You might be thinking: "Ms. Hoge, there is no way that punctuation can save lives." You are mistaken!
Take the cartoon to the left, for example. The grammatically correct version is telling us that we should eat with grandma, while the incorrect version is telling us that we should literally eat grandma.
Take a look at this short Youtube clip if you are still confused on how to save grandma by using a comma:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlBfnqgnhzw
I start this in-class activity by showing the students this picture of a magazine cover (below). Can you find the mistake?
Take the cartoon to the left, for example. The grammatically correct version is telling us that we should eat with grandma, while the incorrect version is telling us that we should literally eat grandma.
Take a look at this short Youtube clip if you are still confused on how to save grandma by using a comma:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlBfnqgnhzw
I start this in-class activity by showing the students this picture of a magazine cover (below). Can you find the mistake?
Usually I will have a student or two yell out, "Rachael Ray's hands look weird," or "her dog looks much happier than normal dogs!" until someone finally answers correctly. The magazine is telling us that "Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog" rather than listing (using commas) activities that she finds inspiration in: cooking, her family, and her dog. The correct version should appear "Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking, her family, and her dog." She likes to cook her family and her dog! The horror! She is a murderer!
Once we laugh for a bit, students partner up to try and make their own version of punctuation saving lives.
While this activity does give us practice with some comma usage, the real point is to try and be creative with a partner. Many 9th-grade boys come into school with bad experiences in Language Arts in grade school. I often hear them complain about grammar, vocabulary, and writing in general. I want writing to be fun and helpful, rather than daunting and boring. Sometimes, like during this activity, students find themselves enjoying grammar and writing.
My goal is to make grammar and writing a little less painful and a tad more fun, even if it involves talking about cooking our grandmas.
These are our stories!
Once we laugh for a bit, students partner up to try and make their own version of punctuation saving lives.
While this activity does give us practice with some comma usage, the real point is to try and be creative with a partner. Many 9th-grade boys come into school with bad experiences in Language Arts in grade school. I often hear them complain about grammar, vocabulary, and writing in general. I want writing to be fun and helpful, rather than daunting and boring. Sometimes, like during this activity, students find themselves enjoying grammar and writing.
My goal is to make grammar and writing a little less painful and a tad more fun, even if it involves talking about cooking our grandmas.
These are our stories!