The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Punctuation · Part 11: Rules for spelling, numbers and marks
136. Punctuation: comma, semicolon, colon, period
Goal: Your child names the main punctuation marks and knows what each tells the reader to do.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
The end of the abbreviations list, then "Punctuation", which explains the marks and the pauses they stand for: "The comma ( , ) indicates a short pause." "The period is placed at the close of a sentence." It goes on to the other marks.
The lesson, step by step
The idea
SayPunctuation marks tell the reader when to pause and how to read a sentence.
Read the section
Read the "Punctuation" section together. It begins:
The comma ( , ) indicates a short pause.
and says
The period is placed at the close of a sentence.
Find them
Your child finds a comma, a semicolon and a period in the sentences of any earlier table and reads the sentence aloud, pausing at each mark.
Make the marks
Your child writes each mark the book describes and says its name.
Dictation
Dictate a sentence from an earlier table, saying "comma" and "period" where they come. Your child writes it with the marks.
Wrap up
Your child reads a sentence twice, once ignoring the marks and once obeying them. Which sounds right?