Writing and Reading
To make the child aware of basic sentence punctuation.
To help the child write and read.
The sentence written with the correct punctuation written in red.
5 1/2 years onwards
– A box containing laminated cards with samples of writing, which the child can write for himself such as:
- A beautiful saying or line from great literature.
- A rhyme or short poem.
- A riddle with the answer on the back of the card.
- A significant line from a story known to the child.
- Words from a familiar song.
- A homely saying.
- Introduce the material and discuss it.
- The child chooses a card and reads it.
- The child then turns over the card, face down, and writes it on the paper.
- Then turn the card back and with the directress, checks what he wrote.
- If it is not correct, look with the child to see if the two are the same. (Helping the child self evaluate.)
- If it is correct, then he can take a sheet of paper and illustrate the written part.
- Once done, return the material to its spot and he can place the written and illustrated work in his designated shelf.
The child works as shown.
– Set B
- Conversationally bring the child’s attention to the commas. “I see two little red marks. These are called ‘commas’. Can you say comma?”
- Have the child read the sentence. Bring to the child’s attention that the sentence is very long.
- Tell the child that commas tell us to pause just for a short breath. “Sometimes in a very long sentence, we have to stop to take a breath. And we can take our breath whenever we see a comma.”
- Have the child read the sentence with these pauses.
- Bring the child’s attention to the words that come between the two comas. Tell the child that the words between the commas give us addition information.
- Tell the child that we can read the sentence without the words between the commas.
- Read the sentence without the words between the commas.
- Tell the child that although it makes sense, the words between the commas give us some additional information that helps us understand the sentence a little better.
- Have the child read the sentence again.
- Read all of the cards before putting them away.
- Take out the second set of cards.
- Lay out the commas in a row.
- Take one sentence at a time, help the child conversationally place each punctuation mark where needed. The have him check his work against the first set.
The child can work with Set B (and Set A) as shown in the presentation.
– Set C
- Emphasis the beginning of the sentence with the capitol letter and the ending with a new mark: the question mark.
- As before, conversationally introduce the question mark.
- Bring the child’s attention to how our voices go up when we ask a question.
- Then take out the second set and do as with the other second sets.
The child works with Set C (and Sets A and B) as shown in the presentation.