September 24—National Punctuation Day

On Dashes & Commas & Colons & Brackets

Do your students need to work on their punctuation? Former newspaperman Jeff Rubin thinks we ALL need to. In fact, Rubin founded National Punctuation Day in 2004 to draw attention to the importance of proper punctuation.

It’s a day for librarians, educators, and parents—people who are interested in teaching and promoting good writing skills to their students and their children. It's also a day to remind people everywhere that they are often judged by how they present themselves. "Successful people have good communication skills, and that includes knowing how to write properly," Rubin says. "Punctuation counts. A misplaced comma can alter the meaning of a message."

This year, National Punctuation Day is celebrated on September 24.

To find ideas for teaching punctuation to your elementary school students, check out Punctuation Playtime, which has resources for free and for purchase. And be sure to listen to the Punctuation Rap (both the rap and blues versions).

For definitions and ideas for older students, see the electronic grammar course on the HyperGrammar Web site from the University of Ottawa Writing Centre.