Strategy: Adding Sensory Details Book Title: Who Likes the Rain?

Author: Etta Kaner Grade Level: 1-3 Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3: Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b: Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. Summary: This nonfiction picture book depicts a young boy jumping in puddles and enjoying the rain. The look, smell, sight, and feel of the rain bring the scene to life for the reader. Although the book features repeated phrases, opening the flaps reveals a significant amount of interesting information about the science of rain, which is appropriate for older students if time allows (grades 2 and above). Goals: The students will identify descriptive words that are sensory details. I can write one word about my topic for each of the five senses. The students will use sensory words to add detail to personal writing. I can use the five senses to add at least two interesting details to my writing. Anticipatory Set: Ask the students to meet on the rug and explain that students will practice adding interesting details to their writing. Tell students that they will listen to a story about rain entitled Who Likes the Rain? by Etta Kaner. Ask students to close their eyes and form a picture in their mind about what they hear. Remind students to think about what rain feels like, looks like, tastes like, smells like, and sounds like. Input: Task Analysis: After reading, ask students to turn and talk to their elbow partner and share what they pictured in their minds. Students will share out about what they pictured about the rain. 1

Explain that authors use interesting details in their writing to help readers create pictures in their minds. Remind students that they are all authors and can add interesting details to their writing to help their readers create pictures in their minds. Show students a chart with many of the words students use in their writing that are not very descriptive or interesting (i.e. good, nice, cool, fun, etc.). Tell students that Kaner does not use these words. Instead, she uses five sense words. Ask students to turn to a partner and review the five senses. Tell students to put up one finger for each sense they remember. Remind students that there are five senses (five fingers). Review the five senses with students. Reread the first few pages of Who Likes the Rain? aloud to students. Identify the sensory details. Show the book on a document camera. Example: The rain feels like a cool shower. Explain that this is a sensory detail because we know what the rain feels like. Ask students to close their eyes and imagine what standing in a cool shower might feel like. Show additional examples. Read each sentence and ask students to identify the sense used (hear, see, smell, feel, or taste) and discuss what can be heard, seen, smelled, felt, or tasted. I like the rain because sometimes I hear thunder. What does the girl hear? Close your eyes. Do you hear the thunder? I like the rain because I see lots of snails. What do you see? What picture is in your mind? I see birds fluffing their feathers in the wet grass. What does the grass feel like to you? Explain that you (the teacher) are writing a story that occurs outside on a winter day (or other seasonal/weather-related setting) and you need help adding details to your writing. It was a cold winter day in December when the snowflakes started to fall. Enough snow had finally settled on the grass to start building a snowman! I could feel the cold on my finger and nose as I began to build, but the cool weather would not keep me inside! Share the writing and ask students for their help to improve the writing. Ask students to find the sensory details already used in the story. Underline the sensory details students find and label the sense used (sight & touch/feel). It was a cold (feel) winter day in December when the snowflakes started to fall. Enough snow had finally settled on the grass (see) to start building a snowman! I could feel the cold on my finger and nose (feel) as I began to build, but the cool weather would not keep me inside! 2

Tell students you would like to include more sensory details from different senses (smell, taste, and hear). Introduce the five senses brainstorming chart. Add the details that students identified in the story to the chart. Ask students to help brainstorm more five senses words to add to the story under the categories with no details. Write the sense words in the chart. Model using the sense words to add interesting details to the sample writing. You noticed that we did not use any hearing sensory details. Lets look at the chart to see what we brainstormed about what snow sounds like. Someone suggested that snow falls silently. Lets see where we can add that detail to our writing. (Reread story.) Where could we add that detail to the story? (Listen to students suggestions.) The first sentence talks about the snow falling. We will try adding the sensory detail here: It was a cold winter day in December when the snowflakes started to fall silently to the ground. Ask students to help add two or three more sensory details to the sample writing. Explain that students can use the strategy to help their readers feel like they are a part of the story. Ask students: What questions do you have? Ask students to try the brainstorming chart to add details to their writing. Allow students to share their writing with sensory words at the end of the writing workshop.

Materials: For each student: Pencil, writers notebook, five senses chart For teacher: Who Likes the Rain? by Etta Kaner, whiteboard, marker, chart with uninteresting words, short story about winter, 1 five senses chart Modeling: Demonstrate how to identify interesting and uninteresting details. Model using the chart to record interesting details. Model how to use interesting details in writing. Guided Practice: Students will work with the teacher to brainstorm interesting details for each of the five senses. The teacher will also guide students through the process of adding the details they brainstormed to writing using a sample story. Students will be able to see how details can make their writing more interesting.

Independent Practice: Students will work independently to brainstorm their own sensory words to add to their writing. Students will then practice using these words in their own writing and will be invited to share their stories at the conclusion of the workshop. Assessment: The teacher will also observe students throughout the lesson as they discuss ideas in partnerships and share ideas with the class. Students will be asked to explain their thinking during whole class discussion and individual work time. The teacher may also review students five senses charts and writers notebooks. Text Information: Kaner, E. (2007). Who Likes the Rain? Toronto, Canada: Kids Can Press Ltd. ISBN: 9781553378419 References: Ehmann, S., & Gayer, K. (2009). I can write like that! : A guide to mentor texts and craft studies for writers' workshop, K-6 (pp. 11-12). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Retrieved from GVSU Library. Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8 (2nd ed., pp. 62). Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.