Handout Level: Topic: Duration:

Student Essay Models Primary 6

(5 Essays) Subject: English

Composition Descriptive Essays For Reference

Learning Outcome/s: 1. Examine Model Papers for Descriptive Essay as a guide in writing the same and in writing descriptions for narratives. My Mother
(Primary 4)

Do you have someone who is great, spends time with you, cares for you, and is an important person? Well, I do, and she has black hair, brown eyes, and a caring touch. Thats my mom. My mom talks to me about many things. One of the things she talks to me about is what will happen when I grow up. She tells me what to do in case of an emergency. And one day I had a really bad day with my friends, and she told me what to do about it. My mom and I spend a lot of time together. We play games, bake cookies, make necklaces, and draw doodle tricks. But our favorite thing to do is read. Our favorite book is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Mom takes me shopping at the mall. We buy toys and clothes, and we eat at the caf. We usually get Chinese food or go to a McDonalds restaurant. When we ride the escalator, my mom pretends to fall back and says, My shoestrings stuck! My mom always laughs, and when she laughs she sounds like a hyena gone crazy! She doesnt laugh every day, but when she does, its hilarious, and I have to laugh, too! My mom is the greatest. I love how she jokes around. She is always fun no matter what, and she gives me great advice. My mom is more than a mom; she is like my best friend!
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Friendship
(Primary 6)

A dictionary contains a definition of friendship somewhere in the Fs between the words fear and Friday. An encyclopedia supplies interesting facts on friendship. But all the definitions and facts do not convey what friendship is really all about. It cannot be understood through words or exaggerations. The only way to understand friendship is through experience. It is an experience that involves all the senses. Friendship can be seen. It is seen in an old couple sitting in the park holding hands. It is the way they touch, a touch as light as a leaf floating in the autumn air, a touch so strong that years of living could not pull them apart. Friendship is seen in a child freely sharing the last cookie. It is the small arm over the shoulder of another as they walk on the playground. Seeing friendship is not casual. It is watching for subtlety, but friendship is there for eyes that can see. Friendship can be heard. It is heard in the words of two friends who squeezed in lunch together on an extremely busy day. It is the way they talk to each other, not the words. Their tone is unique. Friendship can be heard by those willing to listen. Friendship is felt in a touch. It is a pat on the back from a teammate, a high five between classes, the slimy, wet kiss from the family dog. Its a touch that reassures that someone is there, someone who cares. The touch communicates more than words or gestures. It is instantly understood and speaks volumes beyond the point of contact, to the heart.

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Friendship has a taste. It tastes like homemade bread, the ingredients all measured and planned, then carefully mixed and kneaded, then the quiet waiting as the dough rises. Hot from the oven, the bread tastes more than the sum of its ingredients. There is something else there, perhaps the thoughts of the baker as her hands knead the dough, or her patience as she waits for the dough to rise. Unseen and unmeasured, this is the ingredient that makes the difference. Warm, fresh from the oven with a little butter, the difference you taste is friendship. Friendship has a smell. It smells like the slightly burnt cookies your brother made especially for you. It smells like your home when stepping into it after being away for a long time. It smells like a sandbox or a sweaty gym. Friendship has a variety of smells. Taken for granted at the moment, they define the memory of friendship. Finally, more than the other senses, friendship is an experience of the heart. It is the language of the hearta language without words, vowels, or consonants; a language that, whether seen, felt, heard, or tasted, is understood by the heart. Like air fills the lungs, friendship fills the heart, allowing us to experience the best life has to offer: a friend.

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The Ferris Wheel

(Secondary 1)

I have always been fascinated by carnival rides. It amazes me that average, ordinary people eagerly trade in the serenity of the ground for the chance to be tossed through the air like vegetables in a food processor. It amazes me that at some time in history someone thought that people would enjoy this, and that person invented what must have been the first of these terrifying machines. For me, it is precisely the thrill and excitement of having survived the ride that keeps me coming back for more. My first experience with a carnival ride was a Ferris wheel at a local fair. Looking at that looming monstrosity spinning the life out of its sardine-caged occupants, I was dumbstruck. It was huge, smoky, noisy and not a little intimidating. Ever since that initial impression became fossilized in my imagination many years ago, these rides have reminded me of mythical beasts, amazing dinosaurs carrying off their screaming passengers like sacrificial virgins. Even the droning sound of their engines brings to mind the great roar of a fire-breathing dragon with smoke spewing from its exhaustpipe nostrils. The first ride on one of these fantastic beasts gave me an instant rush of adrenaline. As the death-defying ride started, a lump in my throat pulsed like a dislodged heart ready to walk the plank. As the ride gained speed, the resistance to gravity built up against my body until I was unable to move. An almost imperceptible pause as the wheel reached the top of its climb allowed my body to relax in a brief state of normalcy. Then there was an assault of stomach-turning weightlessness as the machine continued its rotation and I descended back toward the earth. A cymballike crash vibrated through the air as the wheel reached bottom, and much to my surprise I began to rise again.

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Each new rotation gave me more confidence in the churning machine. Every ascent left me elated that I had survived the previous death-defying fall. When another nerve-wracking climb failed to follow the last exhilarating descent and the ride was over, I knew I was hooked. Physically and emotionally drained, I followed my fellow passengers down the clanging metal steps to reach the safety of my former footing. I had been spared, but only to have the opportunity to ride again. My fascination with these fantastic flights is deeply engrained in my soul. A trip on the wonderful Ferris wheel never fails to thrill me. Although I am becoming older and have less time, or less inclination, to play, the child-like thrill I have on a Ferris wheel continues with each and every ride.

