My students are really great at describing what things look like in their writing. They are not as skilled at putting smells, tastes, sounds and feelings into words. As a result, their narratives often feel flat, one-dimensional, and unreal. In an effort to get my students expanding on their descriptions, I decided to do a sensory walk using Instagram. *Check out my blog on using Instagram for scavenger hunt activities.

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When I announced that they would be going outside on an Instagram sensory walk, they initially protested, “But Tucker, it’s pouring rain outside!” I cheerily responded that rain was perfect for a sensory walk! There would be all kinds of smells, sounds, and sensations with the rain falling.

My students formed small groups of two or three for the activity. At least one student in each group had to have an Instagram account and the account had to be public for the activity. This made it possible for other members of the class to view their images.

Once they recovered from the shock of having to leave our warm cozy room, I explained that I wanted them to explore our campus, which is quite large, and take pictures. Since the pictures would provide a clear visual, their job would be to use the comment field to describe the scene with vibrant vocabulary and rich details appealing to the other, often neglected, senses.

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In addition to pairing their photos with sensory rich descriptions, I asked them to tag their photos with my Instagram name and our shared hashtag. This way it was easy to see their pictures.

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Despite the rain, they had a ball running around campus taking pictures and collaborating on the best descriptions!

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