Projeto: The Art of Description

Contextualization

Text typology presents us with five types of texts: narration, description, dissertation, injunction, and exposition. Our focus in this project will be on descriptive practice, a type of text that is widely used in our daily lives and that deserves special attention in our studies.

A description is a type of text that, as its name suggests, describes something. It can be a person, an object, a place, a sensation, among others. In the description, we seek to portray with words something that we could often only understand by seeing or feeling. Therefore, it is important that the description be made in a way that is rich in details, so that the reader can "see" what is being described.

It is important to emphasize that description is not just a sequence of physical characteristics of what is being described. The description should also convey emotions and feelings. For example, when describing a person, it is not enough to say what they look like physically; it is also important to describe their personality and their actions.

The practice of description is present in various aspects of life, from writing a technical report to writing a beautiful poem. Describing is a skill that can be useful in various professions, such as journalism, advertising, law, and many others.

We live in an era of constant digital transformation and, in this context, textual typologies acquire new forms and applications. Descriptions, for example, are widely used in online advertising and in various other forms of digital communication.

To delve deeper into the study of textual typology and descriptive practice, I recommend reading the book "Recursos estilísticos e conotações: descrição" by Adriano da Gama Kury and also consulting the website "Só Português", which has a broad section dedicated to the study of description and other textual typologies. Another very useful resource is the "Português em Foco" channel on YouTube, which has explanatory videos on various aspects of the Portuguese language, including textual typology.

Practical Activity: "The Art of Description"

Objective of the Project

To improve students' skills in the practice of description through the creation of an original story that uses description techniques. The purpose is for students to explore different forms of description, understanding their nuances and the importance of a well-made description in the context of a text.

Detailed Description of the Project

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 members, and each group will have to develop an original story using description techniques. This story must contain at least three detailed descriptions: one of an environment, one of a character, and one of an action. The group is free to choose the theme of the story, as long as the descriptions are relevant and consistent with the narrative.

Materials Required

• Paper and pen for drafts and notes.

• Books and reference materials for research.

• Computer with internet access for research and final writing of the story.

• Book "Recursos estilísticos e conotações: descrição" by Adriano da Gama Kury (recommended, but not mandatory).

Detailed Step-by-Step of the Project

1. Group formation: Students should be divided into groups of 3 to 5 members.

2. Research: Each group should research descriptive practice and study different description techniques. To do this, they can use books, articles from the internet, videos, and other reference materials.

3. Creation of the draft: After the research, the groups should create a draft of the story. This draft should contain the three required descriptions (environment, character, action) and a basic structure of the story.

4. Review and improvement: The group should review and improve the draft, working on the descriptions so that they are detailed and consistent with the narrative of the story.

5. Final writing: The group should write the final version of the story, taking care that it is well-written and that the descriptions are rich in detail.

6. Preparation of the Report: The group should prepare a report on the project, containing the four main topics: Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography used.

Project Deliveries

The groups must deliver:

1. The original story with the three required descriptions.

2. A report on the project, containing:

   • Introduction: Contextualization of the theme, relevance of the descriptive practice, and objective of the project.

   • Development: Theory on descriptive practice, details about the activity carried out, methodology used, and presentation and discussion of the results (here it is interesting that the groups discuss how the descriptions fit into the narrative and what effects they have on the story).

   • Conclusions: Recapitulation of the main points of the work, lessons learned, and conclusions about the descriptive practice based on the execution of the project.

   • Bibliography: Sources used for the project, including books, websites, videos, among others.