Name Punctuation practice: Glossary Apostrophe An apostrophe can show ownership or missing letters (it is it s). For ownership, the rules are: Singular owners add: s. Plural owners not ending in s add: s. Plural owners ending in s, add: s. Example: A zebra s stripes are like painted lines. However, the lines lengths can be different., Comma A comma separates parts of a sentence and can be similar to a pause in speech. Example: Although nobody is looking at her, one shy tortoise is still hiding. ( ) Brackets Brackets contain a piece of additional information put into the main sentence. We can also use commas to do this job. Example: The monkey (when he is bored) will get off the car. Dash A dash is used in informal writing. Example: The safari park looks great everyone loves it. : Colon A colon introduces more information. This information may be a list or a second clause adding information to the fi rst clause. Example: These animals are coming next week: a camel, a kangaroo and a parrot. Ellipsis Ellipsis is the name for three dots that show the writing is incomplete. Example: Before we knew it, the lion had escaped... PHOTOCOPIABLE 1
Name Punctuation practice: Glossary (cont...)! Exclamation mark An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence to express strong emotion. Example: What a climber that monkey is!? Question mark A question mark shows that the sentence wants an answer. Example: Which animal shall we visit next?. Full stop A full stop marks the end of a sentence. Example: The safari park is open to visitors. ; Semi colon A semi colon can join two sentences about the same topic into one sentence. Example: The seagulls are flying overhead; they are very graceful. - Hyphen A hyphen joins two words together. Example: There is a brilliant climbing-frame area in the park. Speech marks Speech marks signal the beginning and end of the words spoken by someone. Example: I m the king of the castle, shouted the monkey. PHOTOCOPIABLE 2
Teachers notes Use the following activities to help your class to get to grips with punctuation. Additional activities can be found on pages 26 27 of the July 09 issue of Junior Ed PLUS, as well as Photocopiables 4 7. Where applicable, differentiated activities are labelled using Park rangers (for less able or younger children) and Park keepers (for more able or older children). Start by reminding the children of the basics of punctuation: what punctuation marks are, what they are called, and when they are used. Allow for gaps or confusion in children s previous learning, and keep reinforcing the basic, sentence-ending punctuation marks. When teaching more troublesome marks, such as semi colons and apostrophes, try displaying a piece of text that the children are familiar with. As a class, work out why each punctuation mark has been used. Let the children use the text as a model as they write their own example sentences. Keep contexts meaningful; make activities fun; provide short oral games; encourage discussion and concentrate on a few punctuation marks each month, and your punctuation work will be successful. 1 Animal code As shown on the Interactive resource, Animal punctuation (available for subscribers at www. scholastic.co.uk/junioredplus), get the children to link a punctuation mark to part of an animal, person or scene in the safari park. The children will fi nd it fun and helpful if you all agree on an animal code: a sound or simple hand or body movement that reminds them of the animal and punctuation mark. (Sounds have not been included in the resource to allow children to choose their own.) Make the children familiar with the code by fi nding occasions to use it: when you are doing a short piece of modelled writing and when writing a notice for the classroom, for example. At fi rst, deliberately leave out punctuation, so the children use the code to tell you what marks to put where. 2 Taking dictation Play a game of Taking dictation in which partners, working separately, write a short text containing at least three different punctuation marks. In turn, they dictate their text to their partner secretary for writing. When they reach punctuation, they must use the animal code. (See Animal code above.) Will their secretary remember the code and punctuate what they write correctly? 3 Quick tip Apostrophes often cause confusion about when and where to use them. Focus on one function: possession. Use Photocopiables 1 and 2, Punctuation practice: Glossary to remind the children about the s or s rules. 4 Punctuation reputation Make regular new classroom notices without the necessary apostrophes for possession. For example: The days timetable; Todays weather; Childrens books; Boys team; Our class poems; Readers corner; Girls uniform. Make a distinctive, red apostrophe and give changing pairs of children the job of placing it. Warn them that the class punctuation reputation depends on them! 5 Advertising animals Explain that visitor numbers to the safari park are falling. Better advertising is urgently needed! Recommend a witty poem poster (written in draft form fi rst) advertising the fascinating characteristics of the present and expected safari park animals. Suggest a format of alternating singular and plural lines: For example: Our giraffe s neck is a sky-high crane, The kangaroos pouches are spacious cots, The... Use the poems to create a striking display. 6 Remember to stop! By Key Stage 2, children s knowledge of full stops is assumed to be secure. But, they still need to be practised. Find ways to reinforce children s accuracy with full stops, even when they are not the main focus. If the children are making up text containing, for example, possession apostrophes, ask them to write two sentences at a time. PHOTOCOPIABLE 3
