Smiley-Face Tricks

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Smiley-Face Tricks
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Writers engage readers by

• Specific Details for Effect
• Sensory Images --details
• Instead of general, vague descriptions, specific
  sensory details help the reader see, hear,
  smell, taste, feel the person, place, thing, or
  idea.
• My boyfriend sits in the second row from the
  left, third seat, in front of Claudia and behind
  Mark.

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Senses feel/touch, smell, sight, hear, taste

• As I slide on the water, I feel the
  splashes of water hitting my knee. When I slow
  down, the fresh saltwater fumes up into my nose.
  As I continue to slide through the sand, I see
  the sand crabs frantically dodging my board and
  hear complaining kids saying to their moms, I
  dont want to put suntan lotion on I smile at
  my mom, who is happily enjoying her book. I
  yell, Hey, Mom! and forget that Im on the
  board and wipe out!
• (Alex, sixth grader feel, smell, sight, hear)

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Specific Details - Strong Words

• Strong Words
• Chameleons that were sunbathing under chairs
  scatter around my feet.

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Writers engage readers by

• Figurative Language
• Non-literal comparisons such as similes,
  idioms, metaphors, and personification adding
  spice to writing and helping paint a more
  vivid picture for the reader.

connect with the reader
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Figurative Language

• The old car coughed down the busy highway,
  leaving the driver in despair.
• I could hear the metal edges of the snowboards
  and skis slice through the snow like a hot knife
  through butter.(Gregg, sixth grader)
• Her smile was the sun, beaming down on me.
• It was raining cats and dogs.

personification
simile
metaphor
idiom
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Writers engage readers by

• Full Circle
• Sometimes writers need a special ending, one that
  effectively wraps up the piece. One trick is
  to repeat a phrase from the beginning of the
  piece at the end.

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Full Circle

• Do I seem mad to you? Im not mad!
  Im furious! Blah, blah, blah, blah. But do I
  seem mad? Im not mad! Im furious!

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Writers engage readers by

• Magic 3
• Three examples in a series can create a poetic
  rhythm or at least add support for a point,
  especially when the three items have their own
  modifiers. (compound predicates)

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Magic 3

• Freddie wanted to make a wish too! After his
  owner threw in a penny, he let Freddie throw in
  one too. Freddie tightly closed his blue eyes,
  gently tossed in the shiny coin, and quietly
  made a wish for his freedom..
  

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Writers engage readers by

• Hyphenated Adjective
• Sometimes a new way of saying something can make
  all the difference hyphenated adjectives often
  cause the reader to sit- up-and-take-notice.
  They are located immediately in front of the
• noun.

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Hyphenated Adjective

• Mrs. Dursley pretended she didnt have a sister
  because her sister and her good-for-nothing
  husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible
  to be.
  (J.K.
  Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone,
  pg. 2)
• Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall in
  states of deepest gloom, Hermione behind them,
  wearing a well-you-did-break-the-school-rules
  sort of expression.
  (J.K. Rowling,
  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, pg. 119)
• More examples Im-better-than-you-and-I-know-it
  not-so-good Mr.-Know-It-All all-that-and-more
  yet-to-be-discovered
• Can you think of any?

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Writers engage readers by

• Expanding the Moment
• Instead of speeding past the moment, writers
  often emphasize it by expanding the actions.
• I sat down, crossed my legs, flipped my hair away
  from my face, and began to write.

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Writers engage readers by

• Repetition
• Writers often repeat specially chosen words or
  phrases to make a point, to stress certain ideas
  for the reader.

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Repetition

• The rivers edge is my only shelter away from the
  sister in bed asleep, away from the brother that
  plays in the tree house in the field, and away
  from my chores that await me!

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Writers engage readers by

• Humor
• Professional writers know the value of laughter
  even subtle humor can help turn a boring paper
  into one that can raise someones spirits.

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Humor

• A story about Freddie, who wished to be an ant
• My times almost up, thought Freddie to himself.
  This isnt fair. Cinderella got until midnight!
  (Brenna, sixth grader)
• I heard thump, thump, thump. As I woke up in the
  middle of Christmas night,I crept down the stairs
  and sawSanta Claus crouched down putting
  presents under the tree. Rip. Oh, no. His pants
  ripped, and I saw it all!
  (Chase, sixth grader)