Creative Writing Workshop: The Five Senses

For a creative writing workshop on the five senses, I wanted to focus on how using our senses as writers can help with our descriptive writing. This was a program for ages 8 to 12. 

I had a Power Point to present what the five senses are and it showed examples of excellent descriptive writing taken from children books and examples that we as a group could write about and share. 

I also had worksheets available that went along with the Power Point examples so everyone would have a spot to write their descriptive writing and follow along.

Some of the examples were a busy city street, a beach, a carnival, old socks, cupcakes, and a rainstorm. Going over each of the fives senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, brief descriptions of the examples would be made. Pictures, objects, and sound clips were provided during the writing activity. 

I also pulled aside some other examples in case we needed more objects/scenarios to practice our writing and planned on using cupcakes and tangerines for our taste senses.  

The books I used for descriptive writing examples varied from picture books to chapter books, but the point was to show how different levels of writing still need descriptors and that a good description is a thorough description that takes you there and utilizes your imagination.

Below is a list of the books I've used for examples.
Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper
Carnival Magic by Amy Ephron
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena
Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea by Lynne Rae Perkins
A Family of Poems compiled by Caroline Kennedy (Ode to Socks poem)