Imagery and Sensory Details

Do Now Name a place that is important to

you. Write down the place and 3 adjectives that describes this place. Ex: Your favorite hang out spot, sports field, your home etc.

Imagery

Imagery gives language its forcefulness!

The Nature of ImageryImagery

makes our senses

come alive when we

read!

An image is a single word or

phrase that appeals to one of our senses.

Imagery as the Great “Helper”:

•When we read, imagery can help us

see color or motion!

•It can also help us hear sound

•Smell an odor

•Feel a texture or temperature

•Taste a sweet, sour, or salty flavor

For Review:

Metaphor: Language that makes a comparison of unlike objects

Simile: compares things using “as” or “like”

Personification: gives human qualities to non-humans

Imagery is descriptive language…

and often incorporates metaphors, similes and personification.

Imagery is a part of a

writer’s style.

Imagery is a key

component to how

interested the reader will

likely be while they read!

Imagery shows the

reader rather than tells

the reader what is

occurring in the writing.

Good writing uses

imagery to enhance

the connection

to the reader!

Authors and Imagery

An image can be so fresh, so powerful that

it can speak to our deepest feelings.

An image can be crafted so that it makes

us feel joy, grief, wonder, horror, or even

love.

As humans, we crave

connection!

How Readers Connect to Imagery

Sensory Details

Sensory details are those descriptive words, phrases, or sentences that let the reader see, smell, taste, touch, or hear something.

.

Descriptive, Sensory Details:

The irresistible aroma wrapped its arms around the woman when she opened the oven.

Descriptive, Sensory Details:

The rainbow of colors flashing from the dress made it impossible to ignore.

Descriptive, Sensory Details:

The chiropractor pushed forcefully down on my spine and I could hear a car crash of bone scraping bone inside of my back.

Descriptive, Sensory Details:

When Henry’s hand was caught in the car door a thousand needles rampaged their way through every nerve in his body.

Descriptive, Sensory Details:

When I took a bite of the steak the rich juices, savory spices, and succulent taste overwhelmed me.

Example: "And then I see her, the blood drained from her face, hands clenched in fists at her sides, walking with stiff, small steps up toward the stage, passing me, and I see the back of her blouse has become untucked and hanges out over her skirt."

-- From "The Hunger Games", Chapter 2, Pg. 21 - 22.

Example: "Birds are settling down for the night, singing lullabies to their young. Night creatures emerge. An owl hoots. The faint scent of a skunk cuts through the smoke. The eyes of some animal peer at me from the neighboring tree - a possum maybe - catching the firelight from the Careers' torches."

-- From "The Hunger Games", Chapter 13, Pg. 183.

Sight Hear Smell Taste Feel

Activity

Instructions: Get into groups of 2 or 3 students. Once you are in your groups choose one of the places that you wrote down in your journal entries. You will work together to write 4-5 sentences describing that setting. You are to use vivid imagery and color words like John Steinbeck did in the beginning of the novel. Your goal is to use words to create a picture in the mind of the reader. After you create the 4-5 sentences, you will use the provided markers to write down your sentences and create a picture from the words that you wrote. You will present your poster.