Showing not telling

The technique of showing rather than telling is one of the most important when writing a narrative of any kind. Showing through details allows a reader to form their own conclusions based on the information presented, rather than simply telling the reader how to feel about something. Showing rather than telling allows the reader to do some work with the text so that they can engage in it more deeply.

This lesson reviews different strategies for showing vs. telling in a variety of words and scenarios, including adjectives, verbs, sensory details, figurative language, and dialogue.

This lesson will teach students what it means to show rather than tell in a narrative.

The last slide gives students a simple visual prompt and asks them to write a passage about it by showing rather than telling readers about it.