1. You need: A pencil, eraser, highlighter, and your ELA duo-tang
Writing Lesson 3:
Don’t Tell Everything, Show Your Readers
You need:
A pencil, eraser, highlighter, and your ELA duo-tang

2. Purpose
In this lesson, you will learn to change bland “telling” sentences that use overly general words into “showing sentences full of specific, enlightening details. Our goal is to make our writing more detailed and creative so that our readers can imagine what’s going on.

3. Before Example
My room is a mess.

4. Revision Tips
Brainstorm a mini-list of what a person might find in your bedroom to include in showing sentences.
Wave three or four ideas into one to two sentences.

5. Brainstorm Box
Weave some of these ideas to create “showing” sentences:
BROKEN COOKIES, POPCORN, ANTS
SWEATY SOCKS
CARDS, BOARD GAME PARTS ON FLOOR
HOMEWORK

6. After Example
My room is a mess. On patches of my room’s wooden floor, tiny black ants feasted on chocolate cookie crumbs and stray pieces of buttered popcorn. A deck of cards and parts of board games teeter-tottered atop mounds of shorts, t-shirts, jeans, sneakers and stiff, dirty socks.

7. After Example
My room is a mess. On patches of my room’s wooden floor, tiny black ants feasted on chocolate cookie crumbs and stray pieces of buttered popcorn. A deck of cards and parts of board games teeter-tottered atop mounds of shorts, t-shirts, jeans, sneakers and stiff, dirty socks.
WHY IS SHOWING MORE EFFECTIVE THAN TELLING? WHY IS TAKING THE TIME TO BRAINSTORM HELPFUL? CAN YOU REWRITE THIS PARAGRAPH ANOTHER WAY?

8. Activity 3
My sister/brother/cousin is a pain. The pond feels slimy.

9. Activity 3
My sister/brother/cousin is a pain. The pond feels slimy.

10. Activity 3A
The store owner was mean. The attic felt spooky.