Teaching students to use descriptive details to show-don't tell while writing narrative stories can be hard, but it doesn't have to be. This hands-on, interactive writing activity is designed to get kids communicating, collaborating, and thinking critically about using strong details in creative writing stories. It feels like a game, but it isn't!

Here's how it works. This resource includes 9 mini-story topics with 8 descriptive details each. The detail cards don't tell the whole story, and some can be used in more than one story even. Select 3 or 4 of the mini-stories and cut apart the detail cards. Then put the cards in a cup, bag, or hat and let the kids pick out a random detail.

Now the fun really begins! The kids have to find their teammates who have details that belong in the same story. To make this easier, there are 9 Story Signs you can print and post around the room to make grouping up easier. Your students will then use the Story Details Map to identify what kind of details they have, and which ones are still missing. Together, they organize the detail cards into a full story, then start to add more details to fully flesh out their story. To help out, there's a poster and bookmarks you can print and give to students as a reminder of what kind of details authors include in a good story.

To close out the activity, groups share their finished stories and explain what details they added. To keep the rest of the class fully engaged, you can have students construct the detail craft sticks. As the kids listen to each story, they hold up the stick that shows what kind of detail they heard. It's like an informal assessment that everyone can take an active part in.

My own students really love this activity because they never know who will end up in their story group. As a teacher, I love that the kids are actively engaged in conversations about writing and kids at all levels can participate and learn. It's like taking a model of good writing and then letting the kids build upon it.

Here's what's included:

• 9 mini-story topics (3 topics to one page)

• 8 story detail sentences per story topic

• 9 story signs

• 1 story detail mat

• 1 page of blank story detail cards to allow for teacher customization

• Sensory Detail Cards

• Sensory Details Poster

• Sensory Details Bookmarks (4 bookmarks to one page)

I'd love to hear how you use this resource in your classroom! Feel free to email me at iteachiwrite@yahoo.com with any questions or suggestions you may have.

Copyright © iTeach & iWrite by Betsy Newmeyer.

All rights reserved by the author.

Permission to use for single classroom use only.