Describing a setting - Waterfall

Describing a

We have been learning about descriptive language.  

To help us to consider how to best describe a setting, 

we first used a setting that we are familiar with - a waterfall.

We used our senses to begin gathering the descriptive language we might use.

Hear, Smell, See, Feel, Taste...

We then created a descriptive paragraph using these ideas.

Ada decided that she was going to write about what her senses would notice in the order above as that is the order that her senses would recognise those things if she were walking towards a waterfall in a forest herself.

Here are some of our examples...

You can hear water gurgling.  As you get closer the smell of mud goes up your nostrils and when you get there the water is flat and sparkling and smooth like glass.
If you stood under the water you would feel the water and sometimes you could feel little rocks tumbling down onto your shoulders.
The water tastes fresh.
- Conner

Do you think when you are beside a waterfall that it is silent?  Well, it’s not.  
You hear water crashing against rocks.  You hear water falling and big splashing noises.  The splashing noises are from water crashing against more water.  You also hear birds singing a lot, its sounds nice. We see water falling and lots of birds flying above.  You taste muddy water, dirt and fresh water.  Smell, what do you smell?  You smell fresh water and nature.
- Kadie

When you go to a waterfall you hear crashing water.  You see lovely sparkles in the water.  When it is a sunny day you can feel water trickling through your fingers.  You can smell disgusting mud.  You can taste delicious water.
- Bradley

You can hear leaves swishing in the wind, splashing noises from when the water heavily hits the pond and birds cheeping.  You can see water falling off the cliff, a little pool of water and lots of vegetation.  You can smell the dirt, fresh water and leaves - all the vegetation.  Sometimes it can taste of dirt.  You can smell saltyish smells and you can smell a lot of nectar.  You can feel prickly bushes and icy-cold water.  You can taste dirt, salt, sticks and fresh water.
- Kat

A waterfall is a humongous part of a forest.  You can even hear it going crash, crash, crash against the rocks.  You could feel your veins getting stronger and stronger with the crashing.  You might even see the clear water.  When you see through the clear water you can see rocks through the water.  
- Reihana

(More will follow shortly...)

Setting the Scene - The Cave

After considering engaging story starters and hooking in our readers,

we moved on to describing a setting.

We discussed how we could consider our senses when describing the setting,

enabling our reader to visualize the image we wish them to see in clear detail.

The Cave

It was a dim gloomy afternoon in the cave. The sharp bumpy stalactites were hanging from the walls. I was scared that they were going to fall on me.

I rubbed my hand along the cave walls. It felt rough and cold. I quickly pulled my hand off then, all of a sudden, I heard a screeching sound. Not any human screeching!

It was bats. I was petrified of bats!

Then whoosh, a sudden brush of blackness rushed past me. Once it was gone I saw the most beautiful thing ever. The glow worms. They were so bright and twinkly they were like a colossal chandelier.

I stood there. Just stood there gazing at them for a while then, realising what I was doing, carried on and came to a little stream with little white fish in it. They were gleaming away. I decided to follow it. On and on it went for ages when suddenly it came up to a tight squeeze. I got down on my hands and knees and touched the ground. It felt slimy and sticky. I tried to lift my hand up but it was stuck! Then I saw a small flicker of a flame.

Someone was there!

- Chloe

I could hear a squeal, it wasn't a person, echoing through the cave. Bats! Bats are always squealing. I turned on my torch, thanks to the glow worms who helped me see where my torch was, and saw the bats before they suddenly came crashing against me...

- Chelsea

All I could hear were my footsteps getting louder and louder. I saw glow worms twinkling their way up the golden, damp clay wall. I got shivers going down my spine. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a splash.

"Ahhh, hello?" I said, but it just echoed around the cave.

Then all of a sudden I heard "beak, beak," and a big bat just flew right over top of me. But when it was a meter away from me it turned around.

"Oh, no," I said to myself.

It charged like a rocket, so I quickly ducked and ran...

- Grace

I look inside the cave. It looks like there are monsters inside it because of the shape of the rocks.

I run my hands against the wall.

"Aww!" My hand hit a little sharp spike...

- Kurtis

As I walked into the massive cave it suddenly felt cold. It got darker and darker until it was pitch black. Then I suddenly saw bright glow worms shining up some sharp stalagmites and stalactites. They were my only way of getting around. The walls were damp and I could hear dripping. I thought it must be water.

The glow worms were gone but I could tell that the walls were getting more narrow. I could hear my footsteps and I had a feeling I wasn't alone. I could hear bats flapping their wings and rats scurrying around. The cave stunk of dead animals.

By now I was completely lost. There was a musty, sour taste in the air. The ground was really mushy and slippery and I wasn't sure if it was mud or sea creatures.

Finally, I found somewhere to sleep but you guessed it, I couldn't sleep. I tried to find a comfortable rock but they were too mossy...

- Lachlan

In a massive cave of darkness and foul unbathed rats, of mustiness, dampness, moldiness and fungus stabbed by staligmites (spikes coming up from the floor) you can see tiny specks of light called glowworms. They light your way deeper and deeper into the cave. Things you hear are amplified, like your footsteps and the flapping of bats wings. At the end there are rubies that glow blood-red in the shape of a mouth.

Suddenly it's hard to breathe. I taste sourness. I turn. The glowworm's lights go out and it's pitch black . I hear something to the left. I walk there and see a bold light of water pouring to a bottomless pit. I am relieved there is no more darkness...

- Jason

The walls were damp and mossy. I licked my hand, it tasted sour and salty put together. I could hear the whistle from the wind. I felt scared and unprotected.

As I walked more into the cave the air became heavier, so I had to take big breaths. It also became blacker, so black that I couldn't see my hand that was probably only 1cm in front of my face! The only thing I could see were glow worms. They shone bright greeny-yellow.

"Aaahh, aahh, aah, ah. Wow, wow, wow, wow!" My echo went.

The earthy smell came up around me...

- Cerianne

"Woah, a cave."

I go on in it. It looks black and scary. I cannot see my own hands and feet. I have to find my way around by putting my hand out in front of me...

- James