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English lesson plan · 10th grade (Year 11 in England) · 60 minutes

Matching pairs: comma–comma, dash–dash, bracket–bracket (SAT)

Punctuation

CCSS L.9-10.2CCSS L.11-12.2England: SAT Standard English Conventions (Boundaries)England: ACT English

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Matching pairs: comma–comma, dash–dash, bracket–bracket (SAT).

  • 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: Colons and dashes before an explanation or list (SAT); Essential or non-essential? Commas with appositives and clauses

Leads to: Punctuating however, therefore and other conjunctive adverbs (SAT); Punctuating complex sentences accurately

Materials: Punctuation cards, A short unpunctuated text, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Colons and dashes before an explanation or list (SAT); Essential or non-essential? Commas with appositives and clauses). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Is this sentence correct in formal written English? (I have only one brother.) My brother Sam is a chef. (correct / incorrect) → incorrectPrompt: Remove the words. Do we still know exactly who or what is meant?
  2. What punctuation (if any) belongs at [?] Ana packed everything she needed [?] a tent, a stove, two maps and a first-aid kit. (: / ; / no punctuation) → :Prompt: Is everything BEFORE [?] a complete sentence? If not, don't use a colon.
  3. In which sentence does [?] need this: no punctuation? (Ana packed [?] a tent, a stove, two maps and a first-aid kit. / Only one player had scored in every match [?] Lina Moreno. / The scientist — who had worked on the project for a decade [?] finally published her results.) → Ana packed [?] a tent, a stove, two maps and a first-aid kit.Prompt: Is everything BEFORE [?] a complete sentence? If not, don't use a colon.

Hook · 6 min

  • Read a short passage with no punctuation and let the class hear why it's confusing.
  • Share the objective: Matching pairs: comma–comma, dash–dash, bracket–bracket (SAT). Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] Lagos, Nigeria's largest city [?] is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.
  • Step 1: Interruptions come in matching pairs: two commas, two dashes, or two brackets — never a mix.
  • Step 2: Close the appositive with a comma.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: ,
  • Answer: ,
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 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 punctuation mark belongs at [?] Lagos, Nigeria's largest city [?] is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. (, / — / ; / no punctuation) → ,Prompt: Find where the extra information STARTS. What mark opened it?
  2. In which sentence does [?] need this mark: ,? (The volcano's last eruption (in 1913 [?] destroyed three villages. / The author (who wrote her first novel at seventeen [?] now teaches creative writing. / The museum's newest exhibit, a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.) → The museum's newest exhibit, a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.Prompt: Find where the extra information STARTS. What mark opened it?

You do: independent practice · 17 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. In which sentence does [?] need this mark: ,? (The author (who wrote her first novel at seventeen [?] now teaches creative writing. / The researchers (based at a university in Chile [?] tracked the penguins for ten years. / The museum's newest exhibit, a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.) → The museum's newest exhibit, a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.Prompt: Find where the extra information STARTS. What mark opened it?
  2. Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] Lagos, Nigeria's largest city [?] is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. (, / — / ; / no punctuation) → ,Prompt: Find where the extra information STARTS. What mark opened it?

Watch out for

  • Using commas where a full stop (period) is needed.
  • Putting apostrophes in plurals (apple's).

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Colons and dashes before an explanation or list (SAT).
  • 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 however, therefore and other conjunctive adverbs (SAT); Punctuating complex sentences accurately.
  • 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-10.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Matching pairs: comma–comma, dash–dash, bracket–bracket (SAT)

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    In which sentence does [?] need this mark: ,?

    • A. My cousin, who lives in Wellington [?] is visiting in December.
    • B. The volcano's last eruption (in 1913 [?] destroyed three villages.
    • C. The author (who wrote her first novel at seventeen [?] now teaches creative writing.

  2. Question 2

    Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] The museum's newest exhibit, a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.

    • A. ,
    • B. —
    • C. ;
    • D. no punctuation

  3. Question 3

    Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] My cousin, who lives in Wellington [?] is visiting in December.

    • A. ,
    • B. —
    • C. ;
    • D. no punctuation

  4. Question 4

    In which sentence does [?] need this mark: —?

    • A. My cousin, who lives in Wellington [?] is visiting in December.
    • B. The old lighthouse — which had been dark for decades [?] was lit again for the festival.
    • C. Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes [?] studied radioactivity.

  5. Question 5

    Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes [?] studied radioactivity.

    • A. ,
    • B. —
    • C. )
    • D. ;

  6. Question 6

    Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] The museum's newest exhibit — a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.

    • A. ,
    • B. —
    • C. ;
    • D. no punctuation

  7. Question 7

    Which punctuation mark belongs at [?] The researchers (based at a university in Chile [?] tracked the penguins for ten years.

    • A. ,
    • B. —
    • C. )
    • D. no punctuation

  8. Question 8

    In which sentence does [?] need this mark: )?

    • A. The museum's newest exhibit, a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.
    • B. The museum's newest exhibit — a full-size model of a blue whale [?] attracts thousands of visitors.
    • C. The researchers (based at a university in Chile [?] tracked the penguins for ten years.

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Answer key: Matching pairs: comma–comma, dash–dash, bracket–bracket (SAT)

  1. 1. A. My cousin, who lives in Wellington [?] is visiting in December.

  2. 2. A. ,

  3. 3. A. ,

  4. 4. B. The old lighthouse — which had been dark for decades [?] was lit again for the festival.

  5. 5. A. ,

  6. 6. B. —

  7. 7. C. )

  8. 8. C. The researchers (based at a university in Chile [?] tracked the penguins for ten years.