An excellent way to introduce and maintain written fundamentals is to do it daily. Type a worksheet with five sentences on it. Make intentional mistakes when typing so students must remember previous lessons. Additional lowercase letters or misspelled words can show how closely students are paying attention. Correct the sentence on a large whiteboard. Ask students to spot the errors. Use this as a time to both review and introduce new concepts.
Whiteboards are an essential item for an elementary classroom. They are versatile for math, language and science instruction. If students do not have an individual whiteboards to use, simply laminating white paper will do the same thing. Instruct students to write one of three things on their board: a period, question mark or exclamation mark. Say a sentence out loud. Students will write on their whiteboard the punctuation mark needed at the end. Have students hold up their whiteboard when finished to check their work. This activity can be altered to particular lessons.
Most first grade students know the game "Red Light, Green Light." This activity helps them identify punctuation marks and their meaning. Set the game up ahead of time by reviewing the rules and three punctuation marks: periods, question marks and exclamation points. Make signs for each punctuation --- exclamation point means hop and wave your hands; a question mark means stop moving, tilt your head, and put your hands on your hips; and a period means freeze. In an open field or gymnasium, line the children across one side. They will finish on the opposite side. When you shout "green light!" students start running forward. Next shout, "yellow light!" and students need to look and see what sign you are holding up. The sign will indicate their action. Students must follow the sign or start from the beginning. The winner is the first one to make it across the finish line by following all the punctuation mark traffic commands.
To help students learn the difference between questions and statements, introduce the concept of a question-and-answer interview. As a group, listen to or read an interview. Tell the students about the two roles: the person who asks the questions and the person who responds in statements. Talk about the types of questions that are OK to ask. Pair up students and have them write a list of questions to ask their partner. Check to see if each student is using question marks and words such as who, what, when, where, why and how.