Teaching word-level punctuation
- Back to main discussion of word-level punctuation.
- Why is it important to know about word-level punctuation?
- KS3 pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in word-level punctuation
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Why is it important to know how to teach punctuation at word level?
The 1999 National Curriculum for English at Key Stages 3 and 4 has the following requirement:
Writing: Punctuation
- Pupils should be taught to use the full range of punctuation marks correctly.
The Key Stage 3 National Strategy: Framework for teaching English: Years 7, 8 and 9 has the following objectives:
Year 7: Word level
Spelling
Pupils should revise, consolidate and secure the use of the apostrophe including: omissions; the possessive apostrophe; apostrophising plurals, e.g. ladies’ coats, and words ending in s; the exception of possessive pronouns;
Year 8: Word level
Spelling
Pupils should be taught to review, consolidate and secure the spelling conventions covered in Year 7 which include: … apostrophes.
KS3 pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in word-level punctuation
Strengths:
- More able writers use omissive apostrophes accurately.
Weaknesses:
- The correct use of the possessive apostrophe still causes significant difficulty at KS3.
- Even the strongest KS3 writers may make possessive apostrophe errors in 50% of occurrences.
- Many pupils are still unsure when to use hyphens and capital letters.