Grammar Mini-Lesson (Dialogue)
GRADE LEVEL AND REASONING:
This lesson will be taught to a 3rd grade class. In this lesson the students will learn the proper use of quotation marks and capitalization in dialogue. Teaching 3rd graders these concepts helps to fulfill some of the requirements set force by Michigan’s GLCEs.
SUBJECT WITH REASONING:
It is important for students to learn the concepts of using quotation marks and capitalization in dialogue to aid them in further development in the writing process. Adding dialogue to a piece of writing allows students to write in a more descriptive manner because it brings a story to life. It is also important for students to understand how to punctuate this dialogue.
LONG RANGE GOALS:
Our lesson on dialogue will be part of a ten day unit on descriptive writing. The dialogue lessons will take place at the end of the unit. Before getting to these lessons, students will have learned about using specific information, word choice, and sensory images to add details to their writing. At the end of this unit students will be able to include descriptive language while learning and writing about poetry and narrative pieces.
LINK:
This lesson on quotation marks and capitalization in dialogue will take place after students have learned specific information, word choice, and sensory images. After this lesson students will move on to incorporating dialogue into narrative pieces.
WARM UP:
Read aloud and have students follow along while reading a book that demonstrates good dialogue, such as Yo! Yes? written by Chris Raschka. After reading, ask students a series of questions about dialogue, starting off with asking students to point out a place where someone was talking. Then ask them questions like, “How did you know that person was talking?”, “What clues did the text give you that allows you to know when someone is talking?” and “Do you notice any difference in sentences where someone is talking, compared to sentences where no one is talking?”
DEFINE:
The teacher will tell the students that dialogue is loosely defined as talking between two or more people in any type of writing.
EXPLAIN:
When you have two or more characters interacting with one another, the speech that they say aloud is considered to be dialogue. Writers use dialogue to show their readers exactly what the character(s) are saying at that moment in the story.
ELABORATE:
To show that someone is talking you insert quotation marks to signal the exact words a character is saying. You would treat the sentence that the character is saying just like any other sentence, but you place quotation marks at the beginning of the sentence, when the character starts to speak, and at the end of the sentence when the character is done speaking. Dialogue is sometimes like a sentence within a sentence. When the writer lets the reader know who is speaking you insert a dialogue tag. For example in the sentence Peter said, “I have a dog.” the dialogue tag would be Peter said,. Use a comma at the end of a dialogue tag when the dialogue tag is at the beginning of the quotation. If the dialogue tag comes after the quotation use a comma inside the closing quotation marks. Once you place a quotation mark on a page, you begin to treat it as if it was a brand new sentence. This means that you capitalize the first word and place the proper punctuation at the end of the sentence.
DEMONSTRATE:
Have sentences written on the board/projector that include dialogue, but don’t include the proper capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks, etc. Show students how to include the proper elements of dialogue in several example sentences. This can be done by using different colored markers to add each element of dialogue correctly to the sentence.
GROUP PRACTICE:
After demonstrating several sentences, place students in groups of 3 or 4. Pass out worksheets with multiple examples of dialogue sentences that need to be properly edited. Along with the worksheets, pass out a handful of dried macaroni to each group. This is to be used when students are identifying where quotation marks should be placed. Then pass out dried fettuccini noodles that the teacher has already drawn three lines on. These will be used to show when a word needs to be capitalized. Finally, dried peas will be passed out, which will represent the period that needs to be placed at the end of the sentence. Groups will be allowed to practice with these sentences while the teacher walks around, checks the groups work, and provides assistance when needed.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE:
After doing several group examples, students will move out of the groups and work independently on an independent worksheet. This worksheet will have several sentences that need to be formatted correctly to fit the rules of dialogue. Students will edit the sentences and then re-write them properly on the line below. A poster of a dialogue checklist will be placed at the front of the room to help guide students through the worksheet.
ASSESSMENT:
After the students have finished the worksheet, the teacher will collect it to assess how well the students understand the rules of dialogue. The worksheet will be handed back to the students with a grade on it and will be used to shape future lessons.
CLOSURE:
The teacher will provide several prompts which will allow students to review their knowledge of dialogue by asking them a series of questions regarding what they learned during the lesson. The teacher will briefly explain that the student’s new skills with dialogue will be used in future writing assignments.
Pitner, Suzanne. TeacherWriter. 25 February 2009. 13 October 2011 <http://teacherwriter.net/2009/02/25/how-to-use-proper-punctuation-when-writing-dialogue/>.
Writer's Choice. n.d. 13 October 2011 <http://www.glencoe.com/sec/writerschoice/rws/mslessons/grade6/lesson30/index.shtml>.
Individual Practice (see directions above)
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2.) mom yelled don’t forget your helmet
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3.) my Halloween costume is a clown said molly
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4.) look exclaimed James it’s a mummy
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5.) raise your hand instructed the teacher
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6.) the class said this is easy
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7.) genna asked where are the giraffes
____________________________________________________8.) Create your own dialogue sentence on these lines:
____________________________________________________Tom said I have a soccer game later
Sally asked what time does the game start
From Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachian
i’ve forgotten the old songs said Papa
how are you going to save me asked Wilbur
my name said the spider is Charlotte
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