Writing Worksheet · Grades 3–6
Show Not Tell Worksheet
A 3-page worksheet for grades 3-6 that builds the show-not-tell revision habit. Students brainstorm a short showing phrase for five telling sentences, then rewrite three more as two showing sentences with action and sensory details. Includes a worked nervous-recital example and a sample-answer key.
Subject
Writing
Grades
Grades 3–6
Skill Focus
Show Not Tell, writing skills
Lesson Length
25 minutes
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
Show, don’t tell is the single most useful revision habit narrative writers can build. Telling sentences (‘she was nervous’) keep the reader on the outside; showing sentences (‘her hands shook as she lifted them to the keys’) put the reader INSIDE the moment. This worksheet builds the habit with a worked example, sentence-level swaps, and two-sentence expansions.
Page 1 opens with a reference box that defines showing vs. telling and walks through a worked nervous-recital example – the showing version never names a feeling word at all; the reader figures out ‘nervous’ from the trembling hands and bitten lip. Section A then gives five telling sentences (tired boy, happy dog, hot weather, scared girl, messy room) and asks students to brainstorm a short showing phrase for each on the answer line.
Page 2 is the longer rewrite. Students take three telling sentences and rewrite each as TWO showing sentences that use action verbs, body language, and sensory cues – and that do not name the feeling word. The three contexts are an angry brother, food that smells bad, and a loud classroom.
Page 3 is the answer key. Both sections accept any answer that uses action + senses + body language; the sample answers on the key show what that looks like in practice, but student wording will vary widely.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box aloud and circle the body-language details in the showing version (hands shook, biting lip).
Do Section A item 1 together (brainstorm a short showing phrase for ‘He was tired’ on the answer line), then let students do items 2-5 independently.
Allow 10-12 minutes for the Section B two-sentence rewrites; remind students NOT to name the feeling word in their answer.
Have students share their Section B answers with a partner; partners guess the feeling word from the showing sentences alone.
Use the answer key on page 3 as a model for what ‘show, don’t tell’ looks like in practice; emphasize that student answers can vary.
Optional extension: have students find a telling sentence in their own writing from earlier in the week and rewrite it as showing.
Printable Resource
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Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key
Show Not Tell Worksheet
A 3-page worksheet for grades 3-6 that builds the show-not-tell revision habit. Students brainstorm a short showing phrase for five telling sentences, then rewrite three more as two showing sentences with action and sensory details. Includes a worked nervous-recital example and a sample-answer key.
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