11 Plus Exams Forum

Can anyone help please? Ds has been asked to write a descriptive piece - he is a space explorer and must include suspense, excitement, setting details, what they see and hear, what happens. I have advised him that this is a mini story but he seems to think a descriptive piece is different. Is it?

A descriptive piece has no plot. It is not a story. It is a setting description like a Winter's day or Spring by the River. It is often about the Weather or perhaps describing a picture.

You don't usually do what happens in a descriptive piece. DG

Thanks DAO, the question asks that the child includes what happens, suspense, character feelings etc - I think this is why we are getting confused.

Hi grgygirl,
In my child's school, they call it 'freeze frame' when you 'freeze' your character at a particular place in a story and describe what he sees/feels/thinks/does only at that particular moment, reflecting on what's happening around them (setting). HTH

I used to say to my boys that when writing a descriptive piece, to use the freeze frame and to try and use all the senses...what do you see, hear, smell, touch, taste? (Using touch in the sense of what do you "feel", emotionally?) It seems to help!

Many thanks for replying - the 'freeze' method makes a lot more sense!

You can get her to jot down ideas, before she starts writing, doesn't take long and helps her organise her thoughts
She could draw circles

I hear
I feel
I smell
I see
I feel like
etc..

I understand a story to have a problem and a resolution. A description would be describing using all senses and describing thoughts and feelings.

mumtries wrote:I understand a story to have a problem and a resolution. A description would be describing using all senses and describing thoughts and feelings.

I assume you mean 'problem' in a fairly broad sense?