OwlSheets.com

Name Date

Dialogue and Description: The Pottery Wheel

Show how characters respond with their words and with details.

Answer Key

Read the story

Read the story. Notice what the characters say and do.

The Pottery Wheel

1Priya had been waiting all week for her first turn at the pottery wheel. On Saturday morning, she tied on a stiff canvas apron and sat down on the low stool. The wheel was flat and gray, and a lump of wet clay sat in the middle like a scoop of chocolate pudding. Her friend Leo was already working at the next wheel, his hands slick and brown up to the wrists.

2"Keep your elbows on your knees," said Mr. Okafor, the teacher. "Press gently, and let the wheel do the work." Priya pressed the pedal, and the wheel began to hum. The clay spun so fast that it made her dizzy. She cupped her hands around it, but the lump wobbled and bumped against her palms like a restless puppy.

3Slowly, the clay rose into a short, smooth tower. Priya pushed her thumbs into the top to open up a bowl. "Look, Leo!" she called. "It's actually working!" Her heart thumped, and she leaned in closer. She pressed a little harder to make the walls thinner.

4Then the walls began to sag. One side folded over, then the other, and the whole bowl slumped into a flat, muddy pancake. Priya lifted her foot off the pedal. Her shoulders sank, and her cheeks burned. "I ruined it," she muttered, staring at the mess.

5Leo rolled his stool over. "Do you know how many pancakes I made last month?" he asked. "Seven. I counted." Priya let out a small laugh in spite of herself. Mr. Okafor scooped up the clay, squeezed it into a ball and set it back on the wheel. "Every potter starts with a few pancakes," he said with a grin. "Try again, and this time, stop pressing when the walls feel even." Priya wiped her hands on her apron, took a deep breath and pressed the pedal.

Dialogue and description

Answer the questions about the story.

1.
Sort each line from the story. Is it dialogue or description?
Priya tied on a stiff canvas apron."Keep your elbows on your knees.""I ruined it."The wheel was flat and gray.One side folded over, then the other."Every potter starts with a few pancakes."
Dialogue (words a character says)Description (what characters do, see or feel)
"Keep your elbows on your knees."
"I ruined it."
"Every potter starts with a few pancakes."
Priya tied on a stiff canvas apron.
The wheel was flat and gray.
One side folded over, then the other.
2.
Read paragraph 2 again. Underline the two sentences that use description to show what the spinning clay is like.

"Keep your elbows on your knees," said Mr. Okafor, the teacher."Press gently, and let the wheel do the work."Priya pressed the pedal, and the wheel began to hum.The clay spun so fast that it made her dizzy.She cupped her hands around it, but the lump wobbled and bumped against her palms like a restless puppy.

3.
In paragraph 3, Priya calls out, "Look, Leo! It's actually working!" What do her words show about how she feels?
  • A. She is bored and wants to stop soon.
  • B. She is angry that Leo is watching her.
  • C. She is excited that her bowl is taking shape.
  • D. She is sad that the wheel is too slow.
4.
Which sentence from paragraph 4 uses description to show how Priya feels about her fallen bowl?
  • A. Then the walls began to sag.
  • B. Her shoulders sank, and her cheeks burned.
  • C. One side folded over, then the other.
  • D. Priya lifted her foot off the pedal.
5.
In paragraph 5, why does the writer include Leo's words about making seven pancakes?
  • A. To show that Leo wants Priya to leave her wheel.
  • B. To show that Leo is bragging about his own bowls.
  • C. To show that Leo needs help fixing his own wheel.
  • D. To show that Leo is trying to cheer Priya up.
6.
Match each description from the story to what it shows.
  1. his hands slick and brown up to the wristsB
  2. a lump of wet clay sat in the middle like a scoop of chocolate puddingD
  3. let out a small laugh in spite of herselfA
  4. wiped her hands on her apron, took a deep breathC
  1. A. Leo's joke makes Priya feel a little better.
  2. B. Leo has been working with clay for a while.
  3. C. Priya calms herself so she can try again.
  4. D. The clay is soft and ready to be shaped.
7.
A writer wrote, "Leo was nervous before his first class." Which revision uses dialogue to show how Leo feels?
  • A. Leo's hands shook as he tied his apron strings.
  • B. Leo said, "I can't wait to get my hands messy!"
  • C. Leo said, "My stomach feels full of fluttering butterflies."
  • D. Leo was very, very nervous before his first class.
8.
Which sentence uses description to show that the pottery room is busy and noisy?
  • A. The pottery room was very busy and very noisy that day.
  • B. "This room is busy and noisy," Priya told Leo.
  • C. The pottery room had six wheels, a sink and two shelves.
  • D. Wheels hummed, stools scraped, and someone at the sink laughed.

Write with dialogue and description

Use dialogue and description in your own writing.

9.
Dialogue: Priya tries again, and this time her bowl stays up. Write two or three lines of dialogue between Priya and Leo or Mr. Okafor that show how they respond.

"Leo, look! The walls are standing up!" Priya said. "No pancake this time," Leo cheered. Mr. Okafor nodded and said, "You stopped pressing at just the right moment."

10.
Description: Write one or two sentences of description that show how Priya feels when she sees her finished bowl. Do not use the words happy or proud.

A huge grin spread across Priya's face. She leaned so close to the bowl that her nose almost touched the clay.

11.
Your own scene: Write three or four sentences about a character who tries something new. Use at least one line of dialogue and one sentence of description to show how the character responds.

Marcus wobbled on his new roller skates and grabbed the rail. His knees shook like jelly. "Don't let go of me yet!" he yelped to his sister. When he finally rolled forward on his own, he whooped and threw his arms in the air.