English lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 30 minutes
Speech marks (quotation marks) for dialogue
Punctuation
CCSS L.3.2.CCCSS L.4.2.BEngland: Y3 GPS (inverted commas)England: Y4 GPSEngland: KS2 SATs GPS
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Speech marks (quotation marks) for dialogue.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Capital letters and full stops (periods); Question marks and exclamation marks
Leads to: Punctuating quotations in essays; Proofreading for punctuation; Commas in dialogue: Mum said, "…" and "…," said Mum
Materials: Punctuation cards, A short unpunctuated text, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Capital letters and full stops (periods); Question marks and exclamation marks). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which sentence is written correctly? • Dad cooked rice for tea • Dad cooked rice for tea. • dad cooked rice for tea. • dad cooked rice for tea (Dad cooked rice for tea / Dad cooked rice for tea. / dad cooked rice for tea. / dad cooked rice for tea) → Dad cooked rice for tea.Prompt: Look at the very first letter.
- Which punctuation mark should end this sentence? Who ate the last biscuit (. / ? / !) → ?Prompt: Is it a question that needs an answer?
- This sentence has no capital letters. How many capital letters does it need? we go swimming on friday. (1 / 2 / 3 / 4) → 2Prompt: Count the first word.
Hook · 3 min
- Read a short passage with no punctuation and let the class hear why it's confusing.
- Share the objective: Speech marks (quotation marks) for dialogue. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • "Let's go to the park, said Mia." • "Let's go to the park" said Mia. • "Let's go to the park," said Mia. • Let's go to the park," said Mia.
- Step 1: Put speech marks around the spoken words. Punctuation that ends the speech goes inside the closing speech mark. A reporting clause after the speech needs a comma, ? or ! before the closing mark.
- Step 2: So the answer is: "Let's go to the park," said Mia.
- Answer: "Let's go to the park," said Mia.
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • "Let's go to the park," said Mia. • "Let's go to the park, said Mia." • Let's go to the park," said Mia. • "Let's go to the park" said Mia. ("Let's go to the park," said Mia. / "Let's go to the park, said Mia." / Let's go to the park," said Mia. / "Let's go to the park" said Mia.) → "Let's go to the park," said Mia.Prompt: Speech marks (quotation marks) go around the exact words spoken, including their punctuation.
- Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • Grandad said "It's time for bed". • Grandad said, "It's time for bed." • Grandad said, "it's time for bed." • Grandad said, It's time for bed. (Grandad said "It's time for bed". / Grandad said, "It's time for bed." / Grandad said, "it's time for bed." / Grandad said, It's time for bed.) → Grandad said, "It's time for bed."Prompt: Speech marks (quotation marks) go around the exact words spoken, including their punctuation.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • "Hurry up" said Dad "or we'll miss the train." • "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train." • "Hurry up," said Dad, "Or we'll miss the train." • "Hurry up, said Dad, or we'll miss the train." ("Hurry up" said Dad "or we'll miss the train." / "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train." / "Hurry up," said Dad, "Or we'll miss the train." / "Hurry up, said Dad, or we'll miss the train.") → "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train."Prompt: Speech marks (quotation marks) go around the exact words spoken, including their punctuation.
- Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • Grandad said, It's time for bed. • Grandad said "It's time for bed". • Grandad said, "It's time for bed." • Grandad said, "it's time for bed." (Grandad said, It's time for bed. / Grandad said "It's time for bed". / Grandad said, "It's time for bed." / Grandad said, "it's time for bed.") → Grandad said, "It's time for bed."Prompt: Speech marks (quotation marks) go around the exact words spoken, including their punctuation.
Watch out for
- Using commas where a full stop (period) is needed.
- Putting apostrophes in plurals (apple's).
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Capital letters and full stops (periods).
- Use concrete materials: punctuation cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Punctuating quotations in essays; Proofreading for punctuation; Commas in dialogue: Mum said, "…" and "…," said Mum.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder