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Lesson Plan: Introducing Punctuation

Subject: Language Arts Grade: One Length: 1 hour

Lesson: Part one of a multi-lesson unit on punctuation Date: Jan. 25th, 2017

Reading and Writing Achievement Standards:

Reading Achievement Standards

Students will:
read familiar texts fluently with expression, attending to punctuation; may hesitate with
unfamiliar words
use basic punctuation (e.g., periods, question marks, exclamation marks) to support
comprehension

Writing Achievement Standards

Students will:
use periods to end most simple sentences; may use exclamation and question marks correctly

Language Arts Curriculum: Grade One

General Curriculum Outcome:

4. Students will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature,
information, media, and visual texts.

Specific Curriculum Outcome: EARLY (grade 1-2)

Students will be expected to:
-expand their understanding of concepts of print - punctuation in text serves a purpose

General Curriculum Outcome:

10. Students will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and media products
to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness.

Specific Curriculum Outcome: EARLY (grade 1-2)

Students will be expected to use some conventions of written language:
- attempt to use punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation marks)

Learning Goals:
I know what exclamation marks, question marks, periods and commas mean when I am reading.
I can use expression when I read a sentence with an exclamation mark, question mark, period, or
comma.
I can write sentences for telling, sentences for yelling and sentences for asking.
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Materials:
I can statements/ learning goals poster In the Language arts binder on the shelf behind the
teachers desk
I Spy punctuation marks Attached to lesson plan. These need to be placed
around the classroom
Dot the giraffe reading strategy poster In Language arts binder on the shelf behind the
teachers desk
Dot the giraffe (stuffed animal) In Tupperware bin at the back of the classroom
Punctuation anchor chart In storage shelf at the back of the room. This
should be hung up on the wall once introduced
Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late- Mo Willems On the bookshelf behind teachers desk
Pigeon speech bubble sheets Attached to lesson plan
Chart Paper (for modelling writing) On trolley next to the carpet
Students journals On the shelf located on the left side of the
classroom near the trolley

Lesson Plan:

Hook/ Introduction: (5 minutes)

Have students gather on the carpet. Students should sit in their circle spots.
Ask students if they know what punctuation marks are? Explain that punctuation marks make the
meaning of sentences clearer.
Ask students if they can think of some punctuation marks they have seen? (We are going to focus
on exclamation points, question marks, periods, and to a lesser extent commas.)
Explain to students that there are punctuation marks hiding around the room. Students must
search, I Spy style (remaining in their spots) and find the punctuation marks. When a student
locates a punctuation mark they may raise their hand and tell the teacher they have found one and
then go grab it and show it to the class. Students are given the chance to explain the meaning of
each punctuation mark.
The teacher will show and explain the learning goals for the lesson. The poster of the learning
goals will be put on the wall.
Explicit Instruction/ Modelled Practice: (15 minutes)
Students will remain on the carpet in their circle spots.
The teacher explains that today we will be learning more about these four types of punctuation
marks.
Students will be introduced to a new reading strategy : Dot the Giraffe
o The teacher will present Dot the stuffed giraffe as visual aid to remind students about
punctuation.
o Dot the Giraffe teaches that readers must look at the punctuation and read with the
appropriate expression corresponding to the punctuation.
Using the punctuation anchor chart, the teacher will explain to students the purpose of each of the
four punctuation marks:
o A period is for telling
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o An exclamation mark is for yelling (elaborate that yelling can mean you are excited about
something or upset about something)
o A question mark is for asking
o A comma is for pausing
While explaining each punctuation meaning, the teacher will also introduce corresponding
actions to each punctuation mark. Using actions to represent punctuation utilizes kinesthetic
learning, and will help reinforce the meaning of each punctuation mark.
o Period: clap both hands on legs to represent a full stop
o Question mark: raise arms and shoulders in a questioning shrug to represent a question
mark
o Exclamation point: Students raise their hands above their heads to represent the
excitement portrayed by an exclamation mark
o Comma: push both hands out in front of you to represent pausing for a comma
Using the sentence You like pizza have the students verbalize the different ways you would say
this sentence depending on the ending punctuation, using: a period, an exclamation mark, and a
question mark.

