Colons

Teaching Colons

Colons

Colons   

Play the quick video lesson HERE and click the upper left back arrow to return to this lesson.            

Common Core Language Standard 2

When you think of colons, think relationships. Colons are often used incorrectly, especially when introducing lists. Writers mistakenly place colons following all parts of speech, including verbs. Instead, stick to conventional punctuation and only use colons following nouns and pronouns.

Today’s mechanics lesson is on how to use colons. Remember that colons are used to show relationships between numbers, as business letter salutations (openings), and in titles.

Now let’s read the mechanics lesson and study the examples.

Use a colon after an independent clause if the following independent clause comments upon or explains the first. If only one clause follows a colon, don’t capitalize the first letter of that clause.

Example: Jenny got in trouble: she cheated on the test.

Now circle or highlight what is right and revise what is wrong according to mechanics lesson.

Practice: “Just don’t say anything. it’s not your business,” she replied. “Now it’s reached a crisis point: It’s been going on for days.”

Let’s check the Practice Answers.

Mechanics Practice Answers: “Just don’t say anything: it’s not your business,” she replied. “Now it’s reached a crisis point: It’s been going on for days.”

Now let’s apply what we have learned. 

Writing Application: Write your own sentence using a colon between independent clauses.

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Syntax Programs

Pennington Publishing Grammar Programs

Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and High School) are full-year, traditional, grade-level grammar, usage, and mechanics programs with plenty of remedial practice to help students catch up while they keep up with grade-level standards. Twice-per-week, 30-minute, no prep lessons in print or interactive Google slides with a fun secret agent theme. Simple sentence diagrams, mentor texts, video lessons, sentence dictations. Plenty of practice in the writing context. Includes biweekly tests and a final exam.

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Interactive Notebook (Grades 4‒8) is a full-year, no prep interactive notebook without all the mess. Twice-per-week, 30-minute, no prep grammar, usage, and mechanics lessons, formatted in Cornell Notes with cartoon response, writing application, 3D graphic organizers (easy cut and paste foldables), and great resource links. No need to create a teacher INB for student make-up work—it’s done for you! Plus, get remedial worksheets, biweekly tests, and a final exam.

Syntax in Reading and Writing is a function-based, sentence level syntax program, designed to build reading comprehension and increase writing sophistication. The 18 parts of speech, phrases, and clauses lessons are each leveled from basic (elementary) to advanced (middle and high school) and feature 5 lesson components (10–15 minutes each): 1. Learn It!  2. Identify It!  3. Explain It! (analysis of challenging sentences) 4. Revise It! (kernel sentences, sentence expansion, syntactic manipulation) 5. Create It! (Short writing application with the syntactic focus in different genre).

Get the Diagnostic Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Assessments, Matrix, and Final Exam FREE Resource:

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