Teaching punctuation can get pretty repetitive, so let's change things up with a little hands-on punctuation practice that your whole class will love. Start out with a few sentences on the board. Have students use the magnetic punctuation marks to complete the sentences. These sturdy magnets are perfect for repetitive classroom use. They stay put on the board and can easily be rearranged as you correct and edit your sentence. These magnets will soon become a classroom fave for reviewing punctuation.
For a small group activity your can use the End the Sentence punctuation practice review game. Just scatter out a few of the cards and then roll the dice. Have each of your students try to find a card that will be completed by the punctuation shown on the die. This fast-paced game is a great way to keep a punctuation review light-hearted and fun.
After you have reviewed those punctuation skills it's time to put them to use. This fun writing project is just as fun to complete as it is to display. Start out with the color your own write and draw story paper.
Give your students a few mini mason jars cutouts to glue of their story paper. Using scrap paper, have them draw their own creepy crawly bugs. They can bring them to life with some colored pencils. Attach the bugs into the jars using a small paper strip, fold it accordion style and then attach your creepy critters.
Have students select a butterfly cutout or two to add to their paper. Fold the wings so the middle of the butterfly lies flat on your paper so it can be easily glued down to the paper. Have your students brainstorm a few sentences they would like to write, challenge them to think of sentences that use different types of punctuation, like exclamatory, interrogative and declarative sentences. As they write their sentences on their paper have them use the punctuation stickers to add in their punctuation. This is a fun visual way to see exactly where punctuation belongs within their stories.
As your students share their large stories about their insects and butterflies, encourage them to try reading with inflection, using their punctuation as a clue as to how their sentence should be read. This fun little writing activity will reinforce those punctuation skills and encourage your students to vary their reading as they share their stories aloud. When they are all finished these large stories make a great classroom display to hang on your walls.