Stop, hop, and go!!

Ratna Rao

Punctuation marks are like the sauce that adds taste to a pizza and without which the pizza seems insipid. The bread of the pizza is the language, the vegetables are the literary devices and the sauces and seasonings are the punctuation marks that add expression, tone, and meaning to a sentence.

While speaking, we can pause or change the tone of our voice to indicate different expressions; in writing, this can be achieved by using punctuation marks. Punctuation marks help organize and structure a sentence, and provide clarity and stress.

As we all know the use of a punctuation mark can change the meaning of an entire sentence. The following examples illustrate the importance of punctuation marks and how they change meanings drastically.

Let’s eat grandpa.
Let’s eat, grandpa.
We’re going to learn to cut and paste kids!

These are some very common examples of wrong or no use of punctuations at all.

Though it is easy to teach the rules of punctuation, it’s difficult to make students remember and use the marks correctly. Activities and games could make the learning fun and long-lasting.

Some activities that can be used for teaching punctuations are discussed below.

a) Assign different actions to the punctuation marks you have taught in class. E.g. –
• Comma means: slow down and walk.
• Exclamation mark means: hop and wave your hands.
• Question mark means: stop, put hands on waist, and raise the eyebrows.
• Full stop means: STOP right now!

Have a running race amongst your students. When they are half way through the race, show one of the punctuation marks, the students have to do the related action. For instance, if you are showing the comma, they need to slow down and walk, if you are showing the question mark they need to stop, put their hands on their waists, and raise their eyebrows.

This activity will help practice identifying key punctuation marks, especially in primary sections. Note that your punctuation marks cards will have to be big and bold so that they are visible from a distance.

b) Punctuation train: For this activity keep some punctuation marks and word cards ready. Also keep a sheet of jumbled up sentences without punctuation marks. Now, divide the class into different groups. Each group will pick up the cards and arrange them into proper sentences with the punctuation marks in the appropriate places. E.g. – pencils bring erasers pens here please and ‘Please bring erasers, pens, and pencils here.’ Students should arrange the right cards, both words and punctuations, in the appropriate places to make a complete sentence. The group that arranges the cards in the correct order first, with proper use of punctuation marks is the winner.

c) Card game: These make use of a different type of cards. Make a set of punctuation mark cards. Divide the class into groups. Go to each group in turn. Let the groups pick one card out of the stack and make sentences with the punctuation marks they picked. If the sentences are correct, the group gets a point. Then the next group gets their turn.

d) Hang man: You can play this classic word game with punctuations as well. Each group will give sentences to the next group, which has to put in the punctuation marks. If the correct punctuation marks are not added, then a little bit of the hang man is drawn. The group with completed pictures of the hang man lose and those whose hang man remains unfinished win the game.

e) Punctuation board game: Take a big square cardboard and divide it into equal squares with punctuation marks in the squares. Leave a few squares blank. Divide the class into two groups and distribute five sentences without punctuation marks to each group. Let the first group roll the dice and move those many steps. If the group has a sentence that could use the punctuation mark in the square they have landed on, then the group can discard that sentence, but if the group lands on an empty square they have to pick up another sentence card. The group that discards all sentences first is the winner.

Board game

f) Punctuation bingo: Like bingo cards make cards with punctuation marks on them. Distribute the cards to all students. Read out sentences having different punctuation marks. If the students have that mark on their cards they strike it out. Like the classic bingo game, full house can be played in this bingo as well.

Bingo

g) Role play: Let each student play the role of a punctuation mark appropriately dressed.

h) Socratic circle: Divide the class into two concentric circles. The students in the inner circle first discuss all the rules related to each punctuation mark, then the outer circle students discuss the points left out by the inner circle students.

i) Punctuation songs: There are a number of songs on the Internet on punctuation marks. They can be used in the classroom for teaching punctuation marks. Some of you can create your own songs suitable to the needs of your students. Eg. –
Song (in the tune of Old MacDonald)
Old Ms. Rao had a lab
E I e I o
In her lab, she had some punctuation marks
E I e I o
With a mark, mark here, with a mark, mark there,
Here a mark, there a mark, everywhere a mark, mark
Old Ms…..
In her lab she had some fullstops
E I e I o
With a stop, stop here,
With a stop, stop there
Here a stop, there a stop

In simple ways different games/activities can be devised to teach punctuations and make those grammar classes exciting!

The author is a teacher educator at Calorx Teachers’ University, Ahmedabad. She can be reached at ratnarao25@gmail.com.