Struggling to get students to move beyond “He was sad” or “She was excited”?
This free resource gives you a framework to teach Show, Don’t Tell - without the overwhelm.
Instead of telling students to “add more detail,” this scaffold supports them with the how.
🧠 What this resource does:
It helps students:
✔ Break down an emotion into actions, voice, and body language
✔ Build sentences step-by-step (perfect for struggling writers)
✔ Understand what “show, don’t tell” actually looks like in practice
✔ A blank Show, Don’t Tell graphic organiser
✔ 5 worked exemplars (perfect for modelling and discussion)
✔ A list of 30 student-friendly emotions (differentiated for age levels)
✔ A simple explanation of where “show, don’t tell” comes from
Years 3–10
Students who struggle to expand ideas in writing
Dyslexic and neurodivergent learners who benefit from explicit scaffolding
Tutors and teachers wanting a quick, high-impact writing activity
Struggling to get students to move beyond “He was sad” or “She was excited”?
This free resource gives you a framework to teach Show, Don’t Tell - without the overwhelm.
Instead of telling students to “add more detail,” this scaffold supports them with the how.
🧠 What this resource does:
It helps students:
✔ Break down an emotion into actions, voice, and body language
✔ Build sentences step-by-step (perfect for struggling writers)
✔ Understand what “show, don’t tell” actually looks like in practice
✔ A blank Show, Don’t Tell graphic organiser
✔ 5 worked exemplars (perfect for modelling and discussion)
✔ A list of 30 student-friendly emotions (differentiated for age levels)
✔ A simple explanation of where “show, don’t tell” comes from
Years 3–10
Students who struggle to expand ideas in writing
Dyslexic and neurodivergent learners who benefit from explicit scaffolding
Tutors and teachers wanting a quick, high-impact writing activity
