From Feelings to Action: Mastering “Show, Don’t Tell” for Grade 4 

This Grade 4 worksheet focuses on the powerful narrative writing technique “Show, Don’t Tell” using the story “The Lost Homework.” Instead of simply stating emotions, students learn how writers reveal feelings through actions, dialogue, expressions, and descriptive details. 

Through comprehension questions, sentence rewriting, multiple-choice practice, fill-in-the-blanks, and creative writing tasks, learners discover how small details—like a fast heartbeat or a whispered question—help readers understand emotions without directly naming them. This worksheet builds stronger descriptive writing skills and improves storytelling depth. 

Why “Show, Don’t Tell” Matters in Narrative Writing? 

This skill is important because: 
1. It makes stories more vivid and engaging. 
2. It helps readers imagine scenes clearly. 
3. It strengthens descriptive vocabulary. 
4. It teaches students to express emotions through actions instead of simply naming them. 

What’s Inside This Worksheet? 

🧠 Exercise 1 – Action-Based Comprehension 
Students answer questions about how Aarav’s feelings are shown through actions and descriptive words in the story. 

✏️ Exercise 2 – Rewrite to Show 
Students transform “telling” sentences like “Riya was excited” into “showing” sentences using actions and expressions. 

📋 Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice Questions 
Students choose the correct answers to identify emotions, descriptive techniques, and key story details. 

📝 Exercise 4 – Fill in the Blanks 
Students complete character-related concepts that reinforce how writers reveal traits and emotions. 

🎭 Exercise 5 – Create Your Own “Show, Don’t Tell” Sentence 
Students choose an emotion (happiness, anger, surprise, or fear) and write a sentence that shows it through actions.

ANSWER KEY (For Parents & Educators) 

Exercise 1 – Answer the Questions 

1. Aarav was feeling nervous and worried at the beginning. 
2. We know he was nervous because he searched his bag again and again, and his heart started beating fast. 
3. He grabbed the notebook, smiled with relief, and rushed to show it to his teacher. 
4. Words like “searched his bag again and again,” “heart started beating fast,” “whispered,” and “smiled with relief” help us picture what happened. 

Exercise 2 – Sample “Show” Sentences 

1. Riya was excited. 
Showing: Riya jumped up and down, her eyes shining as she waved her ticket in the air. 

2. Arjun was sad. 
Showing: Arjun stared at the floor, his shoulders drooping as tears rolled down his cheeks. 

3. The class was noisy. 
Showing: Students shouted across the room, chairs scraped loudly on the floor, and papers flew everywhere. 
(Answers may vary.) 

Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice 

1. b) Fear 
2. a) By describing his heartbeat and actions 
3. b) His notebook 
4. c) From nervous to relieved 

Exercise 4 – Fill in the Blanks 

1. main 
2. feelings 
3. actions and dialogue 
4. support / help 
5. traits 
(Answers may vary slightly based on wording.) 

Exercise 5 – Sample Sentence 

Happiness – She clapped her hands, laughed out loud, and spun around the room with a wide grin. 
(Answers may vary.) 

Help your child transform simple sentences into powerful, descriptive storytelling with guided “Show, Don’t Tell” practice. 
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