
are fewer than five
errors.
The writer follows all
guidelines for quality
work.
Tasty
3 pts.
Writer has a title,
but it is ordinary.
Writer is missing
either an
introduction or a
conclusion sentence.
Most sentences fall
in a logical order.
Paragraph is written
like a list.
A Little Bland
1 pt.
Writer has no title.
One or two senses
are missing.
Words are somewhat
descriptive.
The writer uses
some gradient
meanings; the word
choice makes it
fairly clear how the
writer feels about
the food.
The writer uses as
least one simile or
metaphor, but it is
ordinary.
More than two
senses are missing.
Words are ordinary.
There are six to ten
errors in
conventions.
There are more than
ten errors in
conventions.
The writer follows
most guidelines for
quality work.
The writer follows
few guidelines for
quality work.
Writer is missing
both an introduction
and a conclusion
sentence.
Paragraph is in no
logical order.
Paragraph is hard to
follow.
The word choice is
literal only and does
not make it clear how
the writer feels
about the food.
The writer does not
use a simile or
metaphor.