Thursday, December 29, 2011

Show, Don't Tell

This is one of the hardest concepts for my students to "get."  We've talked about using adjectives and adverbs instead of making statements.  We've made anchor charts of adjectives.  Still, they need plenty of practice.  So, I created an activity that I plan to put in my literacy center.

You can pick up a copy for FREE at my TPT store:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Show-Dont-Tell
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 3, 2013 at 2:17 PM

    This looks really great. Can you tell a little more about it? What do you mean by them not using any of the words they chose? I'm a little confused.

    Linda
    Nevada

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  2. HeatherJanuary 3, 2013 at 3:03 PM

    I call it "upgrading." For example, a telling sentence would be "He wore a red shirt." A showing sentence would be "He wore a shirt the color of cherry tomatoes that was three sizes too small." The whole point is to paint a vivid mental picture with words. They can certainly use words they choose, but they should always consider whether "spicing" up their words would make the writing better.

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  3. Lori DegmanJanuary 6, 2014 at 7:43 AM

    Hi Heather,
    I am a picture book author and a contributor to another Nancy Viau's blog series, WIT - Writing Info & Tips For Young Writers. I'm putting together a post on "show don't tell" and came across your awesome activity! Would you mind if I use it in my post? I'd include a link to your website. If you'd rather I not, I totally understand.

    Thanks!

    Lori

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  4. HeatherJanuary 8, 2014 at 4:22 AM

    Lori: Thank you so much for the kind words! I would be honored to have you mention this activity in your post. I'd love to read about it, too. So please let me know when it's published.

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