What does it mean to show, not tell?
When writers "tell," they make statements that require no work for the reader. A single statement makes the point clear.
And while we do aim for clarity in writing, there are also times when we want to create images and ideas in the reader's mind. Simply telling them all the time can get boring, and it certainly doesn't give the whole picture.
Let's look at an example: Jalisa was cold. This is a telling statement, and nothing is left to the imagination. We know that Jalisa is cold, but not much else. However, if the writer uses specific showing details, vivid language, and dialogue, the reader gets a much clearer idea of what is going on with Jalisa.
Here, the writer has used language to create a vivid picture that the telling statement can't.
I'm sure none of this is new to you; teaching students to show, not tell is a staple in English classes when students are doing descriptive and narrative writing. But what about the other genres? We'll get there, but let's look at the strategies for showing, not telling first.
Strategies to teach your students to show, not tell
There are many ways to show, rather than tell, but these are some of the most common:
- Multiple examples and details
- Vivid nouns and verbs
- Adjectives and adverbs
- Sensory imagery
- Figurative language
- Dialogue
One of the best ways to teach your students to use these strategies is, not surprisingly, to show, rather than tell them. That means that it's not enough just to project a list like the one above, or to include it in a handout.
Instead, model what showing, not telling looks like with a piece of your own writing or a mentor text. Show them what a vivid description looks like and then ask them to identify the moves the writer made to create a picture in the reader's mind.
Next, use a combination of independent and collaborative activities that allow students to practice the skill of showing, not telling.
My favorite way to do this is via a group activity where students work together to practice their showing skills. Each group gets a graphic organizer and needs to do some brainstorming and planning before writing a showing paragraph.
Then, they share their paragraph with the class, and their peers have to guess their telling statement. It's always lots of fun!
If you'd like to get a copy of one of these exercises, click below:
Showing strategies that work across genres
Now, let's look at how we can use the showing, not telling strategies across all genres of writing. Yes, the strategies I've mentioned can lead to vivid descriptive paragraphs, but they also create strong ones for any persuasive, expository, research, and analytical writing. For example, imagine if all of the informational text your students wrote contained:
- Multiple examples, details, facts, and statistics
- Vivid nouns and verbs
- Adjectives and adverbs
- Sensory imagery
- Figurative language
- Dialogue or quotations (note the change here - quotes are more prevalent in informational text)
It would be a well-developed paper, wouldn't it?
If you have already introduced the concept of showing, not telling during descriptive and narrative writing, it's an easy transition into illustrating how it can enhance other forms of writing too.
Again, use a piece of your own writing or a mentor text and ask students to point out how the writer shows the reader. With informational text, it's common to see a combination of telling statements with showing details; in fact, we often require a topic sentence that does make a clear statement.
However, students often fail to fully support their topic statements and a reminder of the importance of showing, not telling can remedy that. For example, they can state that texting and driving is dangerous, but they could add that it is no different than driving while putting a blindfold on for a few minutes while you are at the wheel. Or that driving with both eyes on the road and hands on the wheel is so much safer than having one of each on a phone.
The figurative language and imagery is just as powerful in persuasive writing as it is in descriptive because showing the reader the point drives it home better than a simple statement does. Show students multiple ways they can "show" as a way to support their topic sentences. They will likely be familiar with using examples and surprised to know that imagery and metaphor works in these cases too.
Students can SHOW with literary analysis too
Showing, not telling strategies work with analysis as well. For example, look at the following analysis of Gene from A Separate Peace. The topic sentence TELLS, or makes the point, then the writer SHOWS the reader why it's an accurate statement:
Gene considers Finny to be his best pal, but his internal dialogue displays very conflicted feelings for his friend. For example, when Finny gets away with wearing the pink shirt to the headmaster’s tea, Gene confesses that he “couldn’t help but envy him a little” (23). Later, when Finny escapes recrimination for using the school tie as a belt, Gene experiences “a sudden stab of disappointment”(26). Both times, he attempts to rationalize his feelings, thinking them normal. Gene’s initial reactions illustrate his hidden envy of Finny, but his subsequent excuses make it clear, that he is in denial over his true feelings.
- Use multiple examples and details (pink shirt, school tie, examples)
- Choose vivid nouns and verbs (confesses, rationalizes, envy, denial)
- Carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs (conflicted, hidden, subsequent)
- sensory imagery (using the school tie for a belt; stab of disappointment)
- dialogue (quotes from the text)
I love it when I can use lessons - or at least references to them - over and over. It reinforces skills and helps students hone their abilities to use them.
When you teach students to show, not tell, you are giving them skills that they can apply again and again in your class. Regardless of the form or writing you require, they can support their ideas in a way that either paints a picture in the reader's mind or that fully supports their ideas.
If you want more help with showing, not telling, check out my new resource!
Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions (and don't forget your free resource)!
Jackie, ROOM 213
☕️ My friends here in the coffee shop have resources that can help with this too:
Presto Plans: Paragraph of the Week
Addie Education: Descriptive Writing Graphic Organizers