No matter what grade level you are teaching, you’ve probably noticed that your students could use a bit of support (okay, maybe a lot of support) in understanding punctuation and using it appropriately in their writing.
After over three decades of teaching and trying all kinds of crazy things to help my students master this skill, I find myself coming back to these 4 simple and practical, yet powerful tips.
1. Use Mentor Texts
One of the best ways we can teach punctuation is by using mentor texts. These texts could be published works, written by adult authors, but these could also be student samples that you’ve collected over the years.
Simply display the text using a document camera or smart board screen so that the text is large enough for all students to see. Then, invite students to pair up and engage in a “punctuation scavenger hunt” – in which partners look at the text and “hunt” for a particular type of punctuation.
For example, you might say something like, “Let’s go on a punctuation scavenger hunt! With your partner, find all of the periods on this page.”
After kids talk with their partners and locate all of the periods, ask students to consider the why behind the punctuation mark. Point to a place on the page where the author used a period and ask, “Why do you think the author put a period here?” Ask partners to talk to each other and think about the purpose of this particular punctuation mark in this particular place in the text. You can repeat this question with other portions of the text, inviting students to think deeply about the placement and purpose of each period.
What we’re doing here is getting to the “why” behind the punctuation mark instead of simply teaching them what a period is and where it should go in their writing.
2. Show Students How You Use Punctuation
Once we’ve looked at mentor texts and noticed how another writer is using a particular punctuation mark, it’s time for us to dive in and do some writing ourselves!
I’ve found that it’s one thing to tell students how to do something. It’s another thing altogether to show students how to do something.
For example, if I’ve shown my students how published writers use an ellipsis (the … that tells a reader that something is coming) and students have had time to ponder why a writer would use this, it’s time for me to jump in and show them what using this kind of punctuation looks like and sounds like in real time.
As I write in front of my students, I can pause to unpack my thinking about when and how I might use an ellipses and why. This allows the invisible process of decision-making and writing to become visible for my students. They get to see – in real time – how another writer thinks about her writing and decides what kind of punctuation she will use to help her reader engage with her words.
This might sound like, “You know that I’m writing a piece to teach my reader all about grizzly bears. I’ve just written, ‘Grizzly bears are known for their strength and resilience.’ and I want to tell my reader that, although this is true, they are still vulnerable because of habitat loss. Maybe I’ll try what we saw this author do and use an ellipsis to add some interest and intrigue to the sentence. I could say, ‘Grizzly bears are known for their strength and resilience…yet they remain vulnerable due to habitat loss.’” Let me read that and think about how this might sound to my reader.
3. Celebrate Discovery
Once you teach a particular type of punctuation, be fully prepared to see that punctuation mark showing up everywhere in some of your students’ writing. If you are a kindergarten or first grade teacher, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Most teachers in the early grades will notice that, after they introduce and teach a particular kind of punctuation mark, the students will overuse it. For example, after you introduce periods and model how you use periods in your own writing, you might see students using A. Period. After. Every. Single. Word.
Take a breath.
This is a completely normal and expected part of learning – especially when it comes to punctuation. Initially, students might overuse the punctuation mark or use it at random until they learn to use it correctly.
When you see this, consider saying something like “I see you’ve discovered periods! You’re using them a lot in your writing!”
Remember that learning is not as linear and smooth as we might expect. Even as adults, we don’t learn how to do something and then immediately do it correctly. There’s a period of approximation and experimentation that humans go through as we learn.
Take a cleansing breath and remember that students go through this period of learning as well.
Notice and note that they are trying a new kind of punctuation, keep sharing mentor texts, keep modeling your thinking and keep encouraging them to explore. They will get there!
4. Keep Track and Encourage Students to Try a New Kind of Punctuation
Some teachers find it helpful to create a simple chart to help keep track of the kinds of punctuation marks they have taught.
When creating the chart, simply put the name of the mentor text (or a photo of the cover of the mentor text) at the top of the chart. On the far left column, show what the punctuation mark looks like. In the second column, write the name of the punctuation mark. In the third column, remind students why a writer might use that kind of punctuation. And in the fourth column, encourage students to try that kind of punctuation in their own writing. Once they try it, they can jot down their name on a small post-it note and add it to the chart.
As students engage with the chart, we celebrate and encourage students to try something new! It also allows you to see who is trying out what you have taught.
Teaching punctuation doesn’t have to be dry and lifeless and it doesn’t have to require the use of reams of worksheets. Instead, let’s show our students how to lean on the work of other writers, watch another writer write, and be brave enough to try out some new kinds of punctuation marks.
Every mark – every symbol that is placed on the page – serves a particular purpose. This includes punctuation! Let’s explicitly teach students how to be thoughtful and purposeful in their use of punctuation and let their writing soar!
About the Author
Kelly Boswell has served as a classroom teacher, staff developer, literacy coach, university instructor and district literacy specialist. She is the author of several books with Heinemann Press and Capstone Press including Write This Way, Write This Way From the Start, and Every Kid a Writer. She is also the author of several nonfiction children’s books with Capstone Press. Kelly works with schools and districts around the country to support educational leaders, coaches, and teachers.