Guided/ Directed Practice: (15 minutes)

Read Aloud- Dont Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! Mo Willems
o Teacher models reading the first few pages, emphasizing the expression used for each
punctuation mark, and recapping what each one means.
o On certain pages ask students what the punctuation at the end of the sentence is and how
to read the sentence. It is important to ensure that all students have the opportunity to
respond to the read aloud. A think-pair-share could be used on certain pages to ensure that
all students are given the opportunity to engage with the reading even if they are not
comfortable speaking in front of the class.
Students will return to their group desks:
o Groups will be provided with three printouts of Pigeon with a blank speech bubble.
o In their table groups (4 students) students will create sentences for Pigeon. The three
sentences will end in a period, an exclamation mark, and a question mark.
o Students will fill in the speech bubble with the sentence corresponding to the punctuation
mark required for that page.
o While students are working in their groups the teacher will be circulating, making sure to
conference with each group to ensure understanding.
o After completing the activity students will gather on the carpet to share their groups
sentences, making sure to read with the expression appropriate to the punctuation.

Independent Practice: (20 minutes)

Students are on the carpet in their circle spots.
Teacher explains that the students will now be using their understanding of punctuation in their
daily journals.
The teacher will model how to write a journal entry that contains a sentence for telling (period), a
sentence for yelling (exclamation mark), and a sentence for asking (question mark).
o e.g.- Today I took my dog for a walk in the park. It was so icy I almost fell! Does my
dog think the ice is slippery to run on? He doesnt seem to mind it!
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The teacher will explain that students are to make sure to include a sentence for telling, a sentence
for yelling and a sentence for asking in their journal.
Students go to their desks, or various areas around the room that they prefer, to work
independently on their daily journal entry.
As students work on their journal the teacher will circulate and conference with individual
students, keeping anecdotal notes on the students strengths as well as areas that need to be
worked on.
The teacher will collect the journals just before the conclusion of the lesson.

Conclusion: (5 minutes)
Students will gather on the carpet sitting in their circle spots.
Together as a class we will review the correct ways to use the punctuation marks covered in the
lesson. Commas should be included, along with the other three punctuation marks, although they
will be examined more in depth in a following lesson.
Students will be given the opportunity to share one of their telling, yelling, or asking sentences
from their journal. After the student reads their sentence we will repeat it as a class emphasizing
the expression and actions used for that particular punctuation.
As a class we will review our learning goals for the day and check them off if we think we met
these goals. If not we will make sure to spend more time on the specific goal during the next
lesson.

Assessment:
The teacher will conference with students during guided and independent work. During these
conferences the teacher will keep anecdotal notes of students strengths, their understanding of
punctuation, and what needs to be worked on.
Students journal entries will also be reviewed to assess students understanding of the punctuation
covered. The teacher may use a checklist to assess the work. If a students journal entry contains
sentences properly utilizing the three pieces of punctuation we covered in class, than all three
boxes on the checklist may be checked off next to the students name. This serves as physical
evidence of students understanding and allows the teacher to assess students comprehension.

Revision/ Notes:

References:
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Alexander, D. (2008). Reading and writing achievement standards: A component of Atlantic Canada
language arts curriculum. Retrieved from
http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/curric/English/ReadingAndWritin
gAchievementStandards-Grade1.pdf

Allan, P. (1998). Atlantic Canada: English language arts curriculum. Retrieved from
http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/ed/pdf/K12/curric/English/EnglishLanguageA
rts-GradeK-3.pdf

Alphonse, J.R., Leblanc, R. (2014). Explicit instruction: A teaching strategy in reading, writing and
mathematics for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities at School. Retrieved
from https://www.ldatschool.ca/literacy/explicit-instruction-a-teaching-strategy-in-reading-
writing-and-mathematics-for-students-with-learning-disabilities/

E. (2015). Punctuation: Lost and Found! Lesson Plan | Lesson Plan. Retrieved January 24,
2017, from https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/punctuation-lost-and-found/

Hough, T.M., Hixson, M.D., Decker, D., Bradley-Johnson, S. (2012). The effectiveness of an explicit
instruction writing program for second graders. Journal of Behavioural Education, 21(2), 163-
174.

Shen, H. J. (2003). The role of explicit instruction in ESL/EFL reading. Foreign Language Annals, 36(3),
424-433.

Exclamation Point (!)

Write a sentence for Pigeon that ends in an exclamation point.
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Question Mark (?)

Write a sentence for Pigeon that ends in a question mark.
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Period (.)
Write a sentence for Pigeon that ends with a period.
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