Whoa!
Sit like cowboys and cowgirls by straddling chairs. When you come to a period, children pretend to pull back on the reins as they say, “Whoa!”
Walk and Read
Capital - Capital letters are at the beginning of a sentence. They tell you to “GO.” Have children stand every time you come to a capital letter.
Word Walk – Step in place for each word.
Period - Periods tell you when to stop. Sit down when you come to a period.
Question Mark – Shrug shoulders.
Exclamation Point – Jump.
Comma - Hop for a comma.
Quotations -Two fingers in the air and wiggle.
*Children can also take a small step in place for every word they read.
Correct the Teacher
Walk and Read
Capital - Capital letters are at the beginning of a sentence. They tell you to “GO.” Have children stand every time you come to a capital letter.
Word Walk – Step in place for each word.
Period - Periods tell you when to stop. Sit down when you come to a period.
Question Mark – Shrug shoulders.
Exclamation Point – Jump.
Comma - Hop for a comma.
Quotations -Two fingers in the air and wiggle.
*Children can also take a small step in place for every word they read.
Correct the Teacher
Write the morning message and other things on the board and read without proper punctuation. Let children correct you!
*Write nursery rhymes and other familiar poems with unusual punctuation.
Statements and Questions
*Write nursery rhymes and other familiar poems with unusual punctuation.
*Read a story in a monotone voice without pausing to help children realize the importance of punctuation.
Punctuation Sticks
Use jumbo craft sticks or paint sticks for this activity. Draw a “.” “?” and “!” on the end of each stick with a marker. Write simple sentences on the board. Take one stick at a time and place it at the end of a sentence. Children practice reading with that expression.
ABC?
Say the abc’s according to the punctuation marks.
A B C.
D E F ?
G H I J!
K L M ?
N O P !
Q R S T.
U V W?
X Y Z!
ABC?
Say the abc’s according to the punctuation marks.
A B C.
D E F ?
G H I J!
K L M ?
N O P !
Q R S T.
U V W?
X Y Z!
Statements and Questions
Seal envelopes and cut in half as shown to make a puppet. Make a period on one side and a question mark on the other side. If the teacher says a question the children hold up the question mark. If the teacher makes a statement they hold up the period.
Glass Pebbles
Let children use glass pebbles to find punctuation in books and magazines.
*Can they tally how many periods, exclamation, and question marks they find on a selected page?
What Is a Sentence (Tune: “Where Is Thumbkin?”)
What is a sentence?
What is a sentence?
A complete thought.
A complete thought.
It starts with a capital letter.
It starts with a capital letter.
And ends with a punctuation mark.
And ends with a punctuation mark.
Glass Pebbles
Let children use glass pebbles to find punctuation in books and magazines.
*Can they tally how many periods, exclamation, and question marks they find on a selected page?
What Is a Sentence (Tune: “Where Is Thumbkin?”)
What is a sentence?
What is a sentence?
A complete thought.
A complete thought.
It starts with a capital letter.
It starts with a capital letter.
And ends with a punctuation mark.
And ends with a punctuation mark.
