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Show, Don't Tell: Describing Feelings in Stories — Answers

Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 4 narrative writing worksheet.

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Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 4 · English · Narrative Writing

Show, Don't Tell: Describing Feelings in Stories — Answers

Part A: How does the character feel?

The writer does not name the feeling. Use the clues to work it out.

1.Leo's hands shook as he walked onto the stage. He swallowed hard.
  1. Anervous
  2. Bangry
  3. Cexcited
  4. Dtired

Answer: nervous

Shaking hands and swallowing hard show that Leo is nervous.

2.Ella stomped her feet and slammed the door behind her.
  1. Anervous
  2. Bangry
  3. Cexcited
  4. Dtired

Answer: angry

Stomping and slamming the door show that Ella is angry.

3.Raj bounced up and down and shouted, "We're going to the beach!"
  1. Anervous
  2. Bangry
  3. Cexcited
  4. Dtired

Answer: excited

Bouncing and shouting about the beach show that Raj is excited.

4.Nina yawned, rubbed her eyes and rested her head on the desk.
  1. Anervous
  2. Bangry
  3. Cexcited
  4. Dtired

Answer: tired

Yawning and rubbing her eyes show that Nina is tired.

Part B: Show or tell?

Circle show or tell.

5.Sam was sad.
  1. Ashow
  2. Btell

Answer: tell

The writer just names the feeling, so this is telling.

6.A tear rolled down Sam's cheek and he stared at the floor.
  1. Ashow
  2. Btell

Answer: show

The tear and staring at the floor let us see that Sam is sad, so this is showing.

7.Maya grinned from ear to ear and hugged her new puppy.
  1. Ashow
  2. Btell

Answer: show

The grin and the hug show that Maya is happy.

8.Maya was happy.
  1. Ashow
  2. Btell

Answer: tell

The writer names the feeling, so this is telling.

Part C: Turn tell into show

Think about what the character does, says and how their body reacts.

9.Tell: Ben was scared. Rewrite it to show Ben is scared.

Answer: Any sentence that shows fear through actions or the body, e.g. Ben froze. His heart thumped and he pulled the blanket over his head.

10.Tell: Zoe was proud. Rewrite it to show Zoe is proud.

Answer: Any sentence that shows pride, e.g. Zoe held up her trophy, stood up tall and smiled at everyone in the room.

11.Tell: The boy was cold. Rewrite it to show the boy is cold.

Answer: Any sentence that shows cold, e.g. The boy's teeth chattered and he wrapped his arms around himself.

Part D: True or false?

12.Show sentences help the reader picture what is happening.

Answer: True

Readers can imagine the actions and work out the feeling themselves.

13.A show sentence must always name the feeling.

Answer: False

A show sentence gives clues so the reader can work out the feeling.

Part E: Your turn

14.Your turn: write a short paragraph (three to five sentences) about a character waiting to open a big present. Show that the character is excited without using the word excited.

Model answer: Ava could not sit still. She tapped her fingers on the box and pressed her ear against it. "Can I open it now?" she begged for the tenth time. When Grandpa finally nodded, she tore at the paper so fast that bits flew everywhere.

Success criteria:

  • Three to five sentences about the character and the present
  • The word excited is not used
  • Actions show the feeling
  • Words the character says, or body language, show the feeling
  • Capital letters and correct end marks
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Marking tips

  • Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
  • For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
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