Description Games

You have learned so much about descriptions: being specific, using detail tools, answering who-what-where, picturing it first, finding the sweet spot, checking your work, and practicing with a partner. Now it is time to put it all together and have some fun! This lesson is a game room full of description puzzles and challenges. Work through them one by one and see how sharp your description skills have become.

Game 1: Fix the Prompt

Here are three broken prompts — prompts that are too vague to give a good result. Your job is to read each one and think about what you would add to fix it. Broken: 'Write a story.' Fix strategy: Add who the story is about, what happens, and where it takes place. Also add a feeling word. Broken: 'Make a picture of an animal.' Fix strategy: Name the animal. Add its color and size. Say what it is doing and where. Broken: 'Give me a poem.' Fix strategy: Say what the poem is about. Say how long it should be. Add a mood — should it be silly, calm, or exciting? The skill of spotting what is missing is just as important as knowing what to add.

Game 2: Odd One Out

Below are groups of three descriptions. In each group, two descriptions are specific and one is vague. Can you spot the vague one? Group A: 1. A giant purple squid swimming past a sunken ship 2. An animal in the water 3. A tiny silver fish jumping over a red coral reef Group B: 1. Something in the kitchen 2. A blue ceramic mug with a chipped handle sitting on a wooden table 3. A round yellow clock on a white tiled wall showing 7:15 Group C: 1. A boy with freckles riding a green bicycle down a steep hill 2. A girl in a yellow raincoat splashing through a puddle on a city sidewalk 3. A kid doing stuff outside Answers: Group A — number 2. Group B — number 1. Group C — number 3.

Game 3: Description Speed Round See how quickly you can write a specific description for each of these topics. Set a one-minute timer for each one. Write without stopping. Topic 1: Your favorite food Topic 2: The last dream you remember Topic 3: A place you would love to visit Topic 4: A made-up creature After each one, re-read and circle the best detail you used. Then ask: what one detail could I still add?