Descriptive Writing Essay
You are responsible for choosing one of the pictures provided and writing a
descriptive essay from it. Your essay must follow the format that is provided below:
Your first task in writing a descriptive essay is to choose a topic that has many interesting
parts or qualities to talk about. Unless you have a really vivid imagination, you'll find it
difficult to write much about a simple object like a comb, for example. It's best to
compare a few topics first to make sure they'll work.
The next challenge is to figure out the best way to describe your chosen subject in such a
way as to relay a complete experience to the reader, so that he or she is able to see, hear,
and feel through your words.
As in any writing, the drafting stage is key to writing a successful descriptive essay.
Since the purpose of the essay is to paint a mental image of a specific subject, it helps to
make a list of all the things you associate with your topic.
For example, if your subject is the farm where you visited your grandparents as a child
you would list all the things you associate with that place. Your list should include both
general attributes associated with a farm and the more personal and specific things that
make it special to you and the reader.
Start with general details
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Cornfields
Pigs
Cows
Garden
Farm house
Well
Then add the unique details:
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That spot by the pig barn where you fell in the manure
Playing hide and seek in the cornfields
Picking wild greens for dinner with your grandmother
The stray dogs that always wandered onto the farm
Scary coyotes howling in the night
By tying these details together you can make the essay more relatable to the reader.
Making these lists will allow you to see how you can tie things from each list together.
At this stage, you should determine a good order for the objects you'll describe. For
example, if you are describing an object, you should determine whether you want to
describe its appearance from top to bottom, or side to side.
Remember that it is important to begin your essay on a general level and work your way
down to specifics. Start by outlining a simple five-paragraph essay with three main
topics. Then you may expand on this basic outline.
Next you will begin to construct a thesis statement and a trial topic sentence for each
main paragraph.
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The thesis sentence should convey your overall impression of your subject. Does
it make you happy? Is it attractive or ugly? Is your object useful?
Each topic sentence should introduce a new part or stage of your chosen topic.
Don't worry, you can change these sentences later. It's time to start writing paragraphs!
As you build your paragraphs, you should avoid confusing the reader by bombarding
them with unfamiliar information immediately; you must ease your way into your topic
in your introductory paragraph. For example, instead of saying,
The farm was where I spent most summers holidays. During the summer we played hide
and seek in the cornfields and walked through the cow pastures to pick wild greens for
supper. Nana always carried a gun for snakes.
Instead, give the reader a broad view of your subject and work your way into the details.
A better example would be:
In a small rural town in central Ohio was a farm surrounded by miles of cornfields. In
this place, on many warm summer days, my cousins and I would run through the
cornfields playing hide and seek or making our own crop circles as clubhouses. My
grandparents, whom I called Nana and Papa, lived on this farm for many years. The old
farmhouse was large and always full of people, and it was surrounded by wild animals. I
spent many of my childhood summers and holidays here. It was the family gathering
place.
Another simple rule of thumb to remember is "show don't tell." If you want to describe a
feeling or action you should reinvent it through the senses rather than just state it. For
example, instead of:
I got excited every time we pulled into the driveway of my grandparents house.
Try to elaborate what was really going on in your head:
After sitting for several hours in the back seat of the car, I found the slow crawl up the
driveway to be absolute torture. I just knew Nana was inside waiting with fresh baked
pies and treats for me. Papa would have some toy or trinket hidden somewhere but he
would pretend not to recognize me for a few minutes just to tease me before he gave it to
me. As my parents would struggle to pry the suitcases out of the trunk, I would bounce all
the way up the porch and rattle the door until someone finally let me in.
The second version paints a picture and puts the reader in the scene. Anyone can be
excited. What your reader needs and wants to know what makes it exciting?
Finally, don't try to cram too much into one paragraph. Use each paragraph to describe a
different aspect of your subject. Check to make sure that your essay flows from one
paragraph to the next with good transition statements.
The conclusion of your paragraph is where you can tie everything together and restate the
thesis of your essay. Take all the details and summarize what they mean to you and why
it is important.
Your essay must follow all MLA guidelines:
Times New Roman 12 pt. Font
Double Spaced
Name, Date, Class Period
Title
Also you must have at least 2 similes and 2 metaphors in your paper.
Header
Rubric For Descriptive Essay
FCA’s
Exemplary
Good
Satisfactory
Sub-Par
Poor
Content
Essay does a great
job in capturing the
image student
chose to describe
Essay does a good
job of describing
the image chosen.
Essay is missing
some details for the
image and is not
consentient with
image
Essay does a less
than satisfactory
job describing the
image and making
it come to life
Does a poor job of
describing the
image
(25)
(24-20)
(19-18)
(17-15)
(12)
The paper has 2
formatting issues
The paper has 3
formatting issues
The paper has 4 or
more formatting
issues’
(6)
(5)
The student does a
poor job describing
the image.
Describes
Image
(25)
Format
MLA
Set Up
(10)
The paper is
spaced correctly
and the margins are
correct. The name
and headings are
there in the correct
spot. Title is
correct
The paper format
has 1 thing wrong
with it
(7)
(8)
(10)
Content
Vivid
Descriptions
(40)
The student uses
vivid descriptions
to describe the
image and scene.
The use of
adjectives and
adverbs is
excellent
The student does a
good job of
painting the scene
of the image but is
not that vivid.
The student does a
satisfactory job of
describing the
image. Missing
multiple details or
a major part of the
scene.
The student does a
subpar job of
describing the
scene using vivid
details and
descriptions
(39-32)
(31-28)
(27-24)
Student uses 1
simile and 1
metaphor not
correctly
Student only uses
one simile or 1
metaphor
In paper either
correctly
Student does not
use any of the
similes or
metaphors
correctly
Student does not
even attempt to use
a simile or
metaphor in their
paper
(10-9)
(7)
(20)
(40)
Craft
Figurative
Language
(15)
Student uses at
least 2 similes and
2 metaphors in
their description of
the scene correctly
Or
Missing one or the
other
(15)
(14-12)
Conventions
There are zero
spelling or
punctuation errors
Spelling and
Grammar
(10)
(10)
Total:_________________
Or 2 similes or 2
metaphors are in
correct
(11)
There are 1-2
spelling or
grammatical errors
There are 3-4
spelling errors or
grammatical errors
There are 5
spelling or
grammatical errors
There are 6 or
more errors in the
paper
(9-8)
(7)
(6)
(5)