Question

Fred and Barney were given an assignment to go to a school basketball game and write down everything they each saw, heard, smelled, and touched. Afterwards the two students were to compare and contrast their findings and write up a summary of their combined data. In this case when they wrote down what they saw, heard, smelled and felt was considered?

Answer 1

Fred and Barney are engaging in 'thick description,' an English writing method used to capture detailed sensory observations of an event, which include what they saw, heard, smelled, and felt at a basketball game for their school assignment.

Step-by-step explanation:

Fred and Barney's assignment to observe and record different sensory experiences at a school basketball game falls under the discipline of English, specifically related to the observational and descriptive skills that are essential in writing and reporting. This activity involves thick description, which is a method of field observation used to create a detailed account of a setting or event by capturing and recording all sensory details. The students use their sensory perceptions to describe what they see, hear, smell, and feel. This method serves as a foundation for producing rich, descriptive narratives in their summaries.

Providing a thick description requires meticulous attention to sensory information, which helps readers to fully envision the event, moment, or place being described. This exercise helps students develop essential writing skills such as utilizing imagery, expressing details through words that convey size, shape, color, texture, and sound, and writing in-depth notes that can be used to inform and engage readers. In conclusion, by comparing and contrasting their observations, Fred and Barney enhance their understanding of the event and add depth to their collective summary.