Punctuation - ! ? .

Last week we looked at three punctuation marks: question mark (?), exclamation point (!) and periods (.). Students learned that these three punctuation marks indicates the end of a sentence to readers. However, students also learned that punctuation marks  convey emotions and tones and can change how a sentence is expressed depending on the punctuation used.

• Question marks are used to ask questions.
• Exclamations points are used to convey excitement
• Periods tend to be emotionally neutral and are used to convey facts

Together, we practiced how different punctuations play out.

Here is an example used in class:

Are you sick! - Here, students read aloud this sentence and realized that the exclamation point is inappropriate as it could convey that one is expressing happiness for another's illness.

Are you sick. - Students realized that the period is inappropriate because the speaker is asking their friend about their health. They are not presenting a fact (for example: a period can be used in the following sentence: you are sick.)

Are you sick? - Here, students found that the question mark accurately captures the nature of this sentence - a question. It allows readers to use the appropriate tone and voice when reading.

We played out different sentences and read them out loud together. This allowed students to understand which punctuation marks were appropriate or inappropriate and why.