Some sentences carry strong feeling. Surprise, excitement, worry, delight. Writers mark those with an exclamation point, and first graders take to that mark instantly, which is exactly the problem.
This course teaches what an exclamation is and how the mark changes the way a sentence sounds. Then it spends a full lesson on restraint, because a page where every sentence ends in an exclamation point has no exciting sentences left in it. Students learn that one mark is enough, that most sentences take a period, and that saving the mark is what gives it any power.
The course closes with students choosing between a period and an exclamation point line by line.
What you will learn
- Recognize a sentence that shows strong feeling
- End an exclamation with an exclamation point
- Hear how the end mark changes a sentence read out loud
- Decide when a sentence should take a period instead
- Use one end mark and save the exclamation point for what deserves it
A note for parents and teachers: exclamation is used as the noun for the sentence and exclamation point for the mark. Some books say exclamation mark, which means the same thing.