Punctuation Power

From the desk of Leigh Ann . . .

I just read this example of the power of punctuation:

An English professor wrote these words on the board and tasked his students with applying the correct punctuation.  a woman without her man is nothing

The males in class wrote, “A woman, without her man, is nothing.”

The females in class wrote, “A woman: without her, man is nothing.”

Punctuation is indeed a powerful thing!  Our growing writers need to be aware of the potential of their pencils. One way we can help instill the importance of punctuation is through teacher modeling during a quick daily edit. Kindergartners through high schoolers can benefit from the study and practice of proper punctuation usage.

Let’s face it, our language conventions can be a bit tricky, but one sentence a day can boost editing skills. In just a couple of minutes you can hit capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Write an age appropriate sentence on the board with no capital letters or punctuation:

did you see mary run

Then have your students put on their editors’ hats and make the needed corrections while discussing the process.

Did you see Mary run?

Here are a few resources for grammar, punctuation, and capitalization:

Grammar Book: https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp

Education World offers Daily Edits for 4th graders and above. Check it out here:   Daily Edit 

You might kick off your study with one of these picture books:

Punctuation Takes a Vacation

Punctuation Celebration

             

You also might like Jan Richardson’s Punctuation Rap 

The Punctuation Rap is a game we play,

It’s fun to do, and we can learn that way.

Take the period, the period, he’s not hard to understand.

You’ll find him at the end of a statement or command.

He marks abbreviations, shortens words that are long.

Don’t forget the period; he’s small but strong.

Question mark, question mark, what did you say?

He follows a question, that’s the only way.

”Wow, Awesome, Rad, Hurray!”

The exclamation mark is next; he’s excited to play.

Don’t use him too much, he won’t be special that way.

The comma is next; he is used a lot.

He can separate a list of some groceries you’ve bought.

You’ll find him in the middle of the year and the date,

Between two adjectives, or a city and state.

You can join two sentences with a “but” or an “and,”

Just remember the comma, he will give you a hand.

So remember this rap; it will make you smart.

Punctuation is easy; you can learn it by heart!

Go to  Jan Richardson’s Resources

Scroll down to the Guided Writing section and check out her Punctuation Rap to hear it all.