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Alyssa Teaches
an Upper Elementary Blog
Teaching Descriptive Writing in the Upper Elementary Grades
Descriptive writing is one of my favorite units to teach. I love that it gives students lots of room for creativity while also getting them to think critically about a topic or story event. And it reinforces the idea that when we write, we write for the reader – we want to paint a picture in the reader’s mind.
Learning how to “show, not tell” isn’t just important in writing workshop. It also helps students in science (when recording observations) and social studies (when explaining about important people, places, and events).
Teaching Descriptive Writing
Descriptive writing won’t be new to your 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders, but it’s still something they need to practice. We don’t want them to write a list of adjective-heavy sentences. We want them to engage the reader while describing in detail a topic or moment in a story. Lots of modeling, practice, and student-made anchor charts are great to use in these lessons.
Some minilessons you might teach include sensory details , figurative language, using specific vocabulary (i.e., vivid verbs, choosing synonyms for overused words, etc.), and varying sentence length and structur e.
Revising is also important since we want students to make sure their writing is cohesive and on topic. Students often think more = better when it comes to descriptive writing, but that’s not always the case. Having opportunities to read their writing aloud and get partner feedback is really helpful.
Use Mentor Texts
Descriptive writing mentor texts are a great way to share concrete examples of “show, not tell”. Owl Moon is a classic go-to, but here are some of my favorite books that may be new to your students!
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I love how Elisha Cooper takes a simple topic and describes it in such detail! Beach , Train , and Farm are great for modeling how to do a deep dive on a topic.
Ten Ways to Hear Snow is one of my new favorite picture books! You can use this charming story to model descriptive and narrative writing and, in particular, sensory language . It’d be great to have students write their own versions on other nature topics.
Another nice mentor text to use is The Night Box . It includes personification, onomatopoeia, similes, and metaphors that add detail to the story. And I love the tie-in to day and night if you want to fit in a quick science review!
Roller Coaster is one more tried-and-true read-aloud to model descriptive details. I like how it’s not just a description of how a coaster looks or how quickly it moves, but also what the people riding it experience.
Come On, Rain works well for teaching sensory language as well as how to write a small moment story. I love how Hesse uses vivid vocabulary to make the reader really feel the heat and the rain!
The Wild Robot is a must-have chapter book for upper elementary classrooms! You can read the whole book or an excerpt to model how sensory language and specific word choice help the reader to easily visualize the setting.
And don’t forget poetry! The Great Frog Race , The Best Part of Me , and collections of haikus and concrete poetry are awesome to use during this unit, too!
Revise Boring Sentences
This one’s so easy, but it works! Have students compare a short sentence with a much more descriptive one. Which one is more interesting/helpful, and why?
Then you can practice taking a short sentence and revising it to make it more descriptive and appealing to the reader. This is a great whole-class kick-off before students write on their own.
Use Picture Prompts
I love using pictures for writing prompts in this unit! Funny photos, landscape pics, photos of food and animals, and even famous paintings are fun to use. I like to use a mix of busy and simple images.
Bring in Media Messages
A descriptive writing unit is an easy place to tie in media messages . You can have students analyze radio commercials, print ads, real estate and catalog listings, etc., to see how the author used descriptive language. And then have them create their own media messages describing favorite products they want people to buy! They LOVE this activity!
I’ve also had students write travel brochures for places we’ve studied (like Virginia’s regions and bodies of water). That’s a perfect way to hit social studies during your writing workshop!
Play a Game
This activity is so simple and it’s always a hit! Have them write a short descriptive paragraph or poem about a food, toy, sport, instrument, place in your community, etc. Display them on desks or make a bulletin board, and then have students try to guess what each describes.
A modified version of “I Spy” is also good practice! You can have students zoom in on tiny details to make it more challenging.
Descriptive Writing Practice
Looking for a resource to use to teach this unit? My forms of writing digital activities walk students through descriptive writing with a sample text, guided practice, editable word lists, checklists, rubrics, and more.
I hope you and your students enjoy your descriptive writing lessons! What other favorite activities do you have to model and teach this form of writing?
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The Best Paragraph Writing Worksheets for 5th Grade
When our students reach fifth grade, it’s a really pivotal time in their writing journey. At this stage of school, we introduce them to the four primary writing styles. Our goal is to help them grasp the differences and patterns within each form of writing.
These four common forms of writing taught in 5th grade are: expository, narrative, persuasive, and descriptive.
But what happens if you have 5th grade students still struggling to understand and write the parts of a paragraph?
That’s where we come in! We have some awesome 5th grade writing worksheets to share with you that literally have everything you need to help your students understand the parts of a paragraph.
We even included a FREE writing checklist, graphic organizers, and writing paper for you!
5th Grade Writing Expectations
By 5th grade, students should be able to write a really descriptive paragraph. What we typically see is that this is the grade in which the strong writers emerge with tons of creative thinking and wonderful ideas for their writing and this is where the weaker writers will really struggle because of all the writing expectations of upper elementary as they prepare for middle school.
Sometimes we need to use some writing resources to help supplement the curriculum to meet the needs of our writers who need extra help.
