DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

(Person and animal)
For Elementary School

Grade 4

By Yuni Nuraeni, S.Pd

A. INTRODUCTION
In this module, you are going to learn description texts about person and animal.
These learning activities are intended for students in Elementary school,
especially in fourth grade.
Descriptive text is a text that describe the particular objects in relation to person
and animals The text is made available to public to inform readers or viewers
about the characteristics of a specific person/family or animals, the visual
experience related to the sense, shapes, sounds, etc. You will be exposed to some
examples of descriptive texts about person/family and animals. From the
examples you have to read with a good understanding of the contents and analyze
the elements that make up simple descriptive texts and see how different
language features are employed to meet certain purposes from the texts.

1. Short Description
Descriptive Text is a text which tells us what a person or an animal is like. It
describes the character of a person, animal, place, or thing. It is also about
sensory experience, how something looks, sounds, shapes. Mostly it is about
visual experience, but description also deals with other kinds of perception.

It can be said that the descriptive text is a meaningful text that describes
particular person or animals.

The purpose of a descriptive text is to describe a person or animal. So, it can
also reveal a particular person or animal by giving visual picture of person
or animal such as My favorite youtuber and my pet is a cat by explaining the
characteristics, appearance, physical features or anything relate to what the
writer describes.

2. Relevance
Through learning activities in this module, students can understand about the
definition of description text, specifically in describing what people and
animals look like. The students can also know the benefit of the text as its
social function. Beside that you, are expected to identify the language
features (words, phrases, sentences) that are mostly applied in this kind of
text.

3. Learning guide

The Learning Activity in this module is divided in three sections. Those are
(A) Introduction that introduces the topic, (B) Main section that leads readers
to observe and study: 1. learning outcomes, 2. learning material and learning
activities, and 3. discussion. (C) Closing section that expects the readers to
make summary of material and make reflection, then do formative test as an
exercise after doing each activity.

B. MAIN SECTION

1. Learning Outcome

Attitude
To substantiate and apply religious, moral, ethical, discipline and
responsibility

Knowledge
1. To understand and analyze the contextual differences and similarities

between a number of descriptive texts in regard to the social functions, by
showing the evidence from the texts (expressions, sentences, paragraphs,
etc.)
2. To analyze the social functions, generic structures, and language features
of the description text.

Skill
1. To get knowledge and information of the descriptive texts (person &

animal) with contextually different social functions, text structures, and
lexico-grammatical features.
2. To analyze the contextual differences and similarities between the
descriptive text of person and animal.
3. To create a descriptive text according to social functions and generic
structure of the text.
2. Learning Material and Learning Activities
In this part, the students will learn about descriptive text of a person and an
animal. A few of videos, pictures and text already available to recognize some
information regard to the descriptive text.

Learning Material
a. Definition

According to Anderson and Anderson in their book, descriptive text describes
particular person, place, or things. It means that descriptive text is designed
specially about a person, a place, or things. In addition, according to Pardiyono
in his book, descriptive text gives descriptions from the living or non-living
things to the reader. In other words, the text can tell an object that is still alive
and not.

Based on the definitions above, it can conclude that the descriptive text is a
text that explains about whether a person or an object is like. In this case,

focus on person and animal. The purpose of the descriptive text is clear, that
is to describe, represent or reveal a person or an animal, either abstract or
concrete.

b. Social Function
Its purpose is to describe, represent, and reveal a particular person, place, or
thing.

c. Language features
- Use attribute verb, such as (is, am, are)
- Using Simple Present Tense
- Focus on one subject (a person or an animal)
- Using action verbs or material process and behavioral process in giving
additional description regarding action and behavior done by the
participants in text;
- Using adjective and adverbs to add information to nouns and add
information to verbs to provide more detailed description about the topic;
- Using mental verb or mental process when describing feelings

d. Generic Structure
1. Identification
In this part identification contains about the general introduction of a
person, place, animal or object will be described. The function of
identification is to introduce something we describe, in order, the reader
and listener are not miss-understanding.
2. Description
It contains a description of something such as animal, things, place, or
person by describing its features, forms, colors, or anything related to
what the writer describes.

