Make It Interesting

Worksheet Description

The “Show Don’t Tell” worksheet is a writing exercise designed to help students learn how to convey events and emotions in a story through descriptive writing rather than simple statements. The worksheet lists six straightforward sentences, such as “Jim fell” and “The doorbell rang,” which the students are instructed to rewrite in a more engaging and descriptive manner. Students are asked to choose four out of the six sentences and recreate them in a way that shows the reader what is happening without directly telling them. This encourages students to think creatively about how to depict scenes and emotions through detailed narrative.

The worksheet teaches students the storytelling technique of “showing” rather than “telling,” which is fundamental to creating immersive and vivid narratives. By rewriting plain sentences to include descriptive details, students practice how to suggest and imply events and emotions, allowing readers to experience the story more deeply. The activity aims to enhance the students’ ability to write with a focus on showing the action and emotion in a scene through the use of sensory details and dynamic verbs. Through this process, students learn to enrich their writing by painting pictures with words and engaging the reader’s imagination.