Show, Don't Tell
Third-graders expand their writing skills.
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The room was messy!
The room was messy!
Well, anyone can see that if they look around. However, if you're writing about the messy room, your reader cannot actually see it with their eyes. It's up to the writer to describe it. Instead of simply saying the room was messy, a writer can help the ready picture it with sensory details:
Dirty socks and discarded snack wrappers littered the floor. The air smelled of dried sweat and stale food.
This helps the readers see in their mind the scene that is being described. In Ms. Leigh Anne Milne's 3rd grade class, she has been practicing this very technique with her students.
Ms. Milne explained to her students that as 3rd-graders, they are reading more books without pictures. The author has to provide enough details through words for the reader to fully experience the story.
"We talk about how the reader can actually visualize what is happening when a writer uses sensory details... shares what the character in a story might be seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, or smelling... or explaining what emotions the character might be experiencing," said Ms. Milne.
As an activity, the students drew a "telling statement" from a box, and they had to write out a way to "show" it without using the words in the telling statement.
For example, Riley R. drew Halloween, and she described it like this:
It was night. I was scared. I got my friends and we knocked on people's doors. We stepped on people's lawns. "Tip toe," I said. And then knock knock.
The class is practicing moving from simply listing actions to adding more sensory and emotional detail so readers can better visualize the scene. They are also learning about using dialogue to help bring characters to life. The actual words spoken by a character helps the reader to visualize the action.
This kind of practice is one step in the gradual, long-term process of becoming a stronger writer. Students develop these skills over years through practice, feedback, and revision, moving from basic clarity to more purposeful and confident expression. Growth comes from consistent effort and reflection, not from any single lesson.
Watching this progress unfold, Sharky is proud of how our students grow into top-notch communicators over their years at JCDS.
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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