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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.
  1. Which sentence is written correctly? • We made a big sandcastle. • we made a big sandcastle. • We made a big sandcastle • we made a big sandcastle (We made a big sandcastle. / we made a big sandcastle. / We made a big sandcastle / we made a big sandcastle) → We made a big sandcastle.Prompt: Look at the very first letter.
  2. Which punctuation mark should end this sentence? Who ate the last biscuit (. / ? / !) → ?Prompt: Is it a question that needs an answer?
  3. This sentence has no capital letters. How many capital letters does it need? my cat ate a fish. (0 / 1 / 2 / 3) → 1Prompt: 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.
  1. Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper. • "Can I help," asked the shopkeeper? • "Can I help"? asked the shopkeeper. • "Can I help? asked the shopkeeper." ("Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper. / "Can I help," asked the shopkeeper? / "Can I help"? asked the shopkeeper. / "Can I help? asked the shopkeeper.") → "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper.Prompt: Speech marks (quotation marks) go around the exact words spoken, including their punctuation.
  2. 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.
  1. Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • "Can I help"? asked the shopkeeper. • "Can I help," asked the shopkeeper? • "Can I help? asked the shopkeeper." • "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper. ("Can I help"? asked the shopkeeper. / "Can I help," asked the shopkeeper? / "Can I help? asked the shopkeeper." / "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper.) → "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper.Prompt: Speech marks (quotation marks) go around the exact words spoken, including their punctuation.
  2. Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • Tom asked, "Where is my coat"? • Tom asked, Where is my coat? • Tom asked "where is my coat?" • Tom asked, "Where is my coat?" (Tom asked, "Where is my coat"? / Tom asked, Where is my coat? / Tom asked "where is my coat?" / Tom asked, "Where is my coat?") → Tom asked, "Where is my coat?"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

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Speech marks (quotation marks) for dialogue

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    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."

    • A. "Hurry up," said Dad, "Or we'll miss the train."
    • B. "Hurry up, said Dad, or we'll miss the train."
    • C. "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train."
    • D. "Hurry up" said Dad "or we'll miss the train."

  2. Question 2

    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."

    • A. "Hurry up," said Dad, "Or we'll miss the train."
    • B. "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train."
    • C. "Hurry up, said Dad, or we'll miss the train."
    • D. "Hurry up" said Dad "or we'll miss the train."

  3. Question 3

    Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • "Can I help? asked the shopkeeper." • "Can I help"? asked the shopkeeper. • "Can I help," asked the shopkeeper? • "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper.

    • A. "Can I help? asked the shopkeeper."
    • B. "Can I help"? asked the shopkeeper.
    • C. "Can I help," asked the shopkeeper?
    • D. "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper.

  4. Question 4

    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".

    • A. Grandad said, "It's time for bed."
    • B. Grandad said, "it's time for bed."
    • C. Grandad said, It's time for bed.
    • D. Grandad said "It's time for bed".

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence is punctuated correctly? • Tom asked, "Where is my coat?" • Tom asked, Where is my coat? • Tom asked "where is my coat?" • Tom asked, "Where is my coat"?

    • A. Tom asked, "Where is my coat?"
    • B. Tom asked, Where is my coat?
    • C. Tom asked "where is my coat?"
    • D. Tom asked, "Where is my coat"?

  6. Question 6

    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."

    • A. "Let's go to the park," said Mia.
    • B. "Let's go to the park" said Mia.
    • C. Let's go to the park," said Mia.
    • D. "Let's go to the park, said Mia."

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Answer key: Speech marks (quotation marks) for dialogue

  1. 1. C. "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train."

  2. 2. B. "Hurry up," said Dad, "or we'll miss the train."

  3. 3. D. "Can I help?" asked the shopkeeper.

  4. 4. A. Grandad said, "It's time for bed."

  5. 5. A. Tom asked, "Where is my coat?"

  6. 6. A. "Let's go to the park," said Mia.