Things You'll Need:
- Overhead projector
- Overhead pictures of various scenes
- Pencil
- Paper
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Step 1
Explain the five senses to the students. The five senses include sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Have the students make a quick list of the classroom using all the five senses.
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Step 2
Define imagery. Imagery is the description of places and objects using sensory detail. High school students are taught over and over again to use specific and concrete detail when writing an essay. Sensory detail (imagery) is just another word for specific and concrete.
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Step 3
Go for a walk. Now that the students understand what imagery is, take them outside for a walk. Tell them to engage all five senses as they are walking. They should have a pen and paper with them so they can jot down what they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.
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Step 4
Show the students images and have them use their five senses to describe the image. Scenes of places work the best. Place on the overhead a picture of a hut on the beach, for example. Tell the students to place themselves in the picture. Tell them to walk around the hut, look at the sky, close their eyes and listen to the sounds. This is basically a form of guided imagery, with the teacher as the guide.
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Step 5
Write a poem. After viewing images on the overhead, have the students write a five-line poem. Write on the board, "I see," "I hear, "I smell," "I taste," and "I feel." Students should fill in each sentence with a sensory image. Each sentence becomes a line of the poem. When they finish, have them remove the first two words of the sentence that you provided. They will be left with a poem.