Enter the perfect resource below…
5th Grade Writing Worksheets for Paragraph Writing
In order to help upper elementary students write an amazing paragraph, we created a special paragraph writing resource that has everything you need to help students in upper elementary understand how to write a great paragraph.
You can stop stressing over lessons for your struggling writers and help guide them in an effective way with the Paragraph Writing Differentiated Bundle!
Using the activities in this bundle will help keep students engaged and provide true clarity on the essentials of writing a paragraph. It’s full of differentiation and interactive activities for your 5th graders.
We are talking checklists, review sheets, leveled topics and activities, graphic organizers, high-interest texts, reference sheets, anchor charts, teaching posters, complete answer keys and more!
This resource is explicitly broken up into teaching the foundation parts of a paragraph:
- topic sentence
- supporting details
- concluding sentence
- transition words
After using this resource, your students will be experts at identifying and understanding the parts of a paragraph with less support from you!
How to Use the 5th Grade Writing Worksheets for Paragraphs
We recommend using the worksheets and teaching lessons in a variety of ways, depending on your student’s needs. These writing worksheets can be used for individual, small group, or whole group instruction.
They are differentiated to easily meet the needs of your students’ different writing abilities and are available to use digitally on the Smartboard through Google Slides or you can print if you want.
They are perfect for the general education classroom, special education classroom, speech and language and ESL learners. This Paragraph Writing Bundle is also perfect for students in 3rd-6th grade.
FREE 5th Grade Paragraph Writing Worksheets
Use this Paragraph Writing Freebie to have students check their writing for the important parts.
The FREE checklist has students make sure that their paragraph includes a topic sentence , 3 supporting details , and a concluding sentence .
We suggest you laminate these or throw them in a page protector and have 5th graders keep them at their desk for the year to re-use over and over again.
This FREEBIE for 5th grade writing also comes with differentiated options for a graphic organizer. We like to teach students that writing a paragraph is much like building a cheeseburger and our free graphic organizer is a great visual example of that:
Last but note least, this 5th grade writing freebie comes with writing paper for your students to use and write their rough draft on!
More Resources for Paragraph Writing in 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade:
Remember, patience and consistent encouragement can work wonders with fifth graders who struggle with paragraph writing. Keep providing examples, practice opportunities and supportive feedback to help them gain confidence and improve their skills over time.
Every step forward counts!
Check out some other paragraph writing resources you might like:
- Free Video for Kids on How to Write a Paragraph
- Teaching Supporting Details in 5 Easy Steps
- 3 Steps for Teaching Topic Sentence
Excuse our digital dust! We’re busy renovating this website to make it even more fabulous. Stay tuned!
- Read more about: Paragraph Writing , Writing
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Examples of Descriptive Writing Using the 5 Senses
What is Descriptive Writing?
Descriptive writing uses details and the five senses to describe a person, place, thing, or event. Proper word choice and the use of adjectives are very important for the reader to create a picture in their mind. Similes and onomatopoeia (sound words) are some other examples of descriptive writing.
Basic Sentence: The leaf fell off the tree.
Detailed Sentence: The yellow leaf fell off the big tree.
Descriptive Writing: SWOOSH! The smooth yellow leaf floated down from the enormous oak tree.
Using the 5 Senses
Using the five senses is one of the best ways to incorporate descriptive writing. Describing sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch will enable the reader to envision the words and better understand the writing. Although it may be difficult to use all five senses, even just using a few will enhance the reader’s experience.
Grab your FREE 5 Senses Charts!
It’s fun to choose one topic and describe it in depth. Look at the list below for some examples of descriptive writing ideas for kids to try.
- Food – pumpkin pie, ice cream, hot chocolate
- Animal – dog, bird, elephant
- Season – winter, spring, summer, fall
- Holiday – Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas
- Place – zoo, island, school
- Event – birthday, parade, sporting event
Winter by Mrs. Sutton
Cold harsh wind engulfs me like a tornado.
White fluffy snow falls from the sky.
WHOOSH! The sound of the sled as it races past.
The smell of logs burning in the fireplace.
Sweet hot cocoa hits my tongue.
Autumn is Here by Mrs. Sutton
Bright vibrant red and yellow leaves.
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
Cool crisp air surrounds me.
The sweet smell of pumpkin pie as the warmth enters my mouth.
Mentor Texts
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Angela Sutton
Related posts.
Informational Writing: Teaching All About Books
4 Types of Sentences: Definitions, Examples, and Fun Activities
Types of Poems for Kids to Read and Write
Hi Angela, This article was really helpful for me. Thank you so much for the best resources given.
I’m so glad this information was useful and helpful. I really appreciate your feedback!
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Writing a Descriptive Paragraph (Gr. 5)
Must-have graphic organizer for middle-school writing lessons!
Scott Foresman, an imprint of Pearson
Featured 5th grade resources.
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Reading Foundation
Reading informational text, reading literature, speaking and listening, vocabulary development, ccss ela standards, ccss math standards, grade 5 descriptive writing worksheets.
Enhance descriptive writing skills in elementary students with our collection of prompts and graphic organizers. These interactive worksheets guide children in crafting vivid and detailed descriptions, fostering creativity and language development in an engaging and printable format.
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