Perfect Punctuation

1. How sure are students about when to use which punctuation? After having some practice using correct punctuation, students are ready to make a game to challenge each other's skills.
2. With two or three classmates, students design a board game to help each other use Perfect Punctuation. Ask groups to consider: What punctuation marks will you use? What game strategies could make the game interesting? Will the game have a theme? Teams agree on the basic design of the game before starting to make it.
3. Making the game board: On white foam board, use Crayola® Washable Markers and Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils to draw a game path from start to finish (or whatever strategies the game will use). Group members colorfully decorate the entire board.
4. Students make game pieces with Crayola Model Magic. Shape periods, exclamation points, commas, and question marks. Colons, quotation marks, and semicolons could make the game even more challenging. (And what about parentheses or brackets?)
5. Use Model Magic to make dice and any decorations for your game such as a swamp or a bridge. Are there punctuation marks on the dice? Dots? Colors? Air dry game pieces overnight.
6. Glue stationary pieces to the game board using Crayola School Glue. Air dry flat.
7. Cut out cards from recycled file folders or poster board if the game needs these. Students write instructions or sentences on the cards with colored pencils.
8. Teams spell out directions for their games. Who goes first? How will players move forward? How do players demonstrate their knowledge of Perfect Punctuation?
9. Student teams try out their own games. Make any adjustments needed so that it's fun to play — and challenging.
10. Exchange games with classmates and play Perfect Punctuation.

LA: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

LA: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Possible classroom resources include: Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno; Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

Students write directions for their original punctuation games. Written directions accompany games.

Students work collaboratively in small groups to compose a silly story with NO punctuation! Trading stories with another group, challenge each set of students to correctly punctuate the stories.