Sensory Detail Builder

This descriptive writing worksheet helps students strengthen show-don’t-tell skills by revising flat, telling sentences with sensory details. Students are prompted to add clues related to sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch that clarify what is happening and deepen the mood of the scene. Each revision encourages learners to think about how a character experiences a moment through the senses.

By transforming simple statements into vivid descriptions, students learn how imagery makes writing more engaging and meaningful.

Learning Goals

• Sensory Detail Integration
  Incorporate sensory information to enrich writing.
• Descriptive & Vivid Writing
  Use specific imagery to create clearer mental pictures.
• Showing vs. Telling Application
  Replace general statements with sensory-based evidence.
• Scene Development Using Imagery
  Strengthen mood and setting through sensory clues.

Instructional Benefits

• Builds Immersive Writing Skills
  Helps students draw readers into a scene.
• Encourages Intentional Word Choice
  Promotes precise nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
• Supports Revision Practice
  Focuses on improving existing sentences through detail.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for narrative writing units, mini-lessons, writing workshops, or enrichment activities.

The Sensory Detail Builder worksheet helps students move beyond basic descriptions to writing that appeals to the senses. By practicing how to add sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, learners gain essential tools for crafting vivid, engaging narratives and scenes.

This worksheet is part of our Show, Don’t Tell Techniques Worksheets collection.