Show Me, Don't Tell Me

As part of a study of narrative writing, young story tellers are asked to revise 20 telling sentences and create showing ones.

The written word has a magical way of evoking the most descriptive images in one's mind. Encourage scholars to write descriptively with a worksheet that challenges young writers to show, not tell, what traits make up a character. 

One of the most famous short stories, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," is the focus of this resource. Learners read the story, respond to several text-based questions, and brainstorm ideas about a question relating to the text as...

It's grammar time! Class members practice telling time in English with a series of clock illustrations. They then use the prompts to discuss the time of day, including English colloquialisms, with partners or group members.

Students will read an article about the king of Egypt, Osiris. Then, they record their findings of showing love in the chart given. This activity will provide them with practice to write their own short passage, where they must also show...

After each of three viewings of a 45-second video, aspiring writers employ vivid adjectives and precise, strong verbs to "show, don't tell." First they compose a single sentence, then three, and finally a five-sentence paragraph. Repeat...

Clarify your kids' writing with a video about pronouns, specifically me, myself, and I. As kids watch the short video, they see cute robots demonstrate the proper use of each pronoun, as well as the definitions of reflexive and intensive...

A game show style instructional activity prompts young writers to use descriptive language in their writing. Parts of speech include specific nouns, adjectives, and strong verbs, all of which they need to know in order to master the...

Learners review the Show Don't Tell method of writing haiku poetry. They practice distinguishing poetic language from academic language and create poems based on images, not explanations.

Does your class love The Simpsons? It might seem dated, but with reruns constantly popping up on television, this show still holds the attention of most of your learners. Play the opening sequence of an episode, and brainstorm any...