Show, Don't Tell!

My mornings are crazy. It's hard to get to school on time!

TELLING

SHOWING

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.

Click below to reveal the showing paragraph.

Show, Don't Tell!

I was nervous about her piano recital.

TELLING

SHOWING

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.

Click below to reveal the showing paragraph.

Show, Don't Tell!

You Try It!

#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.

Take one of the "telling" sentences below and turn it into a "showing" paragraph in your Writer's Notebook.

From Scholastic's The Most Wonderful Writing Lessons Ever

GuessThe

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.

mad, furious, angry?Click on the box below to reveal the emotion.

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!

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.

happy

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!