Time for Punctuation – Grade One
Ohio Standards
Connection:
Writing Process
Benchmark E
Edit to improve sentence
fluency, grammar and
usage.
Indicator 12
Proofread writing to
improve conventions (e.g.,
grammar, spelling,
punctuation and
capitalization).
Technology and
Communication
Applications
Benchmark B
Explore how information
can be published and
presented in different
formats.
Indicator 1
Create documents with
teacher assistance (e.g.,
students observe the
teacher making a
document, they add ideas,
and select images for the
teacher to import).
Lesson Summary:
First grade students apply their knowledge of punctuation
to a digital documentary of events that occur throughout the
school day. The teacher assists the students by using an
interactive whiteboard to create a sequenced story about
pictures of class experiences and activities.
Estimated Duration: One week (three to five sessions)
Commentary:
It’s time to have fun with this lesson! Using pictures of
daily activities and happenings—from the ordinary to the
extraordinary—students create a “first-grade documentary”
on life in the classroom. Students write text for pictures and
apply their knowledge of writing conventions and editing by
using a class-created reference chart.
“We had so much fun with this! My students really enjoyed
finding the punctuation and capitalization in the ‘real world’
via magazines and newspapers—it was great
reinforcement.”
“I repeated this lesson several times, adding new
conventions. My students ask to see ‘reruns’ of our past
stories.”
Pre-Assessment:
 Collect writing samples from students—either current
journal samples or a whole group writing activity that
requires students to write at least three sentences.
 Take anecdotal records to evaluate students’ use of
capitalization and punctuation.
Scoring Guidelines:
Evaluate the students’ writing samples and take anecdotal
records that note their ability to use capitalization and
punctuation. Pay special attention to capital letters at the
beginnings of sentences, appropriate end marks for
sentences and appropriate spacing between words. Also,
note students’ abilities to communicate complete thoughts
in their sentences.
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Time for Punctuation – Grade One
Instructional Tip:
Implement this lesson after students are able to communicate complete thoughts in written
sentences.
Post-Assessment:
 Direct students to write short stories of their own. Encourage them to write at least four
sentences that refer to different times of the day (e.g., “In the morning, I wake up and eat
breakfast.”).
 Circulate among students, asking questions to probe their thinking (e.g., “What else can
you tell me about that?” “Who was with you after school?”).
 Encourage students to draw and color pictures to help them visualize their stories.
 Remind them to use the capitalization and punctuation rules that they know.
 Collect the stories and evaluate them using the rubric provided below.
Scoring Guidelines:
Use the following rubric to evaluate students’ writing.
4 – Uses appropriate capitalization and punctuation consistently in writing sample.
3 – Uses appropriate capitalization and punctuation most of the time, but not consistently.
2 – Attempts to use capitalization or punctuation, but not appropriately and not consistently.
1 – Uses little or no capitalization or punctuation to evidence understanding.
Instructional Procedures:
Day One
1. Using chart paper, students begin a shared writing activity that culminates in a short story
written by the class.
2. As a group, decide on a topic.
3. Begin to write and model the use of capitalization at the beginnings of sentences and
punctuation marks at the ends of the sentences. Bring students’ attention to these writing
conventions and the rules for their uses by the following strategies:
 Demonstrate the appropriate way to use periods, exclamation points and question
marks by writing several short sentences and asking students to supply the
appropriate end marks.
 Constantly draw attention to the use of capitalization and punctuation with verbal
reminders and repetition of rules as writing continues.
4. Continue to write until the story is finished (four or five sentences).
Instructional Tip:
Explain and orally review the following capitalization and punctuation rules:
 At the ends of sentences, or complete thoughts and ideas, we use end punctuation marks.
 If we ask questions, we use question marks (e.g., Where is the library?).
 If we want to show feeling or emotion (e.g., excitement, surprise, anger), we use
exclamation points (e.g., This toy is so cool!).
 If we give information or state facts, we use periods (e.g., My mom went to the store.).
 Sentences begin with capital letters.
