Adding punctuation

Adding punctuation

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about using speech marks.

The story below has no punctuation to show when people are speaking. 

Put speech marks (" ") in all the places they are needed.

 

 


As soon as Taine got his pocket money, he jumped on his bike
and raced straight down to the shop.
       How can I help you? asked the shopkeeper.
       Taine looked long and hard at all the ice-blocks and finally said, I'd like a lemonade ice-block please.
       Here's your ice-block. That will be one dollar and fifty
cents, said the shopkeeper.
       Taine put his money on the counter and headed out the door calling, Thanks very much, as he went.
       Come back, called the shopkeeper. There's fifty cents
change.
       In that case, said Taine, walking back to the counter, I'll
have a packet of chewing gum as well.
       There you are. I hope you enjoy it, said the shopkeeper.
       I will, said Taine.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper.
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
punctuation, direct speech, speech marks
Description of task: 
Students are asked to read a short story and to insert the speech marks required to punctuate the direct speech in the story.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use basic punctuation that is mostly correct
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.  
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Writing meaningful text: encoding, sets 3-4
Writing meaningful text: text features, sets 3
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
  

Y5 (02/2002)
  • Award 1 mark for each pair of speech marks correctly inserted.
  • Do not award the mark if additional unnecessary speech marks have been added between the two correct ones, e.g., "Here is your ice-block.", "That will be one dollar and fifty cents," said the shopkeeper.
  • The correct punctuation is shown in the box below.
 10 pairs correct – very difficult
9 pairs correct – difficult
7-8 pairs correct – moderate
1-6 pairs correct – easy
 

As soon as Taine got his pocket money, he jumped on his bike
and raced straight down to the shop.
      "How can I help you?" asked the shopkeeper.
      Taine looked long and hard at all the ice-blocks and finally
said, " I'd like a lemonade ice-block please."
      "Here's your ice-block. That will be one dollar and fifty
cents," said the shopkeeper.
      Taine put his money on the counter and headed out the door
calling, "Thanks very much," as he went.
      "Come back," called the shopkeeper. "There's fifty cents
change."
      "In that case," said Taine, walking back to the counter, " I'll
have a packet of chewing gum as well."
      "There you are. I hope you enjoy it," said the shopkeeper.
      "I will," said Taine.
Diagnostic and formative information: 

Common Errors

Between 10% and 33% of students added no speech marks to each section of text requiring them. Approximately 25% of students added additional, unnecessary speech marks in those instances in which there are two consecutive sentences spoken by the same person, e.g.,

  • "Here is your ice-block." "That will be one dollar and fifty cents," said the shopkeeper.
  • "There you are." "I hope you enjoy it," said the shopkeeper.