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The Great Paw Paw

(Secondary 1)

Memory. The dictionary defines it as the mental ability to recall past experiences. We think of it as that picture we saw, the words she said. Who in your life is so vivid in your memory that you could describe him or her without a second thought? For me, its my grandpa. But when I was small, I couldnt say Grandpa, so 13 years ago, Theodore Lazarus became Paw Paw. To all the grandkids, Paw Paw was full of fun and games. We all remember his favorite expressions, the ones that would pop out each time we saw him. Luckily, we visited Paw Paw quite often. We often overheard his little squabbles. No way, Jos! Paw Paw would yell; in response, we would shout back, Yes way, Jos! and burst into giggles. My younger siblings and cousins would tell Paw Paw about school, or ballet, or baseball, or their pet iguana, and just when they got into the story, hed roar, No kiddin! with a huge smile on his face. Paw Paw helped us remember that life should be fun. Being the oldest of all the grandchildren, I remember more than my siblings and cousins do, but we all remember how predictable Paw Paws clothes would be. Most likely, hed be wearing a white cotton shirt under another shirt, which was the kind that is red or blue, has one or two breast pockets, is plaid or striped, with buttons down the front. Being loose, it covered his big, round belly. Hed be sitting in the tall wooden chair in the corner by his desk, shouting into the black telephone with the big buttons. Or, if he wasnt there, hed be in his black leather recliner, watching a game on TV. Sometimes hed let us snuggle next to him.

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When Paw Paw wasnt relaxing, hed be in the backyard garden, weeding and pulling, planting and potting, until the time came in the spring or summer when the garden came alive with the colors of the flowers and vegetables he raised. I remember his old, worn hands that did everything: built the wooden tree house for me to play in, built the toolshed, plugged in the Barbie car so it would be ready for me to ride when I came over, fixed the TVs and VCRs so I could watch Wee Sing, and just played blocks with his grandchildren. He always took time to play with us. He would never tell us, but I know he was proud of all his nine grandkids. We ranged in age from 1-12 when he died last summer of a severe stroke. When I remember Paw Paw now, I think of the pictures on Grandmothers cabinetpictures of me and Paw Paw when I was two years old and the only grandchild. In one picture, were lying on the bed, me in my flowered pajamas, him in his usual outfit. I had my bottle in one hand, the Sunday comics in the other (upside down!). He was reading the comics to me so we could laugh together. I will remember that for the rest of my life, and I will remember that he always loved me.

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A Garden of Temptation
(Secondary 4)

Harrys Farmers Market is more than just a grocery store. It is a storehouse of temptation. At Harrys, a shopper can find breads and pastries, ethnic delights from a variety of countries, and a selection of candies that would unravel the strongest will. But when it comes to temptation, nothing at Harrys can rival the produce section. The vegetable bins at Harrys are a feast for the senses. Row upon row of green, musty-smelling cabbages temptingly hint of cabbage rolls and coleslaw to come. Beyond the green cabbages are bins of the purple, curly-leafed variety, piled like basketballs in a sporting goods store. Next come potatoes in all shapes and sizes. Large, long Idahos weigh in the hand like a stone and bake up fluffy and dry. The yellow-fleshed Yukon Golds can be sliced into golden medallions and topped with cheese. Farther along the aisle, carrots beckon like slender fingers and plump squash nestle comfortably in neat bins. At the end of the aisle, mountains of waxy purple eggplant lie in lush array. The vegetable bins at Harrys provide a feast for the eyes as well as for the taste buds. Beyond the vegetables lie the fruits in a patchwork of geographic and seasonal variety. Bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and limes flaunt tropical hues. Their exotic aromas hint of balmy breezes, marimba bands, and sweet summer nights. Across the aisle, the season is fall. Apples, crisp as a New England day, stir the air with the fragrance of autumn. Their red and yellow colors and even their namesCrispin, Pippin, Granny Smith, Ginger Goldsuggest brisk autumn days, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and a cozy hearth. Farther on, yellow grapefruit, bright as the California sun, suggest a return to summer. Beside them, giant navel oranges add a hint of citrus to the air. In this section of Harrys, time and place blend in a fruit-basket turnover.

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For customers who cant wait until they are out of the store to sample the delights of Harrys fruits and vegetables, the juice bar offers instant gratification. Thirsty shoppers can drink in the tartness of a California grapefruit or taste the sweetness of freshly squeezed orange juice. For something different, customers can sample apricot juice in hues of rich dusky amber or exotic papaya flavored with coconut milk. Vegetable lovers can sip a cool, pale celery drink, rich red tomato juice, or carrot juice so brightly orange that many shoppers swear their eyesight improves just by looking at it. Theres no better way to end a trip through Harrys produce department than by drinking it in. Grocery shopping can be a chore, but at Harrys, it is more often a delight. A trip through the produce department is a tempting tour through a garden where every vegetable is in season and no fruit is forbidden.

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References

"A Garden Temptation." liveenglish12. 2012 Blogger. 03 Sep. 2012 < http://liveenglish12.blogspot.com/2012/07/garden-of-temptation-example-of.html>. Abigail. "My Mother." Write Source. 2012 Houghton Mifflin Company. 03 Sep. 2012 < http://www.thewritesource.com/studentmodels/we-mymom.htm>. Charlotte. "The Grat Paw Paw." Write Source. 2012 Houghton Mifflin Company. 03 Sep. 2012 < http://www.thewritesource.com/studentmodels/ws2k-pawpaw.htm>. McCarthy, Elisabeth. "Sample Descriptive Essay." Infoplease. 20002007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. 03 Sep. 2012 <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kosovo1.html>. Nate. "Friendship." Write Source. 2012 Houghton Mifflin Company. 03 Sep. 2012 < http://www.thewritesource.com/studentmodels/ws2k-friendship.htm>.

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