Say what you mean Challenge your class to complete the following punctuation activities. Park rangers As a safari park ranger, read aloud the following sentences to your partner. When they think they hear a punctuation mark, they should hold up a fl ash card featuring it. Remember to use your voice to suggest what punctuation mark you mean. There are three ostriches. There are three ostriches! There are three ostriches? A monkey is missing? You have a place to picnic. You have a place to picnic? Fancy taking all the food! Fancy taking all the food? A monkey is missing! Park keepers Pretend to be the safari park keeper. Use a mixture of full stops, question marks and exclamation marks to complete the sentences below. There are three ostriches You have a place to picnic There are three ostriches There are three ostriches A monkey is missing A monkey is missing You have a place to picnic Fancy taking all the food Fancy taking all the food PHOTOCOPIABLE 4
Safari commas Challenge your class to complete the following punctuation activities. See Photocopiable 7, Punctuation practice: Answers for the answers. Park rangers Complete the following sentences, using a list in each one. Remember the comma rule. The park keeper wore a He carried a The keeper joked The visitors laughed Out of his pocket came There were Monkeys raced Children cheered The manager shouted The keeper packed up Park keepers Read the following text and make the meaning clearer by adding in the missing commas: Once Charley opened her sandwich she kept her eyes peeled. Although no animals were near her Charley was anxious to get eating. One colourful bird which had only appeared a short while ago was looking particularly hungry. Charley who had a good memory knew about peacocks. When she came here before she had lost all her lunch to two of them! If you took your eyes off your food for a moment it disappeared. She munched gobbled and swallowed. Even if she got indigestion she would not go hungry! PHOTOCOPIABLE 5
Safari apostrophes Challenge your class to complete the following punctuation activities. See Photocopiable 7, Punctuation practice: Answers for the answers. Park rangers Read the sentences below and look to see where the apostrophe appears. Decide if the owner is one or more, and draw a single animal face or a group of animal faces next to each sentence depending on your answer. The giraffes dish is in a convenient spot. You must take a peek in the pythons house. The lion cub s face looks very cute. The crocodiles pool is kept very clean. I bet that monkey is in trouble for scratching the visitor s windows! The peacock s favourite crumbs are under that boy s feet! Park keepers Fill in the missing possession apostrophes in the text below. You could underline the name of the owner and write a list of what singular or plural apostrophes you have used. Soon the café will be so busy! Outside, the waiters tray will be laden with drinks, sandwiches and childrens favourite snacks. The peacocks lunches will be good! A girls hand will drop her sandwich, those boys crisps will be on the ground, that mans chocolate biscuit will break, or a teachers muffi n will fall off the table. Those peacocks legs will be running everywhere! Inside, you will hear all sorts of noises: a chefs orders, both cooks pans and customers happy conversation. PHOTOCOPIABLE 6
Answers Below are the answers to the activities on Photocopiables 5, Punctuation practice: Safari commas and 6, Punctuation practice: Safari apostrophes Punctuation practice: Safari commas Park keepers answer Once Charley opened her sandwich, she kept her eyes peeled. Although no animals were near her, Charley was anxious to get eating. One colourful bird, which had only appeared a short while ago, was looking particularly hungry. Charley, who had a good memory, knew about peacocks. On her last visit, she had lost all her lunch to two of them! If you took your eyes off your food for a moment, it disappeared. She munched, gobbled and swallowed. Even if she got indigestion, she would not be hungry! Punctuation practice: Safari apostrophes Park rangers answers 1. group 2. one 3. one 4. group 5. group 6. one Park keepers answer Soon the café will be so busy! Outside, the waiter s tray will be laden with drinks, sandwiches and children s favourite snacks. The peacocks lunches will be good! A girl s hand will drop her sandwich, those boys crisps will be on the ground, that man s chocolate biscuit will break, or a teacher s muffi n will fall off the table. Those peacocks legs will be running everywhere! Inside, you will hear all sorts of noises: a chef s orders, both cooks pans and customers happy conversation. PHOTOCOPIABLE 7