Creative Writing Workshop: "Show. Don't Tell" Mini Lesson

Sick of repeating the advice, "Show. Don't Tell?" Are your students rushing their writing or turning in vague, boring work? Every writer needs to learn the crucial rule of showing, not telling in their work. With this writing workshop mini-lesson, students will learn what it means to show, not tell, and practice doing so.

The slideshow explains "Show. Don't tell" to students, comparing examples of "telling sentences" with "showing paragraphs." After, students will randomly choose a sentence strip with a "telling sentence" on it that they must turn into a "showing paragraph". This lesson is highly scaffolded with examples and the sentence strips turning writing practice into a hands-on activity.

With this mini lesson and "Show. Don't Tell" writing workshop activity, you and your students are set up for success! The included lesson plan breaks down the lesson with suggestions for modifications. The student worksheet gives students a place to brainstorm ideas before writing.

This NON-EDITABLE resource includes:

Suggested lesson plan

20 sentence strips

"Show. Don't Tell" PowerPoint slideshow

Double-sided student worksheet