Show, Don't Tell!
TELLING
My mornings are crazy. It's hard to get to school on time!
SHOWING
Click below to reveal the showing paragraph.
I awaken to the deafening buzz of my alarm clock at 7:00 a.m. I hit the snooze button
three times before dragging my drowsy self to the bathroom. I brush my teeth, take a
shockingly cold shower, and blow dry my wet hair in record time. After trying on nearly
every outfit in my closet, I run down the stairs, feed my barking dog, and inhale my
oatmeal breakfast. I toss my books in my backpack, grab my coat and gloves, and finally
race out the front door. I arrive at the bus stop just as the bus drives away.
Show, Don't Tell!
TELLING
I was nervous about her piano recital.
SHOWING
Click below to reveal the showing paragraph.
As I stood backstage, I could feel my knees go weak. I wiped my palms against my
velvet dress to remove the sweat that continued to collect. My heart was pounding
like keys on a piano as I went over the song I would be playing in my head.
Show, Don't Tell!
You Try It!
Take one of the "telling" sentences below and turn it into a "showing"
paragraph in your Writer's Notebook.
#1. Brian was scared to go on the roller
coaster.
#2. Amber couldn't believe all of the gifts she
found under her tree!
#3. Sally was very upset when she lost the
game.
From Scholastic's The Most Wonderful Writing Lessons Ever
Guess
The
Emotion!
Guess The Emotion!
Bill's jaw was clenched, and his fingers were curled into tight fists. It looked as if
steam was about to pour out of his ears. He stared straight ahead without even
blinking. The veins in his neck were nearly bulging out of his skin as he stomped
out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
Click on the box below to reveal the emotion.
?
mad, furious, angry
Guess The Emotion!
I stood at the edge of the pool staring into the water and clenching my dad's
hand tightly. My knees were shaking, and my legs felt like Jello.
"How deep is it?" I asked my dad for the tenth time.
I didn't even hear his response. All I could think about was jumping into the
water all by myself. I wanted to jump, but my feet felt like they were glued to
the ground.
Would I ever be able to do this?
nervous or scared
?
Guess The Emotion!
I crossed the finish line and dropped to my knees.
All of the energy I had while running the race drained from my body. I laid down
next to the track, put my head in my hands, and gasped for air. Suddenly I was
seeing stars, and it felt like the ground was spinning faster than a tea cup at
Disney World.
?
exhausted
Guess The Emotion!
Tears rolled down my cheeks as my mom told me the bad news. I tried to ask
questions, but I couldn't speak. My lips trembled as I walked slowly back to my
bedroom and closed the door. I buried my face in my pillow and wailed. My
pet fish was gone forever.
?
sad, upset
Guess The Emotion!
As I walked into my classroom on the first day of school and saw my teacher, I stopped
dead in my tracks. My eyes nearly popped out of my head, and my jaw dropped to the
floor. I was convinced I must be dreaming.
I covered my open mouth with my hand and mumbled to my best friend, "Our teacher
is a dog?"
?
shocked, surprised
My smile was turned upside down. I had a knot in my stomach the size
of a football. I could no longer hang my head high. I looked down to
the floor. I vowed in my mind to never tease another person again!
Click the box above to reveal the voice!
happy
Use the emotion card you have been given. Write a
short paragraph in which you Show, Don't Tell the
emotion. Do not use the actual emotion word written
on your card.
You will read your paragraph to your classmates to
see if they can guess your emotion.
Show, Don't Tell!
I had to go to the dentist to get a cavity
filled. I was feeling very nervous. I was
really terrified of going to the dentist. I
was scared that it was going to hurt. I
worried about it all day long!
I had to go to the dentist to get a cavity filled. My
stomach was in knots. I felt like I was going to throw
up. My palms were sweating and my hands were
shaking. Going to the dentist made me feel like I
wanted to scream. I closed my eyes real tight and
tried not to imagine how much it was going to hurt. I
couldn't slow down my heart beat. It seemed to be
pounding a mile a minute. I tried to stop biting my
nails, but I was just dreading the idea of having a
needle in my mouth. Ouch!