Show, Don't Tell in WritingActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for this topic because showing, not telling, requires students to engage with language kinesthetically and visually. When students physically act out emotions or rewrite sentences in pairs, they internalize how vivid details create stronger images in a reader's mind than abstract statements.
Learning Objectives
- 1Construct a narrative paragraph that demonstrates a character's fear through actions and sensory details, avoiding direct statements of emotion.
- 2Analyze how specific word choices and sentence structures in a text contribute to showing emotions rather than telling them.
- 3Differentiate between sentences that 'show' a character's state of mind and sentences that 'tell' it within provided narrative excerpts.
- 4Create descriptive sentences that use figurative language and sensory imagery to convey a setting's atmosphere.
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Pairs: Sentence Rewrite Relay
Provide pairs with 5-6 'telling' sentences about emotions. One partner rewrites the first to 'show,' passes to the other for the next; continue until all done. Pairs then share one strong example with the class.
Prepare & details
Construct a paragraph that 'shows' a character's anger without explicitly stating they are angry.
Facilitation Tip: During Sentence Rewrite Relay, provide students with one 'telling' starter sentence and give each pair a minute to add one showing detail before passing it on.
Setup: Flexible workspace with access to materials and technology
Materials: Project brief with driving question, Planning template and timeline, Rubric with milestones, Presentation materials
Small Groups: Emotion Charades and Describe
Groups draw emotion cards and act them silently for 1 minute. Each member writes a 'showing' description of the performance without naming the emotion. Groups vote on the most vivid and discuss techniques used.
Prepare & details
Analyze how showing rather than telling creates a more immersive experience for the reader.
Facilitation Tip: Have students in Emotion Charades act out emotions first without speaking, then describe them with sensory details to reinforce the difference between showing and telling.
Setup: Flexible workspace with access to materials and technology
Materials: Project brief with driving question, Planning template and timeline, Rubric with milestones, Presentation materials
Whole Class: Text Detective Hunt
Project excerpts from class novels. Students identify 'showing' vs 'telling' lines on mini-whiteboards, then vote and justify. Teacher models revisions live on board.
Prepare & details
Differentiate between a 'telling' sentence and a 'showing' sentence in a given text.
Facilitation Tip: For Text Detective Hunt, assign specific sensory lenses (sight, sound, touch) to small groups so they focus on one type of detail at a time.
Setup: Flexible workspace with access to materials and technology
Materials: Project brief with driving question, Planning template and timeline, Rubric with milestones, Presentation materials
Individual: Show Paragraph Challenge
Students choose an emotion and write a 5-sentence paragraph showing it through actions and senses. Swap with a partner for quick feedback before final draft.
Prepare & details
Construct a paragraph that 'shows' a character's anger without explicitly stating they are angry.
Facilitation Tip: In Show Paragraph Challenge, remind students to use at least three of the five senses and include one line of dialogue to practice varied showing techniques.
Setup: Flexible workspace with access to materials and technology
Materials: Project brief with driving question, Planning template and timeline, Rubric with milestones, Presentation materials
Teaching This Topic
Teach this by modeling revision out loud. Think aloud how you transform a flat sentence like 'The room was dark' into 'The only light came from the moon, casting long shadows across the floor.' Avoid overloading students with too many showing techniques at once. Research shows students grasp one or two strong examples better than a list of rules about sensory language.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students converting telling sentences into showing ones with specific actions, sensory details, and dialogue. They should begin to notice and discuss which words pull them into the scene and which statements distance them from the story.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Sentence Rewrite Relay, watch for students adding more adjectives to tell the reader how to feel rather than letting actions and details show it.
What to Teach Instead
Pause the relay and display a sample passage with heavy adjectives. Ask students to underline only the adjectives and discuss which ones could be replaced with actions or sensory details instead.
Common MisconceptionDuring Emotion Charades and Describe, watch for students describing emotions with more adjectives rather than using body language and facial expressions.
What to Teach Instead
Provide a 'body language cheat sheet' with specific cues (e.g., 'crossed arms, downcast eyes') and require students to incorporate at least one cue in their description before adding adjectives.
Common MisconceptionDuring Show Paragraph Challenge, watch for students writing long paragraphs that summarize emotions rather than building a single vivid scene.
What to Teach Instead
Set a word limit of 80 words and ask students to highlight their strongest showing sentence. Then, have them cut any sentences that tell rather than show.
Assessment Ideas
After Sentence Rewrite Relay, collect a sample of rewritten sentences from each pair. Look for at least one concrete detail or action that replaces the original telling statement. Use this to assess whether students understand the shift from abstract to specific language.
After Emotion Charades and Describe, give each student an exit ticket with one telling sentence about a character. Ask them to transform it into a showing sentence and explain one detail they added that helps the reader feel the emotion.
After Show Paragraph Challenge, have students swap paragraphs with a partner. Each partner highlights one sentence that effectively shows the emotion and one sentence that could be improved by replacing telling with showing. Use these highlights to assess understanding of the technique.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: After Show Paragraph Challenge, ask students to rewrite one paragraph using only dialogue to show the emotion.
- Scaffolding: During Emotion Charades, provide a word bank of action verbs and sensory phrases to support students who struggle with generating details.
- Deeper exploration: After Text Detective Hunt, have students compare two published excerpts that use showing effectively, then write a short analysis of which details work best.
Key Vocabulary
| Show, don't tell | A writing technique where authors reveal character traits, emotions, or settings through actions, dialogue, and sensory details instead of stating them directly. |
| Sensory details | Words and phrases that appeal to the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, helping readers experience the scene. |
| Body language | The nonverbal signals, such as facial expressions and gestures, that a character uses, which can reveal their feelings or intentions. |
| Figurative language | Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation, such as similes and metaphors, to create vivid images. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for English
More in Worlds of Wonder: Narrative Craft
Crafting Atmospheric Settings
Exploring how descriptive language and expanded noun phrases create a sense of place and mood.
2 methodologies
Developing Character Archetypes
Investigating character motivation through dialogue and action rather than direct statement.
3 methodologies
Exploring Narrative Plot Structures
Examining how authors manipulate time and sequence to build tension or provide backstory.
2 methodologies
Point of View and Narrative Voice
Understanding how different narrative perspectives (first, third person) shape the reader's experience and understanding of events.
2 methodologies
Theme and Moral in Stories
Identifying the underlying messages or lessons in narratives and discussing their relevance.
2 methodologies
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