Storyboards aren't just for reading comprehension. They can be utilized in the classroom to teach important grammar and punctuation lessons as well. By teaching punctuation using storyboards, students get the chance to write AND illustrate their meaning. This gives teachers a clear, fast way of assessing student understanding of the concept.
If you look at the following storyboards, they illustrate the types of punctuation (period, comma, exclamation point, colon, and semi-colon) and then provide great examples of using each.
Understanding and correctly using all types of punctuation is a necessary skill. However, the complexities of the comma and the semicolon are difficult, even for high-school students. Often, these skills need to be reinforced in order for students to use them effectively in their work. By reviewing these types of punctuation and then having students complete a storyboard, teachers have a fast, effective way to reinforce the concepts.
But storyboards don’t have to just be for review. For more advanced students, teachers can use storyboards to explain or create assignments for concepts like the "oxford comma" or incorporate nonstandard punctuation like the interrobang (!?). One can even use storyboards to de-mystify punctuation that is misused more often than not, like the ellipsis.
Common Core Standards dictate that high school students be able to “use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text…” (ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2a) and “maintain a formal style” in their writing (ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2e and 11-12. 1d). All of these standards require a mastery of punctuation so students advancing through high school have a greater ability to alter and adjust syntax.
Storyboards provide a visual and engaging way for students to learn about punctuation, making it more memorable and enjoyable for them. By incorporating visual elements, students can see how punctuation affects the meaning and flow of a sentence, and how it can change the tone or mood of a piece of writing.
Storyboards can be used to illustrate the use of different types of punctuation in a sentence. For example, a storyboard could show how a comma can be used to separate items in a list, or how an apostrophe is used to show possession. This visual representation can help students understand the correct usage of each punctuation mark.
Storyboards can show how punctuation affects the meaning and tone of a sentence or paragraph. By illustrating how different punctuation marks change the flow and emphasis of a sentence, students can see how punctuation contributes to the overall meaning of a piece of writing.