Learning Center

Writing

Add 6 types of supporting details

April 15, 2017

Bright Ideas Light Bulb - Smekens Original

Teachers want more detail, more idea development, more elaboration. However, when we ask students to add more details, they often nod their heads in agreement and stare at us blankly. They know they need to add more. . .but they don’t know what to add or how to add it. Rather than telling students to add more detail, explicitly reveal a variety of ways to accomplish this elaboration.

Here are six types of details that are relevant to all grade levels. Each of these will cause students to write additional sentences, thus adding more meat to their writing.

1. Add description.

  • Descriptive details often include the five senses. Students could write a couple of sentences using the senses relevant to the topic.
  • Description can also come in the form of comparisons. Students can use metaphors or similes or simply compare the idea to something (e.g., bigger than, faster than, etc.).
  • Naming something specifically also aids the reader in envisioning exactly what the writer intended.

2. Add vocabulary.

  • Encourage domain-specific terms followed by a definition detail using phrases like This means. . . or A synonym for this is. . .
  • Where appropriate, an onomatopoeia word (e.g., SPLAT! POP! CRACK!) adds another sentence.
  • Incorporate precise and powerful action verbs directly associated with the topic. Such verbs often are followed by specific information in a predicate.

3. Add proof.

  • Facts, statistics, and dates are hard proof that cannot be refuted. Specific types or actual examples also provide hard, undeniable proof.

4. Add voices.

  • Expert quotes, individual feelings, individual opinions, or different perspectives add “soft proof” and additional sentences.

5. Add explanation.

  • Restate an idea in a second sentence; say it more simply.
  • Summarize an idea to reinforce what is important.
  • Include a “because” phrase to clarify an idea.

6. Add importance.

Teach each detail type individually

Teach each type of detail explicitly. Roll them out one at a time, emphasizing the grade-appropriate facets of each one. Target these in separate lessons in order to give students time to understand and apply each one.

Develop Ideas: 6 Types with Questions
Develop Ideas: 6 Types Poster with Light Bulb

Online Course - webAcademy - Six Traits of Writing: An IntroductionReady to learn more about the 6 Traits?

Enroll in a Smekens workshop on the 6 Traits of Writing to unlock the power of the Traits for your writing instruction.

On-Demand Workshop - Six Traits of Writing: An Introduction

Ready to learn more about the 6 Traits?

Enroll in a Smekens workshop on the 6 Traits of Writing to unlock the power of the Traits for your writing instruction.

4.6 5 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Hanny
Hanny
3 years ago

It’s clear and useful. Thanks!

CompCON 2024
Develop paragraphs–one sentence at a time

[writing]

Develop paragraphs–one sentence at a time

Access free download for 20 Ways to Develop an Idea

[writing]

Access free download for 20 Ways to Develop an Idea

Clarify "developed" versus "details"

[writing]

Clarify “developed” versus “details”