Caitlin Brand

Unit Title: Comma Rules

Lesson Title: Using punctuation as a pause or break
Lesson Objective: Students will be able to appropriately us an ellipsis, comma,
and dash to indicate a pause or break in a text.
Standards Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2a Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate
a pause or break.
Lesson Sequence:

Address standards
Choose a volunteer to read the paragraph on the board.
o Ask student to only stop when he/she sees a punctuation mark
o Ask student how it felt to read that/ how many pauses he/she needed
to take
o Ask peers how it felt to listen to the paragraph being read
o Ask students what they could do to change the paragraph
Explain the Ellipsis, dash, and comma
The dash vs. the comma vs. the ellipsis
Talk about the difference
Practice worksheet

Anticipatory Set: Reading the paragraph aloud and seeing the changes
Direct Instruction: Going over the ellipsis, dash, and comma
Guided Practice: Discuss with a partner the difference between the three
Independent Practice: Using punctuation as a pause or break handout
Checks for Understanding: Discussing the differences between the three
punctuation marks, and reviewing the answers to the worksheet
Closure: Answering the questions from the worksheet as a group
Accommodating all Learners: Students can hear the paragraph being read aloud,
they talk within groups, and I have included a table of the punctuation marks on the
handout for reference.
Materials/Handouts: Using punctuation as a pause or break handout