Do Now: Take an Inference worksheet from my desk and start working Do Now: Take an Inference worksheet from my desk and start working. Make sure you can support all inferences with clear, direct evidence.

Show Don’t Tell

Don’t just tell me what’s happening…show me! Good writers don’t just tell us what is happening in a story, they show us. They create vivid mental scenes that readers then use to infer what is going on in the story. In the following passage from, The Giver, Lois Lowry shows us what a character is experiencing, without ever telling us what it is. “Now he became aware of an entirely new sensation: pinpricks? No, because they were soft and without pain. Tiny, cold, featherlike feelings peppered his body and face. He put out his tongue again, and caught one of the dots of cold upon it. It disappeared from his awareness instantly; but he caught another, and another. The sensation made him smile.” What does this paragraph describe?

Ways to “show” what is happening Description What are the characters seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching? Dialogue What is being said between characters? Thought What is the main character thinking? Action What are the characters doing? What is going on around them?

Jerry is a spoiled brat (Sharon, his older sister, is the main character) Action/Description (*think VERBS) Jerry’s brown eyes narrowed into slits. He stomped his foot. Dialogue “I don’t care what you say. I want some candy and I’m going to get it!” Thoughts: Mom would have a fit if I acted like that, thought Sharon.

How to know if you’re showing vs. telling Listen for telling signal words: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been. Does this sentence paint a picture for the reader? Does it leave questions in the reader's mind? Does it answer the questions who, what, when, where, why, how?

Turn your telling into showing! Step back and imagine the scene yourself. What sounds do you hear? What smells are in the air? What expression does your character have on his/her face? What are his/her motivations?

Let’s try one together… “The car lands awkwardly, causing it to roll.” What does it look like to “land awkwardly?” Create an image in your mind. Try to put that image into words. Is the car driving itself? Does the driver matter? Is enough detail provided to visualize what happened?

Example of “showing” TELLING: The car lands awkwardly, causing it to roll SHOWING: The car bounced off the divider and seem to hang in the air for a moment before coming down hard. I could hear the metal bang and scrape against the pavement as I tried to regain control of the wheel. I knew I had failed when, through the cracked windows, I could see the world around me spinning round and round.

Use the reporter questions TELLING: Bill is celebrating. Who is he celebrating with/for? What is he celebrating and what does it look/sound/smell/taste/feel like? When is the celebration taking place? Where is the celebration taking place? Why is he celebrating? How is he celebrating?

Example of “showing” TELLING: Bill is celebrating. SHOWING: After two weeks of overtime without a single day off, Bill had had enough; he packed two bags for himself and his wife and impulsively bought two plane tickets to Bermuda. As he stepped off the plane and into the warm, wet, island air, Bill knew that this was just the break he needed.

Let’s try one more together… TELLING: It was a pretty crummy place.

Turn your assigned “tell” sentence into a “show” sentence/paragraph The party was elegant. School is so boring. It’s not easy being an 8th grader. He was shy. The children are having fun. It was a wonderful date. The old woman was lonely. Owning a car is hard work. I love that class. She was embarrassed. Susan is athletic. Bill is handsome. I am enjoying school today.

Classwork/Homework Complete “Show Don’t Tell” worksheet. Hand in when finished. Otherwise, finish for homework. As you continue your re-write of “The Lady, or the Tiger?” try your best to show your readers what is happening rather than just telling them