This week we reviewed the ways readers know a sentence or thought is ending. Often students will write pages without ever using a punctuation mark. Each thought or small group of words needs an ending mark to signal to the reader to take a breath. We see either a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. Skilled readers have to notice which mark is being used to know how to change their voice and organize what they have just read. We did an activity in class where I wrote the alphabet and placed different punctuation marks in random places to see if the students could identify the mark and adjust their reading speed and expression. It was a great activity and the children laughed quite a bit. Give it a try....it is not as easy as it sounds. :)
a b ! c d e . f g h i ? j k l m. n o p! q? r s t.
Test your skills!
