It seems that no matter how many times you remind your students about punctuation marks, there will always be assignments turned in without periods or question marks. It can be frustrating because you know if you question the student, he or she knows the rules. So, why don't they apply their knowledge? These students are usually rushing through their work and not paying attention to details. This is a work habit issue. So, how do you make including punctuation marks a habit? Here are a few suggestions:
Have you seen these Pip Squeaks Markers in Disguise? The nice thing about these markers is they don't roll away. Students love them so they are more engaged. This assignment above is from one of my Sentence Shuffle Centers. After students read sentences, they record 3 of them on the page in the picture. Students circle the first letter of the sentence with a green marker because green means go. They circle the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence with red.
(Click on picture)
This is an activity that you can use with your reading group or set it up as a writing center. Students write sentences on a dry erase board. They check their sentences for correct punctuation marks. If there is a period, exclamation mark, or question mark at the end of the sentence, they cover it with a red pom pom.
Click on picture.
Do you have any tips to share?
