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5th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 7 of 17

Punctuation Power

Commas, colons and apostrophes

What your child practices

Placing commas after introductory words, using colons before lists, writing possessives and contractions, choosing its/it's and their/there/they're, and punctuating dialogue.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 5L2 · commas, colons and apostrophes

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Put a comma after an opening word or phrase: “Yes, I can come.”
  2. Use a colon before a list: “Bring three things: a hat, a bottle and a snack.”
  3. its = belonging to it, it’s = it is. their = belonging to them, there = a place, they’re = they are.

Example: Which shows a classroom that belongs to many students? Many students: the plural is students. It already ends in s, so add just an apostrophe. Answer: the students’ classroom

Punctuation Power in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 7 of 17 in 5th grade English Language Arts, after Complex Sentences and before Media Smarts.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

    • Mom said “Dinner, is ready.”
    • Mom said, “Dinner is ready.”
    • Mom said, Dinner is ready.”
    • Mom said “Dinner is ready”.

  2. Question 2

    Which is the correct contraction for “we are”?

    • we'are
    • we're
    • w'ere
    • were'

  3. Question 3

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    Put the boxes over ____.

    • their
    • they're
    • there

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

    • Bring three things: to class a pencil, an eraser and a ruler.
    • Bring: three things to class a pencil, an eraser and a ruler.
    • Bring three things to class: a pencil, an eraser and a ruler.
    • Bring three things to class; a pencil, an eraser and a ruler.

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

    • Jay asked, “Where is my backpack?”
    • Jay asked, “Where is my backpack”?
    • Jay asked “Where, is my backpack?”
    • Jay asked, Where is my backpack?”

  6. Question 6

    Which shows bowls that belong to several cats?

    • the cats' bowls
    • the cats bowls
    • the cats's bowls
    • the cat's bowls

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