Lesson Plan: Punctuation within Dialogue

Goals:
Students will learn how punctuation is used in dialogue
Students will gain appreciation for the effects that punctuation can contribute

Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Identify how punctuation is used to create certain effects L.4.3b
Use punctuation to indicate pauses or breaks in dialogue L.2a
Hear the difference when punctuation is used within selections of text
Apply punctuation within scenes to show tone and character traits

Rational:
This lesson not only provides a useful skill of having the student learning to listen to the
voices of the characters within text but through the activities in class will also be able to
hear the shifts in tone and voice of the speaker which will allow the students to more
readily identify the speakers mood

Materials:
Double entry journal
Current reading material
Handout of questions about punctuation
Handout with script
Tone of Voice Cards

Procedure:
Pre-Reading:
Begin class with a grand discussion about punctuation
o What are some examples of punctuation?
o What do we use punctuation for?
o Why do we have punctuation when we write dialogue?
o Is it important to have punctuation within selections of dialogue? Why or why
not?
Have students complete the first portion of the double-entry journal by answering the
question What can punctuation do for us as writers when it is used within dialogue?

During Reading:
Have students take out their current free-reading texts
Pair off students and have them read a page from their books that is mostly dialogue or
internal thought of the character
After reading have the students within their pairs answer the questions on the handout
Repeat with the other student in the pair
When the students have completed the handout ask them to pick a selection of dialogue
from the page and read it to their partner in the following ways:
o Without punctuation
o Added punctuation
o Altered punctuation
Then have the students discuss within the groups how the change in punctuation change
the mood of the character and potentially the meaning of the dialogue and which
punctuation causes which effects

Post Reading:
When this is completed ask the students to partner up with someone new
Hand out script
Ask the new pairs of students to alter the script with punctuation in order to gain the right
voice. The specific mood they will be going for will be on cards handed out to them
When the groups have finished ask if any of them would like to share their scenes
o Have the audience guess what the two speakers mood were. This will lead to
discussion of:
how effective the use of punctuation was
how could they use punctuation differently
why they chose the punctuation that they did and when
Ask students to do the second half of the double entry journal answering the following
question
o Based on your new knowledge why is punctuation in dialogue a valuable tool for
the author and how might this skill apply outside of school?

Assessment:
The students will be assessed formatively during the grand discussions
o The first discussion will assess and activate prior knowledge and give a sense of
what topics need to be focused on
o The second discussion will show how the students are applying the concept of
punctuation and show how they are able to hear the differences in mood
The students will also be assessed through their application of the concept of punctuation
in their scripts and how effectively they achieve their specific mood

Evaluation:
Double entry journal will be collected and be worth 10 participation points on the criteria
of completion and how they address the question that was posed to them.
Students will receive 5 participation points if they contribute to the grand discussion in a
constructive manner


Research:
<http://theeditorsblog.net/2010/12/08/punctuation-in-dialogue/> Editors Blog. How to
Punctuate Dialogue. Web. 10 December 2012.
o This site has the rules for punctuating within dialogue which is useful not only a
refresher tool for myself as a teacher before beginning this lesson but also as a
resource for those struggling with basic rules and usage of punctuation within
dialogue that will prevent the student from learning the more complex concepts of
using punctuation to indicate characterization, mood, and tonality.
<http://www.grossmont.edu/karl.sherlock/English126/punctuation.html > Punctuation and
Prose. Some Practical Advice About Using Punctuation and Markers in Creative Writing. Web.
2010.
o This site not only provides some further rules for punctuation but also has a
Common Effects in Dialogue section that outlines all the differing effects that
can be accomplished in dialogue, what they mean, etc. This is the section that
provides most of the effects that will be focused on during the lesson, which could
be either converted into a handout in future lessons or provide a cheat sheet for
the teacher when explaining or giving examples of effects. It provides concrete
examples that will be useful examples to the students so that they can see how it is
used and have a model to refer back to.


Common Core Standards:
L.4.3b. Choose punctuation for effect.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
2a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.





















Punctuation Handout
Where are some examples of punctuation that affects the way the character is talking and
shows their personality or how they are thinking?



What does the use of punctuation in these examples show about either the character that is
speaking or the situation he/she is in?



How would the section of text be different if there wasnt any punctuation or the punctuation
was changed?



Is there a place in the section of dialogue that you would add punctuation in order to add to
the mood of the scene (i.e. make it more happy, sad, excited, angry, etc.)?





Sad


Angry


Frustrated


Whiny


Scared



Nervous


Excited


Tired


Happy


Confused

A: Hello
B: Hello
A: Well
B: How have you been
A: Great and you
B: All right I guess
A: Thats great
B: What have you been doing
A: Nothing what about you
B: All sorts of things
A: Really
B: Yes
A: Are you sure
B: Yes
A: Oh I see
B: Well see you later
A: Dont you remember
B: I will always remember
A: Me too
B: Goodbye
A: Yes
B: Yes