Show Versus Tell School was over. The boy went home. He wanted to get home before his parents did so he hurried. Describing what the situation looks like, rather than simply telling what it is.

Show Versus Tell School was over. The boy went home. He wanted to get home before his parents did so he hurried.

TELL “he was mad” Vs. SHOW “He held his breath as the vein on his forehead turned a bright shade of purple. I thought he might explode. He looked as if he was ready to attack the friend in front of him. Finally, in a deadly calm voice, that threatened imminent destruction, he asked, “Why did you do that?”

Teacher RESOURCES: clip from Ferris Bueller on the external hard drive. The slide above as an overhead Explain SHOW vs TELL EXAMPLE: “he was mad” vs. “He held his breath as the vein on his forehead turned a bright shade of purple. I thought he might explode. He looked as if he was ready to attack the friend in front of him. Finally, in a deadly calm voice, that threatened iminent destruction, he asked, “Why did you do that?” Students Need Blank sheet of paper Pen Discuss Show vs.Tell Give a couple of oral examples Show the overhead ask them if they recognize this scene description? Ask students to rewrite clip based on their own imaginations. Ask a couple of students to share Encourage the “create a video clip in your head” technique. Ask them to think about how that looks. Gather a couple of responses. Show the Ferris Bueller clip (START AT :37 WITH VOLUMN ON SILENT TILL :50. Have them rewrite the paragraph. Allow them to share with a partner, then with the class. End with by sharing “How it feels…” articles using the overhead (What it feels like to be… Shot in the head, Have Autism, …Be in a Plane Crash.) Ferris Bueller race home