Writing a Descriptive Essay
Online Learning Materials
Academic Session-2077
Grade:10
English
Unit 4
Reporting Commands
Day 14
Writing Task: A
Lesson: 14 Time: 50 Minutes
Full Marks: 14 Pass Mark: 6
Please note that all the tasks and items prepared below are authentic materials and will be used as they are in your terminal, Pre SEE, and SEE Preparation Examinations. You are therefore required to sincerely complete these tasks on a daily basis. Parents are kindly advised to be observant and with their children monitoring and supervising their studies and most of these contents contain a number of materials on the internet, especially YouTube. Just make sure that they do not get digitally distracted.
Scene Setting: Study this sample paragraph and the essay and watch the video on the link provided below and create your own text as instructed below.
Descriptive Paragraph
The National Museum of Nepal (Rashtriya Sangrahalaya) is a popular attraction of the capital city, Kathmandu. About a century old, the museum stands as a tourist destination and a historical symbol for Nepal. Being the largest museum in Nepal, it plays an important role in nationwide archaeological works and the development of museums. For the residents of Kathmandu, the monument serves to relive the battles fought on the grounds of Nepal. The main attractions are a collection of historical artworks (sculpture and paintings) and a historical display of weapons used in the wars in the 18-19th century. The museum has separate galleries dedicated to statues, paintings, murals, coins, and weapons. It has three buildings-Juddha Jayatia Kala Shala, Buddha Art Gallery, and the main building which consists of a natural historical section (collection of species of animals, butterflies, and plants), cultural section, and philatelic section.(140 words) (Source: CDC, GON)
My Favourite Place
Richmond Beach was my spiritual hangout in my childhood. It is a rocky beach in the city of Richmond Beach, which can be accessed by a long downhill drive (by car or bicycle) from the city of Edmonds. Or, as I did often, took the 30-minute walk from my house to the calm waters through a tranquil stroll through the woods of Woodway. It used to be a place inhabited by Native Americans, but now it is occupied by mostly Caucasian people. However, a totem pole stands in tribute to the tribes that used to call the beach home. It has a vast property, with a beach, a playground, two upper lawns for the view and recreation, myriad “secret” trails along the clay hillsides, picnic areas, and a square where people can walk around, take an outdoor rinse-shower after a swim, and benches for the spectacular view.
With the sagebrush, chattering birds, train tracks, the croak of frogs, wind, herons, various shells, a cave along the beach, and a fantastic view of the Olympic Mountains, Richmond Beach is at once ordinary and extraordinary. Being there brings you into another state, in which you want to introspect, be calm and be positive.
In high school, I was not a very social person. I did not have so many friends, and I did not feel like I belonged in a group most of the time. But when I went to Richmond Beach, these worries were left behind. It seemed like a mystical place to me, and in a way, it still does.
I would walk to various places on the beach: a secret cave in the clay hills on the left, the train tracks that lead all the way from Seattle to Chicago, the mass of sagebrush where the melody of birds made for a serene scene, and of course the beach itself, which was scattered with shells, tide pools, crabs, seals, driftwood, remnants of parties, and more.
The passing trains always attracted me there as well. My first word was “choo-choo,” since the first three years of my life were near a train station in the Greenlake area of Seattle. So, I had a calling towards trains since my birth. Walking the tracks, I would meet interesting people, learn to know when trains were coming through the vibration and singing of the rails, and would be immersed in a world with a forest on one side and the Puget Sound and the other. This combination of forest and ocean was enchanting and captured my imagination.
I wrote many poems about this place, and have been continually inspired by the atmosphere there. In fact, my poetry has developed largely at Richmond Beach. Nowhere else have I written so many poems—except perhaps on public transport. I started writing lyrical and narrative poetry around 11 years of age, and have continued since. For the past few years, I have been writing almost exclusively haiku. A lot of my haiku is inspired by the nature of Richmond Beach, how I relate to it spiritually, and by the people who used to occupy that land—as I feel a special connection with Native Americans.
It seems that Richmond Beach is one of those places that no matter how bad you feel, you will leave feeling soothed and renewed. It is like therapy just to walk around, feel the ionic breeze of the Puget Sound, smell the seaweed and moisture, hear the variety of birds singing, listen to the crashing of moderate waves, witness the sailboats and other boats on the water, take in the Olympic mountains in all their glory, see people enjoying themselves on the beach, the whistle and trucking of a distant train, and feel the sand on the soles of your feet, melding into each other with each step. It is a whole therapeutic package.
It will be hard to ever forget Richmond Beach. It is now intertwined in my poetry, childhood, spiritual life, family life, romantic memories, and even the passing of my father, whose ashes were spread there. So, whenever I visit Richmond Beach, all of these elements rest in my mind and soul. There are other places that stir my imagination and supply me with sentimental rushes, but Richmond Beach is at the top of my list. (719 Words)
(Credit Source: https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/descriptive/my-favorite-place.html)
Go through the given structure before you attempt the task below.
5. Further Understanding
1. Thesis statement:
• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself.
• is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. the rest of the writing, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
2. Topic sentence:
• the main idea of each paragraph.
• contains the focus of the paragraph and tells readers what the paragraph is going to be about.
• usually located at the beginning of each paragraph.
3. Concluding remarks:
• restate the main argument.
• remind the reader of the strengths of the argument.
• reiterate the most important evidence supporting the argument.
• provide a forum for you to persuasively and succinctly restate your thesis given the reader has now been presented with all the information about the topic.
Task I. Brainstorm and describe an unforgettable event that you have witnessed at some point in time in a paragraph in about 100 words. [6]
Task II. Brainstorm and describe a place you have visited recently. Include as many details of the place as you remember. [8]
Some Useful Links
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZXn0TbJrlw [<6minutes]<7 minutes="" o:p="">
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRmeNGr5Mjc [ < 3 minutes]
Note: Please use a separate Notebook for all your tasks or A4 size paper well-maintained in a portfolio/file in the same order for submission and evaluation later.
The End
Compiled, Edited and Prepared by Jaya Narayan Bhusal
Department of English
