Summary
In this lesson, students explore the rules of colons and how they can be used to enhance their writing style. They begin the lesson by determining which colon rules are true and which are false. Next, they practice their new knowledge of the colon rules and read an article about the Iroquois’ “Three Sisters.” To demonstrate their understanding, students write a news article of their choice while implementing colons to enhance their own writing style in specific genres.
Essential Question(s)
How does grammar enhance your writing? How can you use this punctuation in your own writing?
Snapshot
Engage
Students play Fiction in the Facts to determine the colon rules.
Explore
Students demonstrate their new understanding with a handout.
Explain
Students read, annotate, and analyze an article using the Four A’s of Analysis to interpret how/why colons are used.
Extend
Students compose an article of their choice while using colons to enhance their writing.
Evaluate
Students practice answering an ACT-style question about colons.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Classifying Colons handout (attached; one per student)
Classifying Colons (Key) handout (attached; teacher use)
Three Sisters handout (attached; one per student)
Three Sisters (Key) handout (attached; teacher use)
Article Choice Board handout (attached; one per student)
Highlighters (two different colors; two per student)
Pen/Pencils
Notebook Paper
Electronic devices (optional)
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to facilitate the lesson.
Display the title slide and review the essential questions and objectives on slides 3-4. Next, transition to slide 5 and introduce the Fiction in the Facts strategy. Explain to students that they will read each statement and determine which two statements are true and which statement is false.
Move to slide 6 and allow students 2-3 minutes to read the statements. Encourage them to discuss with a partner or as a class. After the time is up, move to slide 7 to review the answers and their examples. Clear up any misconceptions.
Repeat this process for slides 8-11.
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Display the colon rules on slide 12 and review each rule in as much detail as you feel necessary. Distribute the attached Classifying Colons handout and allow students 10-15 minutes to complete the assignment individually or with a partner. Adjust time as needed. Next, review the answers using the attached Classifying Colons (Key) handout while also facilitating a brief class discussion. Use the following guided questions:
Why do you think the colon goes there?
What rule is it following?
Is there a different punctuation mark that could be used instead of a colon?
Why use a colon instead of a different punctuation mark?
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Distribute the attached Three Sisters handout along with two different colored highlighters per student. Move to slide 13 and introduce the strategy Categorical Highlighting that students will use as they read and annotate. Explain that as students read the article, they will highlight the sentence where they see colons; specifically, they will highlight everything before the colon in one color and everything after the colon in a different color. Identifying the parts before and after the colons helps students differentiate which rule is being used. Read the text aloud or allow students to read the article individually.
Display slide 14. After students finish reading the article, have students go back through and write down in the margins what colon rule is being used. Allow 12-15 minutes to read the text and complete the activity.
Take 3-4 minutes to review their answers and check for understanding using the attached Three Sisters (Key) handout.
Next, pass out paper to each student and transition slide 16 to review the Four A’s of Analysis strategy.
What Assumptions does the author of the text hold?
What colon choices do you Agree with in the text?
What colon choices do you want to Argue with in the text?
What colon choices of the text do you want to Aspire to?
Give students about 10 minutes to answer the questions individually on a sheet of notebook paper. Next, allow students to share their answers with an Elbow Partner. Allow at least 5-7 minutes for students to discuss. Next, facilitate a class discussion by inviting a few students to share their answers. Try to get students to think about how the use of a colon can have great significance over a text and reveal an author’s purpose.
Extend
50 Minute(s)
Distribute the attached Article Choice Board handout. Move to slide 17 and review the directions for the Choice Board strategy. Explain that students will choose one of the following journal article genres—Investigative Journalism, Op-Ed, and Feature—from the slide and choose a specific dish to examine. Encourage students to choose a dish they have had or seen previously. Transition through slides 18-19 explaining in as much detail as needed the genre conventions for each type of news article. Highlight the fact that the “Three Sisters” article they read would be an example of investigative journalism.
Next, move to slide 20 to view the Canva directions and for help accessing Canva. Students can create their article on Canva and share it with the teacher or download it to submit it through your school’s LMS or Google Classroom.
Evaluate
5 Minute(s)
Display slide 22 and review the Practice ACT question. Instruct students to use the same sheet of notebook paper used for their article to answer the question. Encourage them to use their notes to review the rules. Allow 1-2 minutes for students to answer the question; mention to students that during the ACT, they will only have one minute per question to answer the 75 questions for the English subject test or else they will not be able to finish the section. Start the timer provided on the slide and let students work. Next, move to slide 23 and facilitate a brief discussion about what the correct answer is and which rule it is following.
Have students submit their article for a grade at the end of the period.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). AI Chatbot. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/3478
K20 Center. (n.d.). Canva. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/612
K20 Center. (n.d.). Categorical highlighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/192
K20 Center. (n.d.). Choice boards. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/73
K20 Center. (n.d.) Elbow partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Fiction in the facts. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/60
K20 Center. (n.d.). Four A’s of analysis. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3579
K20 Center. (n.d.). Google Slides. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2335
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1077