Adapted from Reading and writing description text www.slideshare.net

✓ Learning Activities : Descriptive Text (Person &Animal)
o Lesson Material : Problem Based Learning
o Method

Pre- Activities
➢ Show the students to watch, learn and speak aloud the dialog in the

video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT5IiE9m9oY&t=151s

After watch and learn, ask the students some questions!
1. Do you know where they are?
2. What are they doing there?
3. Who is missing?
4. What does she look like?
5. Have you ever been in that situation?

Main activities
Task 1

➢ Show the students about the example about the descriptive text of
person and animal and ask them to read.

Text 1

Adapted from www.englishexercise.org
Text 2

Adapted from www.slideshare.net

Task 2

➢ Ask the students identify the similarities and the differences about

the texts given.

Let’s Find Text 1 Text 2

Similarity 1. … 1. …
2. … 2. …

Difference 1. … 1. …
2. … 2. …

➢ After the students complete the table, ask them to exchange their
tables with their friends to compare and discuss the answers.

➢ Ask the students again some questions to make clear understanding
about the lesson.
1. What is the tittle of text 1 and text 2?
2. What are the texts about?
3. How does Ronaldo look like?
4. How is the pinguin look like?
5. Do you know what kind of test are those?
6. What is the purpose of the texts?

➢ Convey the material:
1. The definition of descriptive text.
The descriptive text is a text that explains about whether a
person or an object is like. In this case, focus on person and
animal
2. The Social Function of descriptive text.
Its purpose is to describe, represent, and reveal a particular
person, animal, place, or thing.
3. The Generic Structure of descriptive text

Identification

Description

4. State the words bank related to Descriptive text
WORD BANK

handsome beautiful cute long short curly straight
funny blond fur tail tall pointed flat
Task 3
Fill in the blanks based on the text!

Adapted from www.id.pinterest.com

Task 4
➢ Give outlines to help the students in writing their own descriptive
texts of person and animal.
My ____
Its _____ is Momo. It is four
months old. Its eyes are _____. Its
fur is ______ and _____. I love my
cat because ____________________
______________________________

Ani Nurhayani
This is ___ ___________. She is a
youtuber gaming. She was ____ in
Jakarta on Mei 15, 1994.
She has ____ and ___ hair. Her eyes
are ___. She has a ____ nose.
____________________________
____________________________

Games
Describing your friend!

Pair students up and ask them to describe each other. This can be a great exercise
and a great activity for teaching student positive social interactions, focusing on
positive aspects of their classmates and developing empathy and sensitivity to
one another.

Post activities
• Teacher motivate and give reward to the students
• Giving conclusion about the material

3. CLOSING SECTION
1. Summary
In this Learning Activity, we have learned how to identify descriptive text
(Describing people and animal). We also have identified stages and language
features, social function of descriptive text. Descriptive Text is a text which
tells us what a person or an animal is like.

2. Reflection
You have learnt all materials about Descriptive text (person & animal) given
in this learning.
Please write your reflective summary below!
a) In this Learning Activity, I have learned
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
b) I have difficulties in this material is in …………………………………
...................................................................................................................
And I overcome those difficulties by........................................................
…………………………………………………………………………..
c) What I like most about Learning Activity is/are?
...................................................................................................................
I like it/them because.................................................................................
.
e) What I need to improve or learn more is/are
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................

3. Formative Test
Answer the following question based on the text!

Adapted from www.slideshare.net

1. What is the text about?
A. Daniel Jacob Radcliffe
B. Alan Radcliffe

C. Marcia Gresham
D. Harry Potter

2. Where was he born?
A. Indonesia
B. India
C. London
D. America

3. How tall is he?
A. 165 cm
B. 166 cm
C. 167 cm
D. 168 cm

4. What is the social function of the text?
A. To describe about physical appearance of person
B. To entertain the readers about the story
C. To tell the readers how to make friend
D. To report someone’s behaviors

5. What does he love?
A. Football match and gymnastic
B. Formula one rising and gymnastic
C. Moto GP rising and gymnastic
D. Basketball match and gymnastic

ANSWER KEYS
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B

4. References
Anderson, Mark and Kathy Anderson, Text Types in English, New York:
Macmillan,1997.
Pardiyono, M.Pd, 12 Writing Clues For Better Writing Competence, Terbitan:
Andi, 2006.
Dra. Titi Wahyukti, M. Pd, Module 3 English for Social Communication,
Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan,2019.
Reading and writing description text www.slideshare.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT5IiE9m9oY&t=151s
www.englishexercise.org
www.id.pinterest.com