Lesson Plan: The Art of Showing
Unit: The Writer's Toolkit | Time: 75 minutes
Lesson Sequence (75 Minutes)
1. Starter: Charades (10 mins)
Teacher Action: Write a simple emotion on a piece of paper (e.g., "angry," "excited," "nervous"). Have a student volunteer come to the front and act out the emotion without using any words. The class must guess the emotion.
Student Action: Students guess the emotion. Discuss: "How did you know they were angry? You saw their clenched fists, their red face. They *showed* you, they didn't *tell* you. Writing works the same way."
2. Introduction: Showing vs. Telling (10 mins)
Teacher Action: Introduce the concept using the "messy room" example from the handout. Emphasise that telling gives information, but showing creates an experience.
Student Action: Students read the definitions and examples on their handout.
3. "I Do": Showing with Pūrākau (15 mins)
Teacher Action: Explain that Māori pūrākau (legends) are masters of showing. Instead of saying "Māui was strong," the stories show his strength through his incredible actions.
Telling: "Kupe was a great navigator."
Showing (inspired by pūrākau): "Kupe followed the path of the stars, his eyes tracing the silver line of Te Ika-o-te-Rangi. He felt the shift of the wind on his skin and tasted the salt spray to know his direction. He read the migration path of the godwits and the colour of the water, his waka cutting a true line across the vast, empty ocean."
Teacher Action: Model how the "showing" example uses specific actions and sensory details to prove Kupe's skill without ever saying the word "great" or "skilled."
Student Action: Students listen and identify the specific details that "show" Kupe's expertise.
4. "We Do": Guided Brainstorm (15 mins)
Teacher Action: Direct students to the "Deconstruction" task on the handout ("The girl was nervous..."). As a class, brainstorm all the ways a person might "show" they are nervous (e.g., tapping fingers, sweaty palms, shaky voice, avoiding eye contact).
Student Action: Students contribute to the brainstorm, creating a bank of details they can use in their own writing.
5. "You Do": Independent Application (20 mins)
Teacher Action: Instruct students to complete the "Application" task, rewriting the paragraph about the old man. Encourage them to use details from all five senses if possible.
Student Action: Students work independently to rewrite the paragraph.
6. Plenary: Movie Scene (5 mins)
Teacher Action: Ask a few volunteers to read their rewritten paragraphs. Ask the class to close their eyes and try to "see" the scene as it's being read. Discuss what details were most effective in creating a mental movie.
Student Action: Students share their work and listen for vivid details.
Differentiation & Teacher Notes
- Support: Provide a "sensory chart" with five columns (Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, Taste) to help students brainstorm details before they start writing the application task.
- Extension: Challenge students to write a short paragraph that "shows" a complex emotion, such as jealousy, regret, or relief.
- Cultural Note: The actions of figures in pūrākau are often more important than what is said about them. Their character is revealed through what they do, which is the essence of "Show, Don't Tell."
Te ao Māori enriches this learning area. Whakapapa (thinking in relationships), tikanga (purposeful protocols), and manaakitanga (caring for all learners) are frameworks that apply as much to literacy and writing as to any other domain. Centre these alongside Western frameworks to honour the full range of students' knowledge systems.
Curriculum alignment
- English — Writing: Students will construct and communicate meaning using language features appropriate to purpose and audience.
- Social Sciences: Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.