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Time for Punctuation – Grade One

The names of places, people, days and months begin with capital letters.
5. Re-read the class-created story together and ask students to note the capitalization and
punctuation used in the sentences. Ask students if the existing punctuation marks and
capitalization are correct or incorrect. Ask students to correct any punctuation and
capitalization errors in the class-created story.
6. Orally review the rules of capitalization and punctuation so the students can use these
conventions in their own writing.
7. As students direct, highlight the end punctuation marks and the capital letters at the
beginnings of the sentences. Hang this story on the wall for reference.
Day Two
8. As a review activity, post three new, original pre-written sentences strips so all students
can view them. These sentences should contain errors in the use of end punctuation and
capitalization.
9. Have students review the sentences and find the errors in punctuation and capitalization.
10. Ask volunteer students to highlight the errors and supply corrections using a marking
pen.
11. Discuss corrections. Justify corrections by reviewing the rules of capitalization and
punctuation with students.
12. Review the class-created story from Day One to reinforce correct usage of capitalization
and end punctuation.
13. Using interactive writing, create a reference chart with the students about the rules of
capitalization and end punctuation.
Instructional Tip: Interactive writing is a strategy that allows students and teacher to “share
the pen” to complete a writing activity. The teacher controls the challenge level for students
based on their skill levels. Differentiation meets the challenges and needs of all students.
Students can also provide assistance to each other as needed.
14. Allow students to determine the wording of the rules so the reference chart becomes
“user-friendly.”
15. While writing the reference chart of rules together, refer to the class-created story from
Day One and the three corrected review sentence strips as verification for rules. Ask
questions similar to the following: “How did you know to do that (capitalize or
punctuate)?” “Can you find an example in our story or in the new sentences that helped
you decide?” “Why do we use an exclamation mark?”
16. Cut apart the sentences from the class-created story of Day One and attach them to the
appropriate rules on the class-created reference chart.
17. Attach the three corrected review sentence strips to the rules on the reference chart also.
Instructional Tip:
Allow students to attach class-created story sentences and review sentence strips to all
appropriate rules on the class-created reference chart (e.g., “This sentence uses a capital letter
at the beginning and a question mark at the end, so it can be attached to two of our rules.”).
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Time for Punctuation – Grade One
18. Read the reference chart together to determine if it needs revisions or additions.
19. Assign partners for an activity that supports the capitalization and punctuation rules that
are on the class-created reference chart.
20. Pass out magazine or newspaper pages and highlighters to students.
21. Using the class reference chart as a guide, students highlight end punctuation marks and
capitalization at the beginnings of sentences in their assigned newspaper and magazine
pages.
20. Ask students to share their findings with the group and to justify their highlighting by
referring to the class reference chart.
Day Three
Instructional Tip: Extend this part of the lesson depending on students’ attentiveness and
writing abilities.
21. Take digital photos (minimum of 7) of daily classroom routines (e.g., morning meeting,
lunch, physical education, center time, story time, dismissal) that represent the beginning
of the day, the middle of the day and the end of the day.
Instructional Tip:
Scan photos if a digital camera is not available. Use digital video clips rather than photos if
desired.
22. Insert digital photos into electronic slideshow presentation, creating a seven-page slide
show. Use an interactive whiteboard to write on the slide show. Insert pages so that the
photos correspond to the chronological order of the day.
Instructional Tip:
Use clock clip art that is in the interactive whiteboard software, or create a file with pictures
of clocks that indicate the times that correlate with the pictures—the hours or half hours.
23. Use the editing format to open the slideshow so the whole group can write with an
interactive whiteboard.
.
Instructional Tip:
If an interactive whiteboard is not available, use chart paper and clock stamps or students’
drawings to coincide with the photos.
24. Review and discuss with the students the routines depicted in the photos in the slideshow.
25. As a group, discuss the order of the photos and identify when the photos of daily routines
occur: beginning, middle or end of the day.
26. Begin with the first photo, modeling how to form a sentence that describes the event and
when it occurs as in the following examples: “We come to school early in the morning.”
We eat lunch in the middle of the day.” While writing the sentences, orally review the
capitalization and punctuation rules that apply.
27. As a group, continue viewing photos of the slideshow.
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Time for Punctuation – Grade One
28. Using interactive writing, have students offer and write descriptions (narratives)
appropriate to the pictured events, being sure to include the correct times of the school
day. During the writing, remind the students of the capitalization and punctuation rules. If
the students fail to capitalize or punctuate the sentences properly, review individual
sentences as a group and ask students to correct the errors. Refer to the reference chart
created on Day Two.
29. Complete this task for each photo until the slide show is finished.
30. Insert pictures of clocks that indicate the correct times (to the closest hour or half hour) of
the pictured events using the interactive whiteboard. Ask students to choose the correct
clocks.
31. Create a title page and a concluding page for the slideshow with student assistance.
32. Review the slideshow with the students to determine if any errors exist. Correct them.
33. Review the capitalization and punctuation rules on the reference chart so reinforcement
of rules occurs.
34. Play the slideshow on classroom computers so students can read along. Duplicate copies
of the slideshow on compact discs so students can have their own copies. Record
students’ voices as they read pages. Synchronize photos and readings so slideshow
“plays” on its own.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).
 The lesson includes individualized writing opportunities. Students write words
appropriate to their skill levels so all students experience success and challenges.
 Use time as a reference point to help the students with the skill of sequencing.
Extensions:
 Students replicate this project by putting pictures from a class field trip in sequential
order and writing two sentences about each picture.
 Students create autobiographies using personal photos.
 Students create life cycle informational texts using drawings or photos (e.g.,
caterpillar/butterfly, tadpole/frog).
Home Connections:
 Students take home compact disc copies of the slideshow to read to and view with
someone at home.
 Students write about, draw and sequence events that occur with their families on a given
night, weekend or holiday.
 Students write correctly punctuated and capitalized sentences about daily school events to
someone at home who responds on the same paper. Students share responses with class.
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Time for Punctuation – Grade One
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Mathematics
 Measurement
Benchmark C: Develop common referents for units of measure of length, weight,
volume (capacity) and time to make comparisons and estimates.
Indicator 2: Tell time to the hour and half hour on digital and analog (dial) timepieces.
Indicator 3: Order a sequence of events with respect to time; e.g., summer, fall, winter
and spring; morning, afternoon and night.
The activity in this lesson reviews the skill of telling time to the hour and half hour and
orders events with respect to time.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of
its contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does
not endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main
page, therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time, therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related
to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher:
For the students:
Chart paper, markers, highlighters, computer, interactive whiteboard,
LCD Projector, paper, camera (digital, digital video, or 35 millimeter),
slide show presentation software, clock clip art or software.
Journals, writing paper, pencils, magazines or newspapers,
highlighters.
Vocabulary:
 capitalization
 exclamation point
 period
 punctuation
 question mark
 sentence
 _____o’clock (time related)
 _____ thirty (time related)
Technology Connections:
 Use an interactive whiteboard and computer with LCD projector with digitally scanned
pictures or digital video clips.
 Use a digital video camera to create video clips to insert in the slideshow rather than
digital pictures.
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Time for Punctuation – Grade One
Research Connections:
Calkins, L. M. “When Students Want to Punctuate: Basic Skills Belong in Context.”
Language Arts, 57 (1980): 567-73.
 Decades of research demonstrate that teaching grammar as a school subject does not
improve most students' writing or the "correctness" of their writing. What works better is
teaching selected aspects of grammar (including sentence variety and style, punctuation
and usage) when students revise and edit their writing.
 For improving editing skills, it is most effective and efficient to teach only critically
essential grammatical concepts and to teach these concepts by mini-lessons and writing
conferences, particularly when helping students edit their writing.
General Tips:
Students should be familiar with the basic functions of an interactive whiteboard in order to
participate in this lesson. Practice using the tools to write and draw on the whiteboard so the
lesson flows smoothly.
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