Minds On
Sensory language
Take a moment to imagine the setting of your favourite book.
Where does it take place? What does it look like? What words has the author selected to help you create a picture in your mind? Share your ideas in a recording or with a partner.
Student Success
Think-Pair-Share
Have you ever read or listened to a book and felt like the author transported you into another world? It’s the magic of language, and sensory language in particular is something that authors will use to tap into the reader’s senses. Sensory language creates opportunities for the text to come alive and for the reader to visualize, feel, or fully experience what they are reading. The five senses are:
- see
- smell
- touch
- taste
- hear
Think about the words below. Which of the five senses does each word use?
- barking
- sour
- clammy
- musty
- glittering
- salty
- furry
- clang
- violet
- flowery
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Action
Describing a setting
Access 10 minutes of the following video, “Great Blue Wild – Episode 6 – Roatan,” about the Mesoamerican coral reef off the coast of Roatan. As you explore the video documentary, think about the adjectives you might use to explain the setting. How could you describe the reef? It may be useful to jot down some notes during the video.
Senses all around
Take a few moments to observe the space around you. How would you describe it?
Read more about the senses that you choose to use.
See
What do you see? Notice the different shapes, colours, and textures. How might you describe them?
Smell
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. What do you smell? Do any objects in your space have a distinct scent? For example, can you smell someone’s perfume?
Touch
Do the surfaces in your space have different textures? How do they feel on your fingertips?
Taste
This one may be a bit tricky if you are not eating or drinking anything, but think about taste as related to smell. Once again, close your eyes. Think about the scents you identified earlier. What do you imagine they taste like?
Hear
What sounds do you hear? Are they near or are they far? Are they coming from nature? Are they electronic? Are there humans around you making sounds?
Test Your Skills!
Organize your thoughts
Record your ideas using the following fillable and printable Sensory Language Graphic Organizer. You can also complete this activity in your notebook.
Press the Activity button to access Sensory Language Graphic Organizer.
Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)Consolidation
Creating a fictional world
If you were writing a story, where would it take place? Use a real or an imaginary location to set your scene.
Here are a few tips if you need some inspiration:
- research images of interesting locations
- explore nature videos and soundscapes
- review some of your favourite novels
- use a thesaurus to discover new and interesting words and build your vocabulary
Complete Sensory Language Graphic Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document(s).
Press the Activity button to access Sensory Language Graphic Organizer.
Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)Your ideas in action
Use the ideas from your graphic organizer as a starting point to write a descriptive paragraph. What are some ways you might describe the setting? What feelings or emotions might a reader experience as they read your writing? Be sure to use adjectives that will help your reader to visualize the setting.
If possible, have a partner read your paragraph or reread it independently. Can the reader visualize the scene in their mind? Can they imagine all five senses? In other words, can the reader describe what they hear, smell, see, feel, and taste? What could you add or change to make your writing stronger? Revise your paragraph based on this feedback.
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel...
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.