Using Pasta to Learn about Commas {FREE Printable}

Just recently, as I observed ALuv {my 3rd grade son} writing, I noticed that he was including commas in his writing {Yay!}. As I looked closer, I noticed that his commas were not in the conventional places and sometimes they even took the place of periods.

Was I upset? Nope. I was actually super excited, and here’s why…

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**The free printable download can be found at the END of this post.

As I observe my kids when they work, there is one thing I’m constantly looking for: What are they using, but confusing? This means my child is using the skill (maybe it’s a spelling strategy or maybe it’s addition), but not quite using it the conventional way just yet.

This is key to me because it shows me what the child is ready to learn so he can grow in that area. If you’ve read my book, How to Choose “Just Right” Books, I talk a lot about how to find that for a child in reading, which is key for growth.

 

Commas with Pasta

This is EXACTLY what my 3rd grader was doing with his commas. He was using them, but confused about where they should go. He was ripe and ready to learn! So, I broke out the elbow pasta and we explored 5 different ways* to use commas:

1. between a list of objects in a sentence

2. between a list of 2 or more adjectives in a sentence

3. between dates

4. between the city and state

5. around quotations marks (pasta can be used for the quotation marks, too!)

*There more ways to use commas. These are just the first five ways I chose to explore it.

To make it hands-on, we used elbow macaroni. I also tried to add a few funny words (like poop) into a few sentences, just to keep his interest. 🙂 We worked on these on and off for about two weeks.

At first, I only had him work on one skill at a time, then we began mixing it up a little bit so I could see if he had retained what we’d done. The thing I was REALLY looking for was transfer into his independent writing time. This is how you know that a child has a concept: he can do it with independence.

 

We also had a BLAST reading and re-reading {and re-reading…and re-reading} Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: Why Commas Really DO Make a Difference by Lynne Truss. We began noticing in our every day language when the meaning would be changed if we didn’t include commas, which was super fun. Our favorite one was when he called his dad for dinner one night: “It’s time to eat, dad!” / It’s time to eat dad!” Oh, what a difference a comma can make!

 

More Punctuation Fun:

• Punctuation and Prose {using punctuation in poetry to read with fluency}
• Editing Checklist {P is for punctuation}
• Punctuation with Learning Resources Manipulative
• Proofreading with DIY Punctuation Stamps {Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational}
• Missing Punctuation Game {Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational}

 

6 FANTASTICALLY FUNNY Books about Punctuation

1. Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

2. The Punctuation Station by Brian P. Cleary

3. Punctuation Celebration by Elsa Knight Bruno

4. Twenty-Odd Ducks by Lynne Truss

5. The Girl’s Like Spaghetti by Lynne Truss

6. Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

 

 

Download this Comma Learning Pack with Pasta HERE.

 

 

Enjoy teaching!
~Becky