Emotion Showcasing

This narrative revision worksheet teaches students how to show emotions instead of telling them. Students are given five simple “telling” sentences that directly name a feeling. Their task is to rewrite each sentence so the emotion is revealed through actions, facial expressions, body language, and sensory details rather than emotion words.

By revising each sentence, students learn how writers communicate feelings indirectly, creating more vivid, believable characters.

Learning Goals

• Descriptive Writing Techniques
  Replace vague emotion words with concrete actions and details.
• Showing vs. Telling in Narratives
  Understand how behavior and imagery convey feelings.
• Using Sensory & Action Details
  Incorporate movement, expression, and physical response.
• Character Development Through Behavior
  Reveal emotions through what characters do and how they react.

Instructional Benefits

• Builds Narrative Depth
  Helps students create more engaging, realistic writing.
• Encourages Creative Thinking
  Promotes multiple ways to express the same emotion.
• Strengthens Revision Skills
  Focuses on improving sentences rather than starting from scratch.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for narrative writing units, mini-lessons, writing workshops, or intervention practice.

The Emotion Showcasing worksheet helps students move beyond basic emotional labels to vivid, show-don’t-tell writing. By learning to express feelings through action and detail, students strengthen character development and gain essential tools for effective storytelling.

This worksheet is part of our Show, Don’t Tell Techniques Worksheets collection.