Why is it important to know how to teach punctuation at word level?
The National Curriculum for English at Key Stages 3 and 4 has the following requirement: Writing: Punctuation • Pupils should be taught to use the full range of punctuation marks correctly. The Key Stage 3 National Strategy: Framework for teaching English: Years 7, 8 and 9 has the following objectives: Year 7: Word level Spelling Pupils should revise, consolidate and secure the use of the apostrophe including: omissions; the possessive apostrophe; apostrophising plurals, e.g. ladies’ coats, and words ending in s; the exception of possessive pronouns; Year 8: Word level Spelling Pupils should be taught to review, consolidate and secure the spelling conventions covered in Year 7 which include: apostrophes. KS3 pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in word-level punctuation Strengths: • More able writers use omissive apostrophes accurately. Weaknesses: • The correct use of the possessive apostrophe still causes significant difficulty at KS3. • Even the strongest KS3 writers may make possessive
