Popping Punctuation and Proofreading!

Cassidy H
arris

Overview of Learning Experience:

During this activity, students will have an interactive review session of how to correctly
punctuate and proofread different sentences. First, students will review proofreading and
punctuation marks, which will jumpstart their abilities in fixing sentences that need editing. The
interactive whiteboard review activity will include a drag and drop feature, so students will be
able to volunteer to come write the punctuation or proofreading marks on the board, and the
teacher can reveal the correct answer by moving the boxes covering the answers. After this
review session, students will be split into groups according to class size, and will begin the game.
A koosh ball will be passed around so students can throw it at the kernels, revealing the question
according to the number they hit. Once the question appears, every group will rewrite the
sentence correctly on a piece of paper, and then the team that initially chose that question will
have a member come to the board to use the correct marks to fix the sentence, as well as rewrite
the sentence in the designated area.
With this lesson, students will be actively engaging in editing every improper sentence
that is shown on the IWB. This activity, which is geared towards middle grades education
English Language Arts standards, has aspects that are surely well equipped for interactive
learning. First, students are practicing how to distinguish an error in a sentence. This will help
them to better proofread their own material, as well as when peer reviewing. The activity will
also assist in using the marks correctly, as they will be practicing on paper, as well as on the
IWB. Lastly, the students will be able to advance in making less errors while writing. This
increases writing skills, and confidence in how students personally feel about their use of proper
sentence structure.

Question Sets With Model Student Answers:

In order for students to think deeper into the need for proper punctuation and grammar, as well as
the need to proofread, students should be given a prompt to write on a subject of the teacher's
choice. For instance, students could be given the option to write about one dream they have when
they grow older. This will assist in creative writing, as well as practicing punctuation and
proofreading.

Question Set 1: Before the Activity: Why is punctuation and proofreading so important?
1A. In what ways would proofreading be important?
Look for students to dig deeper into the importance of proofreading. There are
multiple instances where it would be important, and this question will help them
understand that.
If a journalist is reporting on a historic event, it is important that he
proofreads his writing so that he clearly reports what happened.
Authors need to proofread their books so that it doesnt confuse the
readers.
1B. How would correct punctuation help people who are trying to learn English?
Look for students to understand how important punctuation is in the learning of
English. This is important for students to see the impact that punctuation has on
our melting pot of a nation.
In order for someone to truly understand or learn English, they have to
compare it to their first language, and using improper punctuation could
make that really hard to do.
1C. What are some ways to use proofreading on your own work in school?
Look for students to understand that proofreading does not just apply to
journalism or writers, it also pertains to their school work. They need to
understand that proofreading can help their quality of their work, and can be used
in all subjects.
You can read your paper out loud to make sure the work sounds right.
You can have a peer look over answers to lab questions so that your
observations are clearly described for the teacher.
Question Set 2: After the Activity: What did you take from this?
2A. How did this activity show you how important punctuation is?
Look for students to really grasp the importance of punctuation.
 If you use wrong punctuation, it can change the whole meaning of a
sentence.
When there is a period missing in a sentence, it does not make sense
because it makes it seem like it did not end.
2B. Why was it so hard to read these sentences aloud?
Look for students to think back to reading the sentences out loud as a class before
they were fixed. This will help them understand how hard it would be for
someone trying to learn English, or even just trying to learn to read, to decipher
through a sentence that was missing punctuation and having grammatical errors.
We are so used to understanding how to speak English properly that it
was hard to understand how to say it when it was being used incorrectly.
Even words that sound alike, like are, and our, were hard to
interchange because we know which meaning should fit in certain
sentences.
2C. Why is it so important to know proper proofreading marks?
Look for students to understand why proofreading marks are so important in
regards to writing. While drafting papers, or even looking over a peers paper, it is
important to understand editing marks, so that it is clear what needs to be fixed.
If you are peer reviewing, it is important to understand what certain
marks mean so you can fix it for the final copy.
Question Set 3: After the Writing Activity: Were you more aware of your writing?
3A. When doing your writing assignment, what were you more aware of in regards to
punctuation?
Look for students to recognize some of the instances where they changed the way
they were writing their papers.
I felt myself stopping and reading my sentences over again to make sure
they sounded right.
I double checked my punctuation after I finished every paragraph.
3B. Do you think that understanding the importance of punctuation can make you a better writer?
Look for students to grasp an understanding how important punctuation is for
writing.
Writing is important in all of our school subjects, so we need to know
how to use it.
Understanding punctuation will help us form better sentences, and that
will make us better writers.
3C. Why is it important to proofread in all areas, including math, science, and English?
Look for students to analyze aspects of looking over everything they do in regards
to school work. Proofreading may interrelate to double-checking, and this is
where students would put these together.
 It is important to look over all work that you do in class so that it is the
best you think it can be.
Looking over our work can help us do it better the next time around.

Media and description of integration:

This activity is designed to engage students in an interactive game that will ignite their practicing
of correcting inaccurate sentence structures. This activity allows students to recognize wrongful
sentence structure, mark the errors using proper proofreading marks and punctuation marks,
practice handwriting on the board and off the board, and lastly, creating their own piece of
writing that will show off their skills with proper punctuation and proofreading. The activity,
The Popcorn Game, is used for students to have an entertaining experience that not only makes
it fun for them to practice an educational skill, but to also practice that skill to lead them on the
path of mastery.
The Popcorn Game specifically uses drag and drop, as well as interactive writing features that
the interactive whiteboard (IWB) allows students to partake in. This allows students to practice
and learn in a creative way, making it enjoyable for all.

Teaching and Learning Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
Students use standard English grammar and usage when determining the correctness
of the sentences they are looking over and fixing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling when writing.
Students are practicing this while correcting the sentences during the activity, as well
as when they write the prompt given to them.

References:
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/8/
http://exchange.smarttech.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roman-popcorn-3620263