Revising: A Testing Disaster (Narrative) - Part 2

Aim:
IWBAT revise my narrative, in order to show, not tell my characters' feelings and actions.

Showing is making it feel like the reader is actually there, like in a gripping story.
Telling is a list of actions and feelings. It's more like giving a summary of a story.

Tasks:
1. Do Now: capitalization and punctuation of dialogue:

• A: Review how to capitalize and punctuation dialogue correctly: Conventions Review
• B: Complete three different activities with quotations: Practice Activities
• C: Finished early? Then (and ONLY then), play Rags to Riches

2. BrainPop: Show, Not Tell

• Watch a BrainPop video about showing, not telling in writing.
• Answer the quiz questions on Socrative.

3. Showing, Not Telling: In writing, it's important that we show, rather than tell, our readers the action. Ways to show include:

• give sensory details (what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste)
• add figurative language (similes, metaphors, hyperboles, etc.)
• use strong action verbs
• write with precise language (say more with fewer words)
• don't state characters' feelings
• make it feel like the reader is there

4. Practice Revising to Show, Not Tell: Click Here


5. Narrative Share: Read and comment on 2-3 different teammates' narratives. For each narrative, write at least 2 pieces of feedback: 1 positive (Something I loved...) and 1 constructive (Something you could improve...). Today, give feedback regarding places the author has done a good job of showing and places he/she has told and needs to do a better job of showing.

• Find links to your teammates' narratives here.
• Remember, you can make comments by clicking Comment in the Insert menu, or you can just click Ctrl + Alt + M.

6. Revise Your Narrative to Show, Not Tell: Now reread your own narrative and find places where you have told, rather than showed. Then, replace this language to better show. Use the tips listed in Task #3 above.

• Remember, you are never finished revising! Of course, there are always better ways to continue showing, not telling. When you review your narrative, look for places to add information or take out feelings and show them.
• If you think you are done, keep going.
• If you think you are done again, still keep going.
• If you think you are done again again, then start revising for other skills. (Look for places to add details, take out things that are boring or unimportant, or work on your revision goals from the end of class yesterday).

7. Show Off Your Revising Skills: 
 

Homework: Dialogue #1