Activities to Teach Students to Choose Punctuation to Avoid Fragments and Run-Ons
![](https://dev.theedadvocate.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/teacher-1280966_1280-660x400.jpg)
As educators, it is necessary to teach students how to choose punctuation marks to avoid fragments and run-ons in their writing. Fragments occur when sentences are incomplete, and run-on sentences occur when two or more independent clauses are combined without proper punctuation. Teaching students to select the right punctuation will help them avoid these common errors and enhance their writing skills.
Here we have put together a few activities that teachers can use to teach students to choose punctuation.
1. Sentence Scramble:
To teach students how to avoid fragments, you can create scrambled sentences on flashcards with incomplete sentences. Shuffle the cards and hand them to students. Ask them to complete each sentence and choose the appropriate punctuation mark. It can be completed as an individual activity or in groups.
2. Grammar Race:
This activity is excellent for teaching students to avoid run-on sentences. Divide the class into groups and give them a set of sentences to reorder so that they are correctly punctuated. The team that first completes their set wins the race.
3. Punctuation Bingo:
Teachers can create bingo cards with different punctuation marks, and students can mark the punctuation marks as they hear them in sentences read aloud. The first to complete the card wins the game.
4. Writing Prompt:
Teachers can give students a writing prompt with specific rules to follow when using proper punctuation. For example, the prompt could be, “Write a letter to a friend inviting them to your birthday party. Use at least two conjunctions and commas to avoid run-on sentences.” This activity encourages students to practice using proper punctuation in context.
5. Sentence Completion:
Teachers can provide students with a sentence stem and ask them to complete the sentences correctly. For instance, an incomplete sentence may be “I went to the store to buy a gallon of milk,” and students can use punctuation to complete the sentence correctly.
In conclusion, these activities provide excellent opportunities for students to learn how to choose appropriate punctuation marks to avoid fragments and run-on sentences. These writing habits are essential for students to develop, as they will help them become effective communicators in both academic and professional settings. By using fun and interactive methods, the process of learning grammar can become an enjoyable experience for students.