Collecting Mind Pictures
and Sensory
Observations
There are five senses:
sight, sound, smell, taste,
and touch.
Let’s look at an example. Jessica, a sixth-grader, took a walk
outside and wrote this in her writer’s notebook:
Kids playing jump rope
Sun shining so bright
Cars and trucks zooming around
Kids talking
Good music
Blue and white clouds
Wires
The news on the radio
Big saw
Broken basketball ring
Closed market
Seeing heat waves
Baby roses
Kids playing jump rope
Sun shining so bright
Cars and trucks zooming around
As you read this, notice which Kids talking
senses she used. Good music
Blue and white clouds
Wires
The news on the radio
Big saw
Broken basketball ring
Closed market
Seeing heat waves
Baby roses
You can try this, too.
Your notebook is a
terrific place to capture
“mind pictures” of
what’s around you.
I’m calling it a mind
picture, because, when
you write like this, you’re
capturing a snapshot or
photograph of your
world.
Feel free to add a
drawing or sketch if you
think that would enhance
the mind picture you are
trying to create.
You don’t have to go to
some faraway place to
find ideas to write about.
If you get in the habit of
observing, you’ll find that
there are plenty of things
close by:
Your grandmother’s aged hands
The disgusting way your baby sister mashes up
her dinner in the high chair
The scratchy feel of your father’s face when he
gives you a goodnight kiss
The laughter of your next door neighbor
The “crack” of the bat when it hits the baseball
The chirping birds outside your window
The taste of your mother’s chocolate chip
cookies.
As a writer you should do
two things:
First,
notice things
second,
get in the habit of
writing them
down
Remember, learning to
observe is valuable tool
not only for a poet, a
scientist, or a newspaper
reporter- it is a valuable
tool for everyone!
Learning to observe is an
important life skill. It
helps you be alive to the
world around you and
value your experience of
the world.`
QUESTIONS
Which senses did you use when you wrote
your sensory observations
What other details could you add involving the
senses (for example smell or touch) you
haven’t used yet?