EXCLAMATION MARK: I. KEY EXPERIENCE

Language Arts Volume 4: Mechanics

EXCLAMATION MARK: I. KEY EXPERIENCE

Materials:

One club

One red bead

Prepared sentences: `I am the best'

`This hunt was great'

`Tonight we eat'

`This kill is mine'

Title labels:

Exclamation Mark Key Experience written in red

Exclamare (Latin) means `to cry out'. written in red

Red exclamation marks from the printed alphabet

Blank labels

Black pen and red pen

Children's notebooks and pencils

Presentation: 1. Gather a group of children around a table or rug. 2. Say, "We have been working with periods and question marks. Periods are used to stop sentences that are statements. Question marks are used to stop sentences that ask questions. Today we are going to do more activities with punctuation marks."

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Language Arts Volume 4: Mechanics 3. Say, "In early times, long, long ago, great hunters had competitions to see who among them was the best hunter. Prizes were given, and perhaps the best hunter was given a beautiful club like this (show club). The winner might have raised his club over his head like this to show everyone his great power and excitement at winning. The hunter might have said... (read each sentence label with great emotion, raising the club emphatically each time, then placing each sentence label)." 4. Ask, "Are each of these sentences?" Children respond. 5. Ask, "How do we stop a sentence?" Children respond. 6. Place a red unit bead at the end of each sentence. 7. Say, "Today when we want to show a sentence has great power and excitement we stop it with a mark that looks like this club and this bead." 8. Place the club above the first red bead. 9. Replace the club and the red bead in the first sentence with an exclamation mark. 10. Stop the rest of the exclamations with exclamation marks. 11. Placing the exclamation mark title label above the symbol in the second sentence say, "This mark I made in red is called an exclamation mark. The word `exclamation' comes from the Latin word `exclamare,' which means to `cry out'." 12. Say, "Excitement can be expressed in one word like `Help.' " 13. Write `Help' on a blank label with the black pen. 14. Stop the sentence with an exclamation mark written in red. 15. Invite the children, one at a time, to express a one- or two- word exclamation, writing each one on a blank label. Invite each child who said an exclamation to stop his or her exclamation with an exclamation mark.

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Language Arts Volume 4: Mechanics 16. The children record this presentation in their notebooks.

Exclamation Mark Key Experience

Exclamare (Latin) means to `cry out'.

I am the best ! This hunt was great ! Tonight we eat ! This kill is mine ! Help ! Fire ! Oh boy ! Wow !

Direct Aim: 1. To understand the exclamation mark, its meaning, and its usage in sentences.

Age: 6 - 9 years

Note: The Key Experience is repeated each year.

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Language Arts Volume 4: Mechanics

QUESTION MARK: II. THE EXCLAMATION AND THE QUESTION

Materials: Five question labels (omit punctuation) Five statement labels (omit punctuation) Red quotation mark labels from the printed alphabet Red exclamation mark labels from the printed alphabet Title labels: `These are questions.' `These are exclamations.' Children's notebooks and pencils

Presentation: 1. Gather a group of children around a table or rug. 2. Say, "We have been working with periods, question marks and exclamation marks. Periods are used to stop sentences that are statements. Question marks are used to stop sentences that ask questions. Exclamation marks are used to stop sentences that express excitement. Today we are going to do more activities with these punctuation marks." 3. Distribute all of the question and statement labels. 4. Place the title labels next to each other. 5. Read the title labels and ask, "With what mark will you end these sentences?" Point to the question label. Children respond. Ask, "With what mark will you end these sentences?" Point to the exclamation label. Children respond.

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Language Arts Volume 4: Mechanics 6. Invite the children, one at a time, to read their labels and to place them under the appropriate title labels, adding question mark or exclamation mark labels at the end of each sentence. 7. The children record this presentation in their notebooks.

THESE ARE QUESTIONS. What is that smell? Did you enjoy the show? Do you see that smoke? Would you like a puppy? Are you lost?

THESE ARE EXCLAMATIONS. Ugh, it's a skunk! Wow, it was great! Oh no, it's a fire! I'd love one! I want my mommy!

Direct Aim: 1. To understand exclamation marks, their meanings, and their usage in sentences. 2. To understand the difference between questions and exclamations.

Age: 6 - 9 years

Note: The children may use this material, N8, independently.

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