“Let’s Eat Grandpa!”: The Importance of Punctuation
The Big Question(s): How does punctuation impact the meaning of a sentence?
Subject: English 10
Time: 30+ minutes
Learning
Objectives:
Prescribed
Learning
Outcomes:
Students will be able to
 gain an understanding of the importance of punctuation in
creating meaning in a sentence.
 actively alter the meaning of sentences by changing
punctuation.
 C14 use conventions in writing and representing, appropriate
to purpose and audience, to enhance meaning and artistry,
including: grammar and usage, punctuation, capitalization,
and Canadian spelling, copyright and citation of references,
and presentation/layout
 B12 recognize and explain how structures and features of text
shape readers’ and viewers’ construction of meaning,
including: form and genre, functions of text, literary elements,
literary devices, use of language, non-fiction elements,
visual/artistic devices
Materials:
LCD projector, whiteboard, PPT or links to meme images, computer
lab (if you plan to do the extension activity)
Introduction/
Hook:
Ask students it they enjoy punctuation (likely answer: “NO”). Ask if
they think punctuation is important (possibly another “No”). Do they
use punctuation all the time in sentences outside of class (emails,
texting, etc)?
Ask students for types of punctuation. Once they mention commas,
ask when we use commas. (This will not be thorough as it is meant as
a quick refresher.) Possible answer include when addressing someone
(Hello, Joel); when writing a list (I want to buy flour, sugar, and baking
soda); when writing a date (July 1st, 1867); and just to avoid confusion
in general.
Write sentence on board: “Stop clubbing baby seals.” Ask what image
this sentence invokes. If it were a tagline on a poster, what would the
picture on the poster be? Now add a comma to the sentence on the
5 minutes
board: “Stop clubbing, baby seals.” What image does this sentence
invoke? What does it mean? Show meme of baby seals in a club for
visual effect (see attached). That one little comma sure makes a world
of difference.
Show two more visual examples of sentences with meanings that
change when a comma is added (and which create a direct address):
 “It’s raining cats and dogs” vs. “It’s raining, cats and dogs”
 “Let’s eat, Grandpa!” VS. “Let’s eat Grandpa!” (in this one
the direct address is the correct one… hopefully.)
Development:
Now, go over some sentences with the class on the board.
 “Hide the cows outside” vs. “Hide! The cow’s outside” vs.
“Hide, the cow’s outside”
 “A woman without her man is nothing.”
o Tell the class that there is a way you can add
punctuation to make this statement have the
opposite meaning. Challenge them to find a way to do
so (in a grammatically correct way). Answer is “A
woman: without her, man is nothing.”
 Optional: ask class for a sentence, write it on the board, then
ask them to change the punctuation.
10 minutes
Hand out sentence punctuation worksheet. Tell students to alter the
punctuation in order to change the meaning of the sentence (it must
make sense).
(Note: maybe this can just be done on the whiteboard so that I don’t
have to do any photocopying? Also, I could change the sentences if I
see some work better than others during the first class)
Closure:
Time dependent: if students finish with extra time (or if some
students finish before others), they can make up their own sentences
and then rewrite them with altered punctuations and meanings.
Finally, go over answers for the sentences on the chalkboard. If there
is time, also go over student-created sentences and rewritten
punctuated sentences.
5 minutes
Assessment:
Formative:
 Participation: in class discussion and activity (are they
volunteering answers? Is the class offering a variety of
different possible ways to change the meaning of the
sentence?)
 Written: punctuation worksheet
Extensions
To extend this mini-lesson and include a formative assessment
component, you could have students create their own punctuation
memes featuring a sentence that has missing or erroneous
punctuation that changes its meaning. The memes could be posted on
a class blog so that students can see each other’s work.
Some things to keep in mind:
- appropriateness: some memes out there are extremely
inappropriate for class, so it’s important to make sure
students have a clear understanding that even though they’re
making memes, this is still a school activity
- copywrite/ Creative Commons: ideally, students should only
be using images that are in Creative Commons (Flickr
Commons and Wiki Commons are two useful sites for this,
and there’s also a Google Commons as well)