• Collect students’ responses for a quick overview of their understanding of the use of sensory details as you begin the unit. [IS.13 - Struggling Learners]

• Observe the groups as students analyze the excerpts, helping students if needed, and noting individual students who will need additional help. Provide a more detailed review of imagery and figurative language for the entire class or for individuals who need additional practice.

• Presentation of the individually prepared example of sensory appeal (and the explanation) offers the opportunity for individual assessment. Provide feedback to help students assess their progress in relation to the goal of the lesson.

Focus Question: How are literary devices used to appeal to the senses?

Write the following sentences on the board/interactive whiteboard:

Robin was cold.

The icy wind tore at Robin’s thin jacket and flung pellets of sleet into his face.

Say, “Both of these sentences make the same point: Robin is cold. Aside from their length, what differences do you see between the two sentences? Look at them closely and list those differences. Be as specific as possible.” Allow a few minutes and then have volunteers give their observations. (The second sentence uses imagery and sensory details. The imagery appeals to sight and touch. The second sentence uses concrete nouns and strong, active verbs. It also uses personification.)

Part 1

Review imagery, reminding students that imagery appeals to one or more of the senses. Ask, “Why is the second sentence more effective for readers than the first one?” (more detail; more specific; easier to see, feel what is happening; more interesting) “Why do you think the writer chose these particular details? What effect does the writer’s choice of words probably have on readers?” (to make readers experience the cold; to see that Robin feels like a victim of the cold; to tell that the cold presents a very real danger for Robin) Collect students’ responses for a quick overview of their understanding as you begin the unit.

Say, “You are going to examine some additional writing samples. These are all excerpts from literature, both fiction and nonfiction. After you read each one, discuss it in your groups, and do the following:

• Make a list of each device the writer uses, such as imagery and personification.

• Identify an example from the excerpt to illustrate each device.

• Decide what you think the writer hoped to accomplish by using these details.”

Distribute copies of Sensory Details in Fiction and Literary Nonfiction to the small groups (L-L-6-1_Sensory Details in Fiction and Literary Nonfiction and KEY.doc). Have students read excerpts from the first three short stories listed in Materials, or others of your choice, and fill in the worksheet. [IS.10 - Struggling Learners] Provide guidance, if needed, by completing one example with students.

As the groups are working, walk around the room and provide additional help if needed. Allow about 20 minutes, and then have three of the groups share their thoughts about the excerpts and accept questions or comments from the class. As students present, make a list on the board/interactive whiteboard of the literary devices and techniques that students identified.

Part 2

Provide for each group a magazine image or replica of a painting of a scene. Say, “Each group is going to compose a paragraph scene. [IS.11 - ELL Students] Make it as rich in sensory imagery as possible, incorporating a variety of other literary devices to do so. Refer to the list on the board to help you. Use the magazine picture as the focus for your scene. When you finish, list the devices you have used in your writing, along with examples, and a brief explanation of why you used the various devices.”

Walk among the groups as they are working and help students if needed. Then have groups exchange their work and allow them to comment on one another’s paragraphs.

Part 3

Read aloud or have students independently read Kipling’s description of Nag, the black cobra, in “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.” [IS.12 - Struggling Learners] Discuss these examples of sensory appeal in the description:

• The author uses sensory details that appeal to sight (“thick grass at the foot of the bush”) and hearing (“a low hiss—a horrid cold sound”).

• Kipling uses alliteration (“big black cobra” and “five feet long from tongue to tail”), which emphasizes these fearful aspects of Nag’s appearance.

• Very specific, sensory details make readers feel as though they are with Rikki-Tikki, watching the cobra unfold.

• The simile used to compare the way Nag balances himself to the way “a dandelion tuft balances in the wind” shows how light and dangerously quick his movements are.

• All of these details, along with the “wicked snake’s eyes that never change their expression,” are intended to make readers feel Nag’s power and the danger that he presents.

Have students begin to collect examples of effective sensory appeal, from a sentence to a paragraph in length. By the end of the unit, students should have at least a dozen examples. Have students include the following for each example:

• a brief explanation of how the writer creates effective sensory details

• an example to illustrate each device or technique

• an observation about what the writer probably wanted readers to gain from this use of sensory detail

Have books available for students to browse through when there is time, and remind them to think about possible examples from their own reading. Also guide students to sites such as http://www.classicshorts.com.

Extension:

• Students who need additional opportunities for learning can review the definitions of basic literary terms being employed, and then emphasize how imagery and other devices or techniques are used for creating sensory appeal (see Image in Poetry in Related Resources).

• Students who need additional opportunities for learning can use a poem such as John Masefield’s “Sea Fever,” which is rich in sensory appeal (see Related Resources). Work with small groups to identify the author’s use of literary devices.

• Students who may be going beyond the standards can add to their collection of examples of sensory appeal or create examples of their own.