A Night to Remember

Introduction

Bridgit has recently been released from the tight and overbearing grip of her parents. She has finally convinced them that since she's 12 years old now she should be allowed to do things that the other young people in her area do. Go to parties, see movies, have sleepovers, and just hang out with each other. Bridgit is so excited to be able to finally start her life. As her closest friend, you support her and want her to start getting out there and seeing what the world has to offer.

Task

Your school's annual Winter Formal dance is coming up, everyone's very excited, everyone except for Bridgit. She's kind of nervous about going, seeing that she's never been to one before. Your job as her best friend and social guide is to describe what the Winter Formal dance is going to be like. Remember, she's never been to any kind of dance or party before so you must be very careful and descriptive with your words. Your task is to summarize what the evening will most likely be like as accurately as possible.

Process

Step 1: Brainstorm

  • Think of what you want to say to your friend, you can draw from your own experience or combine several other people's experiences. You could give her a hypothetical description or a specific and true story from a primary source. Just remember to find a story and stick to it, and remember, the point is to make her feel like as if she were there!

Step 2: Make it interesting!

  •  This is where all of your hard work that went into learning figurative language and imagery finally gets to pay off! Don't forget our word painting techniques that we learned!
    • Personification: When things that do not usually have human qualities are described as having them.
      • ex: "a ferocious downpour of rain"
    • Metaphor: Used to describe something by comparing it to something else - without using like or as.
      • ex: "the lake was a glass mirror:
    • Simile: Used to describe something by comparing it to something else - using like or as.
      • ex: "It looked as racy as a NASCAR track"
    • Onomatopeia: A word that signifies a certain sound
      • ex: "Snap!" "Crackle!" "Pop!"
    • Hyperbole: An exaggeration emphasizing the weight of a situation.
      • ex: "The gym looked as wide as the Grand Canyon!"
      • Note: (Be careful if you plan on using a hyperbole in your assignment, you don't want your friend to think you're lying to her!

Step 3: Compose a message

  • Because the details of the dance are too much to just say out loud, you've decided to just send our friend a long text instead, because you're such a good dedicated friend. Before you hit that send button make sure you've said everything that you've wanted to say, double check for typos, (don't let autocorrect get to you!) Then you can send that text and fill your friend in on everything she's been missing out on.
Evaluation

I will be evaluating you on your writing skills. That includes writing conventions such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. What I am looking for in particular is your hopefully correct, effective, and accurate use of figurative language to create imagery in your writing. Make sure you are looking over your rubric and checking in with your teacher to make sure that you are writing to class standards.

Conclusion

Thank you for helping Bridgit start living her life to the fullest! Hopefully, when she goes to the dance she can know exactly what to expect based off of your description. 

This is just one example of why being descriptive is so important to writing almost anything, yes, even your grocery list. You can help out a friend who might otherwise not know what to expect in an unfamiliar situation. 

Credits

Resources to Use: