Comma and Semi-Colon Usage
Procedure
Anticipatory Set:
- Students are given a Diagnostic Test which has 10 sentences each containing two closely related independent clauses. These sentences are either completely correct or need to be corrected by adding, deleting, or replacing semi-colons and commas.
- The students should hand in their worksheets when completed, and then 10 students are selected to come to the board and correctly write one of the sentences.
Guided Practice:
- As a class, the students decide whether each sentence on the board is correct with a group answer. If the sentence is correct, the class moves on. If the sentence is not correct, the students are asked if anyone can correct it.
- Once all of the sentences are correct, the students are asked if they see any patterns for when each punctuation mark is used. They are then given a definition for their notes.
- To check for understanding, students come to the front of the class and and complete a formative group assessment. The students are given parts of a sentence written on a slip of paper. The sentence is read to the students, and they decide how to order themselves, especially which punctuation marks to use and where. The class gives a thumbs up or down to indicate if the students are correct. This is repeated multiple times, depending on how well the class understands the concepts.
Independent Task:
- Students complete a Summative Test independently. It has 10 sentences each containing two closely related independent clauses. The sentences are either completely correct or need to be corrected by adding, deleting, or replacing semi-colons and commas.
- For homework, students complete a written assessment based on the New York State English Regents Exam Question 26 . They are given two passages (Passage I and Passage II)from the August 2011 NYS English Regents Exam and asked to establish a controlling idea and use at least one direct example from each passage to support their controlling idea. Also, they are required to use at least two semi-colons and two commas with coordinating conjunctions correctly. It is turned in using www.Turnitin.com. This website helps ensure that plagiarism from the sources, the internet, or other classmates has not occurred. The paragraph will be graded using a Comma and Semi-Colon Usage Rubric.
Enrichment Activities:
If time permits, these activities can be performed in the days following the lesson and throughout the year, to keep the information forefront in the students’ minds.