Descriptive Food Paragraph 24112f

Descriptive Food Paragraph Look at the example paragraph below about a lemon. Can you find the introduction and conclusion sentence? Can you find all five of the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)? Can you tell why the writer put the senses in the order she did? Can you tell how the writer feels about this food? My mother gave me a lemon last summer. Its yellow surface was bright and sunshiny. It was shaped almost round, but was slightly pointed at each end. Its size was almost as big as a baseball. As I sliced into it, I heard the knife make sharp cutting noises and heard the juice spurt out. I put it to my lips, and the cold wet liquid made me pucker up. My cheeks were drawn together with its bitterness. Its tart and tangy smell almost made my eyes water. As I tasted it, I was sure I had never tasted anything more sour in my entire life. I made up my mind right then and there never to eat another lemon unless it was sugared and in lemonade.

Now it’s your turn! Choose a food you either love or hate, and write a descriptive paragraph. As you write, follow these guidelines: 1. Frame your paragraph with an introduction sentence at the beginning and a conclusion sentence at the end. The introduction should “set the stage” (where and when you ate the food), and the conclusion should give your feeling about the food. 2. Be sure to use all five senses listed above. The senses should be organized in the sequence you would experience them when really eating the food. 3. Use especially descriptive words, and show your feelings about the food through your choice of words. A word’s definition is its literal meaning, but a word’s “feel” is its gradient meaning (for example – thin, or slender, or skinny, or anorexic?). Use the gradient meaning that will show whether you love or hate the food. 4. Use at least one simile or metaphor in your description. For example: a. Simile: The orange was as round as a basketball. b. Metaphor: The apple was October crunching in my mouth. 5. Edit carefully for the following: complete sentences (no fragments or run-ons), spelling, capitalization, end punctuation, commas, subjectverb agreement, and possessives.

Rubric: Descriptive Food Paragraph

Title Organization

Sequence Flow

Five Senses Word Choice Literal/Gradient Meanings

Simile/Metaphor

Conventions

Quality Work

Mouth-Watering 5 pts. Writer has a creative title. Writer has both an introduction and conclusion sentence. All sentences fall in a logical order. Paragraph is told like a story and is easy to read. All five senses are used. Words are especially descriptive. The writer uses gradient meanings well; the word choice effectively shows the writer’s feelings about the food. The writer uses at least one simile or metaphor, and it is creative and effective. The writer has edited for spelling, capitalization, end punctuation, commas, subject/ verb agreement, and possessives. There are fewer than five errors. The writer follows all guidelines for quality work.

Tasty 3 pts. Writer has a title, but it is ordinary. Writer is missing either an introduction or a conclusion sentence. Most sentences fall in a logical order. Paragraph is written like a list.

A Little Bland 1 pt. Writer has no title.

One or two senses are missing. Words are somewhat descriptive. The writer uses some gradient meanings; the word choice makes it fairly clear how the writer feels about the food. The writer uses as least one simile or metaphor, but it is ordinary.

More than two senses are missing. Words are ordinary.

There are six to ten errors in conventions.

There are more than ten errors in conventions.

The writer follows most guidelines for quality work.

The writer follows few guidelines for quality work.

Writer is missing both an introduction and a conclusion sentence. Paragraph is in no logical order. Paragraph is hard to follow.

The word choice is literal only and does not make it clear how the writer feels about the food.

The writer does not use a simile or metaphor.