Writing Lesson: Quotation Marks
Grade Level: 5
Lesson Summary: The teacher will pre-assess students’ knowledge of what different punctuation marks
look like, making sure students recognize quotation marks. Students will begin the lesson by working in
pairs to look in books for different instances where quotation marks are used. The teacher will take this
information and show students how to correctly punctuate dialogue and titles of songs, poems, and
newspaper and magazine articles. Students will then play a team game in which they will have to identify
punctuation problems in sentences. For independent practice, students will choose the correctly
punctuated sentence in a group of sentences. Advanced learners will create an original comic strip that
includes illustrations, correctly punctuated dialogue, and a correctly punctuated song, poem, or article
title. Struggling learners will use a visual to help them remember how to punctuate dialogue and then use
highlighters to separate dialogue from the rest of the sentence.
Lesson Objectives:
The students will know…
 How to use quotation marks correctly.
The students will be able to…
 Use quotation marks correctly.
Learning Styles Targeted:
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic/Tactile
Pre-Assessment: Give each student a copy of the Pre-Assessment Quiz*. Make sure students
understand the directions, and allow them to work for 1-2 minutes. When all students finish, go over the
correct answers as a class, making sure that students understand what quotation marks look like.
Whole-Class Instruction
Materials Needed: books or magazines from the classroom library, 1 piece of notebook paper per pair of
students, writing utensils, 2 pieces of chart paper, Example Chart Paper* for teacher reference, Problem
Finder Game*, computer connected to a projector, 1 copy of the Independent Practice* per student
Procedure:
1) Tell students that they are going to learn how to use quotation marks correctly in two different
instances. Put students into pairs, and give each pair a piece of notebook paper and a few books or
magazines from the classroom library. Tell students that you want them to work with their partners
to look through the books and magazines and to copy a few examples of sentences that they find
that use quotation marks. Allow students to search the books for 5-10 minutes. While students are
searching, post two pieces of chart paper for students to see. Walk around and look at the
examples found by students. Choose a few pairs to share when the search is over. Make sure there
are several examples of dialogue with the “John said” part of the sentence in different places. Make
sure there are a few examples of quotation marks used in titles.
2) When students have finished searching, ask a few pairs to share their findings. As students share
aloud the sentences, copy the examples of dialogue on one chart paper and the examples of titles
on the second chart paper. See Example Chart Paper in supplemental resources, if necessary.
Continue until both posters have several examples. Explain to students that quotation marks are
used around spoken words and for titles of poems, songs, and newspaper and magazine articles.
Title each of the pieces of chart paper appropriately.
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3) Explain to students that quotation marks are used in dialogue to surround the actual words spoken
by the speaker. Refer to one of the examples found by students in their search. Point out the
placement of the comma in relation to the “John said” part of the sentence. Emphasize that the
sentence’s punctuation is inside the quotation marks, not outside. Have students look at the other
examples on the chart paper. Make sure you explain the punctuation for dialogue where the “John
said” is in the beginning of the sentence, the middle of the sentence, and the end of the sentence.
4) When you think students understand how to punctuate dialogue correctly, move to the second
piece of chart paper. Tell students that quotation marks are used around the titles of songs,
poems, and newspaper and magazine articles. Refer to the examples found by students. If
students didn’t find many of these examples, ask students for some example sentences that
include the title of a song, poem, or article. Record these as examples on the chart paper.
5) Tell students that they are going to practice punctuating sentences with quotation marks by playing
a team game. Put students into 4-5 teams. Project the first slide of Problem Finder, and explain the
game to students. Choose a team to go first, and project the second slide. Read aloud the
sentence, and ask the team if it can figure out what is wrong with the sentence. If the team
identifies the problem correctly, click the slide so the point value appears. The team earns that
many points, and play moves to the second team. If the first team doesn’t identify the problem
correctly, play moves to the second team, who has the opportunity to answer and earn the points.
Play continues moving from team to team until the last slide of the game appears.
6) After the guided practice game, give each individual student a copy of the independent practice,
and allow them to work independently.
Advanced Learner
Materials Needed: 1 copy of the Advanced Learner Comic Strip* per student, writing utensils, drawing
supplies (crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc.)
Procedure:
1) Give each student a copy of the Advanced Learner Comic Strip, and explain the directions to
students. Allow them to be creative, but remind them that they have specific guidelines to follow.
Tell students that they can draw their comic strips at the bottom of the page. There is no minimum
number of panels, but again remind students that they must include 4 sentences of correctly
punctuated dialogue and 1 sentence with a correctly punctuated title. When students understand
the directions, allow them to work independently.
Struggling Learner
Materials Needed: 1 copy of the Struggling Learner Graphic* to project under a document camera, a
document camera connected to a projector, 1 copy of the Struggling Learner Sentences* per student, 1
copy of the Struggling Learner Sentences* to project under a document camera, 1 highlighter per student,
writing utensils
Procedure:
1) Tell students that they are going to concentrate on punctuated dialogue with quotation marks and
commas. Project a copy of the Struggling Learner Graphic. Tell students that this picture will help
them remember what to put quotation marks around because the picture shows quotation marks
around the face’s mouth. Quotation marks go around the outside of the words that come out of
someone’s mouth. Leave the graphic posted during the small-group lesson with the struggling
learners. Refer back to it as needed.
2) Give each student a copy of the Struggling Learner Sentences and a highlighter. Project a copy of it
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under the document camera. Go through each of the three examples at the top, explaining to
students how the punctuation changes as the location of the “John said” changes. Ask students to
look at each of the 9 sentences and use a pencil to underline the “John said” part of the sentence.
When students have finished, ask students to help you underline that part of the sentence on the
projected copy. Tell students that knowing where the “John said” part of the sentence is can help
them figure out how to punctuate the rest of the sentence with quotation marks and commas.
3) Tell students that the quotation marks go around the exact words that are spoken in each
sentence. You may want to remind students of the graphic with the quotation marks around the
mouth of the face. Under the document camera, model for students how to highlight the spoken
words in each of the 3 example sentences at the top of the page. Have students look at the other 9
sentences and highlight only the spoken words in each sentence. When students finish, go over the
correct answers as a group.
4) Now that the “John said” has been underlined and the spoken words have been highlighted in each
students, tell students that they should look at each of the models at the top of the page to remind
them where to put the commas and quotation marks. Go over 1-2 examples as a group, and allow
students to work on punctuating the rest of the sentences independently. Monitor that students are
doing this correctly.
*see supplemental resources
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