Article: Draw your reader in by starting with a first line that will grab the reader's attention right away. The first line could start in scene with a strong description of an event, place, object, or person. You could also describe the first time you experienced an event, place, object, or person. Take the reader straight into the experience so they feel immersed and engaged. For example, you may describe the first time you held an important object, "The first time I held the All American Girl doll in my hands, with its porcelain skin and glassy blue eyes, I swore to protect it with my life." Situate the reader by providing brief background on the topic. Give the reader just enough information to understand the significance of the object, place, event, or memory you are writing about in the essay. The context should ground the reader in the essay. For example, you may briefly explain why the object was so significant to you based on your experience or knowledge at the time. You may write, "Up to this point, I had never owned a doll before and while other little girls waved around their dolls in the playground, I had to wait until my fifth birthday to get my own." A key element of a good descriptive essay is a lot of details that focus on the five senses: smell, taste, touch, sight, and sound. Put a lot of sensory details into your opening paragraph. Describe how a scene sounds or tastes. Discuss how an object feels or smells. Explore how a place sounds and looks. For example, rather than write "The doll was pretty," you may write with sensory detail. "The doll felt soft and cold in my hands. It smelled like flowers and baby powder. It sounded hollow when I pressed it to my chest." To write a good opening for your essay, focus on showing your reader a scene, rather than telling them the scene. Avoid reporting on the events as they happened or just the action of a scene. Instead, use sensory detail and vivid descriptions to place the reader in a place, an event, a moment, or a memory. For example, you may describe how it feels to be in your childhood home by writing, "The best memories in my childhood home appear on the walls, dents, scratches, and markings made by my siblings and I when we wrestled or ran around inside." If you are writing about a person, use examples of their behavior to show the reader their character, rather than simply tell the reader what to think. For example, you may write, "Mrs. Sands showed me compassion by always taking the time to work with me after class. I would sit on the small wooden chair by her desk, pencil in hand, while she explained how to conjugate a verb. 'To be,' she said, her voice patient but firm."

What is a summary?
Begin with a hook first line. Provide context and background. Use sensory details. Show, rather than tell.