Think-aloud dialogue
Write a two-line conversation between two characters on the board with no punctuation at all. Think out loud as you add each mark: "Who is talking? Where do their words start and stop?" Then let kids punctuate the next line with you.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withL.4.2 Fourth Grade Common Core LessonCommon Core LessonsOpen it →













