1. Created by: Michelle Oberman
PUNCTUATION
It’s fun! 

2. WHAT KINDS OF PUNCTUATION DO WE USE?
; : Semi-colons join two sentences together; this is how they are used.
? : Question marks come at the end of every question. You see?
!
: Exclamation marks express strong emotion!
.
: Periods come at the end of normal sentences.
,
: Commas can be used to make lists, join clauses together, or add
pauses in sentences.
:
: Colons are used for listing. They can be found in: long sentences,
short sentences, and even grocery lists.
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

3. SCAVENGER HUNT!
Directions: In order to pass the punctuation mark
challenge, you must find as many periods,
commas, question marks, colons, semi-colons, or
exclamation marks as you can. Whoever finishes
first wins!
On your mark…Get set…GO!
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

4. FIND AS MANY AS YOU CAN!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age
of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of
Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before
us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going
direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the
present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on
its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative
degree of comparison only.
There was a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face,
on the throne of England; there was a king with a large jaw
and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France.
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

5. GREAT JOB ON THE SCAVENGER HUNT!
 Now let’s see how we use punctuation correctly.
 First, we’ll talk about commas. This sentence is
correct:
 I like cats, but I don’t like dogs.
 This sentence is incorrect.
 I know how to read but I don’t know how to write.
 Why?
 Because commas are used BEFORE conjunctions!
 FOR, AND, NOR, BUT, OR, YET, SO are all
conjunctions
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

6. NOW WRITE THREE SENTENCES THAT
INCLUDE A COMMA.
 Read them to your partner.
 Read over your partner’s sentences.
 Are they correct?
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

7. LET’S TALK ABOUT SEMICOLONS
 Semicolons are a lot of fun to use, but most people
don’t know what they do.
 It’s simple; semicolons join sentences together
without a conjunction. (Remember what we just
talked about?)
 Here is a correct sentence:
 I love rainy days; it’s fun to play in the rain.
 Here is an incorrect sentence:
 The sun went down; so it is time to go to sleep.
 Remember: with semicolons, no conjunction is
necessary!
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

8. NOW, LET’S PRACTICE.
 This time write three sentences that use
semicolons. Show them to your partner to make
sure they’re correct.
 Check:
 Are there any conjunctions?
 Are there TWO sentences joined together in one?
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

9. EXCLAMATION MARKS!!
 You might not see exclamation marks as often
because they are only used to express strong
emotions…like
HAPPINESS, EXUBERANCE, SURPRISE, or even
FEAR.
 Here is an exclamation mark used correctly:
 I can’t wait to go to the party!
 Exclamation marks should not be used all the time.
Save them for when you really need them.
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

10. YOUR TURN, AGAIN 
 Write three more sentences. This time, focus on
exclamation marks.
 Make one sentence HAPPY.
 Make one sentence SUPRISING.
 Make one sentence SCARY.
 Great job!
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]

11. NOW, THE FINAL PROJECT…
 Write ONE paragraph about YOURSELF. Include at
least:
 2 periods
 3 commas
 1 exclamation mark
 1 question mark
 1 semicolon
©2011 Creative Curriculum for Children [CCC]