English · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Show, Don't Tell

Active learning works for Show, Don’t Tell because students need to experience the difference between vague language and vivid detail. When they rewrite sentences, discuss options, and revise passages, they feel how sensory details and actions pull readers into a scene rather than pushing information at them.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E10LA06
• AC9E10LY05

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Graffiti Wall
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs Rewrite: Telling to Showing

Provide sentences like 'The room was messy.' Pairs rewrite using sensory details and actions, such as 'Clothes spilled from open drawers, crisp packets crunched underfoot.' Swap with another pair for feedback, then discuss improvements.

Explain how specific sensory details can immerse a reader in a scene.

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs Rewrite, provide a short telling paragraph with one clear sentence to rewrite first, so students focus on technique before tackling longer texts.

What to look for

Provide students with a short paragraph that 'tells' a character's emotion. Ask them to rewrite two sentences from the paragraph to 'show' the same emotion using sensory details and actions. Collect and review for understanding of the core concept.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Graffiti Wall
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Emotion Stations

Set up stations for emotions like fear, joy, anger. Groups rotate, writing 50-word passages showing the emotion through actions and senses without naming it. Share one per group with the class for voting on most immersive.

Construct a descriptive passage that 'shows' a character's emotion without explicitly naming it.

Facilitation Tip

In Emotion Stations, limit groups to three minutes per emotion card to maintain momentum and prevent over-analysis of single words.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence that 'tells' a setting (e.g., 'The room was messy'). Then, have them rewrite that sentence to 'show' the same setting using at least two sensory details. This checks their ability to apply the technique.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Graffiti Wall
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Model Analysis

Project a professional excerpt using show, don't tell. Class annotates sensory details and actions together on chart paper. Then, apply to their own writing by drafting and projecting revisions for collective input.

Compare the impact of 'showing' versus 'telling' on a reader's engagement with a narrative.

Facilitation Tip

For Scene Revision, model your own revision out loud, narrating your decision-making about which details to keep or cut to normalize the process.

What to look for

Students exchange descriptive paragraphs they have written. Using a checklist, they identify and highlight examples of 'showing' (sensory details, actions) and 'telling' (direct statements). They then provide one specific suggestion for turning a 'telling' sentence into 'showing'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Graffiti Wall
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Scene Revision

Students write a 100-word scene telling an event, then revise to show it. Self-assess using a checklist for senses and actions before submitting. Follow with a gallery walk to view peers' before-and-afters.

Explain how specific sensory details can immerse a reader in a scene.

What to look for

Provide students with a short paragraph that 'tells' a character's emotion. Ask them to rewrite two sentences from the paragraph to 'show' the same emotion using sensory details and actions. Collect and review for understanding of the core concept.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach Show, Don’t Tell by starting with small, controlled rewrites before complex scenes. Use mentor texts that demonstrate tight showing in key moments, not whole passages. Guide students to notice how authors use dialogue, body language, and specific verbs to convey emotion or setting. Avoid overwhelming them with too many sensory details at once; one strong sense per sentence is enough to build clarity and confidence.

Successful learning looks like students confidently replacing ‘telling’ sentences with ‘showing’ alternatives, justifying their choices with specific sensory details or actions. They should also articulate why showing increases reader engagement when they explain or compare passages.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs Rewrite, students often add lots of adjectives thinking they are showing.

  Direct students to replace vague adjectives with specific actions or dialogue first, then add only one or two precise adjectives if needed. Have them compare their revised sentence to the original to see which version creates clearer images.

• During Emotion Stations, groups assume telling is always weaker than showing.

  Give groups mixed examples and ask them to vote on which version feels more engaging. Use their discussion to highlight when telling is effective, such as in summaries or transitions, and when showing should dominate key moments.

• During Scene Revision, students believe showing must make writing longer.

  Set a word limit for revisions and time them to show that concise showing can be more powerful. Ask students to track how many words they remove while keeping or increasing vividness.

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Methods used in this brief

• Graffiti Wall