| Would you waste money on an opera ticket for | | | | weeds are 30 cm tall.e.g. he goes off to the |
| this guy? | | | | hardware store - and takes 4 hours to get |
| | | | back. |
| 'Of course I love opera,' he said, foot | | | | |
| tapping restlessly. | | | | When the list is long and interesting, get |
| | | | kids to pick a few things and write a |
| Research has shown that the old adage is | | | | paragraph to 'show' exactly what Dad feels |
| true: Actions (such as a foot tapping) do | | | | about gardening. |
| speak louder than words. So when we write, we | | | | |
| should 'show' with actions, not 'tell' with | | | | I often give younger kids an opening sentence |
| words. | | | | as it helps them to focus. |
| | | | |
| Kids like to state outright: 'Michael was in | | | | 'What great weather we've got for the working |
| a bad mood.' However to make it convincing | | | | bee,' said Mum, pulling on her gardening |
| they should actually show Michael in action. | | | | gloves. |
| | | | |
| List what a teenager would do if he came home | | | | They can ignore this of course if they have a |
| annoyed: | | | | better idea. |
| | | | |
| * Slam the front door | | | | To reinforce the skill, students can do this |
| | | | every morning for a week. Here are some |
| * Throw his bag into the bedroom | | | | sample topics: |
| | | | |
| * Kick off his shoes | | | | A teacher is about to get married.e.g. Her |
| | | | nails are always painted so she can flash the |
| * Head to the kitchen - and the fridge | | | | ring around. |
| | | | |
| * Complain there was no food. | | | | Opening sentence: 'Now, next term I won't be |
| | | | here of course,' said Miss Bettersley... |
| So now you have the ideas, it's easy to put | | | | |
| this all together into a paragraph. | | | | A parent and a kid are always fighting about |
| | | | playing computer games.e.g. Kid flicks the |
| She was just powering down the computer when | | | | screen off every time the parent comes in. |
| the door slammed. Michael was home. | | | | |
| | | | Opening sentence: 'How did the Maths test |
| 'Hi,' she called. 'How was school?' | | | | go?' I was barely home from school and Mum |
| | | | was on my back again. |
| There was a grunt, barely heard, and then the | | | | |
| sound of a bag hitting the bedroom floor | | | | The new neighbours are a pain.e.g. The radio |
| hard. Not good. She sighed and headed into | | | | plays loud sport every weekend in their back |
| the kitchen. Michael was already there, | | | | garden. |
| staring with slumped shoulders into the open | | | | |
| fridge. | | | | Opening sentence: 'Hey Mate, can you turn the |
| | | | footy down a bit?' yelled Dad over the fence. |
| 'Darn,' he said, shoving the door shut hard. | | | | |
| 'There's never anything to eat in this | | | | A girl thinks a guy is really hot, but is too |
| house!' | | | | shy to tell him. (Or vice versa)e.g. She |
| | | | stammers and mumbles when they talk. |
| She took a deep breath and counted to ten | | | | |
| before she replied. | | | | Opening sentence: 'Isn't that Ken over |
| | | | there?' asked Shelly. |
| Showing, (not telling) takes longer to do, | | | | |
| but it brings characters to life and is far | | | | Remember the chunking concept. Don't get kids |
| more convincing too. | | | | to write a whole story, just one paragraph. |
| | | | |
| Ask your kids to brainstorm about 20 things | | | | (c) Jen McVeity, National Literacy Champion. |
| that 'show' a Dad hates gardening.e.g. the | | | | |