Curated OER
Colon and Semicolon Rules
Are your kids always mixing up the colon and the semicolon? Help make their purpose clear with this short presentation. Thirteen slides offer explanations, examples, and a short practice opportunity. Although it serves its purpose, the...
Curated OER
Apostrophes
After “a brief history of the abused apostrophe” viewers are introduced to the various rules for the use of this punctuation. Model sentences are included.
Curated OER
Contractions
In this contractions worksheet, students review the definition of a contraction and study the two words in the word box: has not, we have, does not, I have, there is, what is, and he is. Students then write out the 16 contractions from...
Curated OER
Highway of Words
The punctuation police are here! Dress up as a police officer, and teach your young learners the importance of using correct punctuation. Two poorly written paragraphs are presented to the learners, and they have to correct the errors in...
Curated OER
Sentence Sense
Learners determine several different types of appropriate punctuation, depending on intended meaning. They differentiate between possible meanings and expressions with added punctuation. Afterward, they work with a partner to create and...
Curated OER
Bulleted Lists: punctuating items in vertical lists
What is easier to read: a bulleted list or a block of text? Look at different examples with your class and then go over the style guidelines for vertical lists.
Curated OER
Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation
Elementary schoolers explore writing conventions. First they play a ball toss game to practice spelling high frequency words. (A link to a 2nd grade list is attached.) The class works together to correct spelling, punctuation, and...
Curated OER
Capitalization and Punctuation
First and second graders explore writing conventions. They add question marks or periods to the end of teacher generated sentences on sentence strips. They locate punctuation marks in poems and write original sentences using appropriate...
Curated OER
Run-On Sentences
Have you seen run-on sentences in your learners' writing lately? If you're looking to address this issue, you might use this run-on sentence handout as a reference sheet. This handout lists examples of run-on sentences as well as...
Curated OER
Round Robin Post-It Review
Learners of all ages participate in a unique review activity. They work in a small group setting on individual review questions designed by the teacher. Each individual answers a key review question on a notecard or sticky note and...
Curated OER
Punctuation Exercise
Are you looking for a way to practice tricky punctuation? Use this learning exercise as a homework assignment or warm-up activity. Young grammarians are given 20 sentences to punctuate using semicolons, colons, dashes, quotation marks,...
Curated OER
Every Day Edit - Jim Henson's Muppets
Read about Jim Henson's Muppets! Cut this instructional activity in two, so that each learner can have a bell-ringer activity. As they read the excerpt, they correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors.
Curated OER
Pair Editing
Practice thinking critically and editing by finding basic errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Partners read the stories What's Up? and Cold Water Clean. They look for and edit any mistakes they find. Worksheets are available...
Curated OER
Comma Splices, Fragments, and Run-Ons
Differentiate between comma splices, fragments, and run-ons with this handout. Each punctuation error is coupled with distinct definitions and examples. Though this handout does not require learner participation, it is a useful guide for...
Curated OER
Get Rid of "And"
Run-on sentences using and are all too common in our youngsters' writing. Have them read these different paragraphs to determine where they can remove some of the ands. Consider doing this activity as a whole class on the overhead or...
Curated OER
Sentence Combining
After a demonstration by the teacher of how to combine sentences, groups read a story loaded with short, choppy sentences and work together to combine sentences to create a more interesting tale. They record their version on a...
Curated OER
Nouns Used as Interrupters Review
Need to assess your pupils’ understanding of noun phrases used as appositives, as direct address, or as parenthetical phrases? Use this two-page worksheet to determine their level of mastery of these terms and their punctuation. Your...
Curated OER
Humor, Rhetoric, and Prose Styles
A handful of quotes are presented in these slides referencing writing and rewriting. Learners will be encouraged by well-known writers to practice, grow and refrain from perfectionism. Quotes also reference how to write for your audience...
Curated OER
Colons, Dashes, Hyphens, and Parentheses
When should you use a colon, dash, or hyphen? Middle schoolers insert different types of punctuation marks into given sentences. Rules for usage are included in each example.
Curated OER
Using Speech Marks: Quotations
Provide your class with a review of the appropriate way to punctuate dialogue. This presentation goes through a detailed explanation of the use of quotation marks in writing and provides learners with a variety of examples to cement...
Curated OER
Capitalization and Punctuation
These passages don't look right! It's your grammarians to the rescue as they correct capitalization and punctuation issues in two informational paragraphs. They must circle all words missing a capital letter and fill in blanks where end...
Curated OER
Writing Review 3
After reviewing basic capitalization and punctuation rules, give your young grammarians this four-question quiz to assess their understanding of the most basic English language conventions.
Curated OER
Stop Talking
Third, fourth, and fifth graders practice the correct usage of grammar rules through the editing and correction of a variety of poorly written paragraphs. You create (or find) the paragraphs, as they are not provided here. And be sure to...
Curated OER
When Finished With Writing Check For
There are no tasks attached to this link. However, this resource could be used to help young writers remember what to look for as they edit their work. They check for capitals, understanding, punctuation, and spelling. As they check...