To Teachers

To teachers who may be sharing this blog with their students (but also good for anyone)-
Sometimes, in my writing and my teaching, I expect my audience to accept that I know what I'm talking about.  I forget that credible research sources and supportive background information is important to qualify my goals, statements, and opinions.  I am used to presenting waves of humorous pontification to young impressionable students, who are sometimes unsure whether I am pulling their leg or not.  I would often leave out important sources. [how my students ever learned anything from me is a puzzle]. So when I used the term "descriptive writing" in this blog, I forgot that I presented a full lesson to my students, complete with resources, defining what I was asking them to do.  In turn, I assumed the teachers would understand exactly what I was trying to achieve without offering a clue.  So, here is a good resource to get you started  http://writingaboutart.org/  The book, Writing About Art, was written by Marjorie Munsterberg.  The late Myra Plumridge (former Springfield art teacher) had introduced me to this book before I started grad school.  The preface alone will be enough to identify some writing goals for students, but I would use the "Visual Description" section.  I find that is one of the weakest areas for students, as it takes a lot of effort and thinking to describe things well.