End Marks

End Marks

What students learn

Students learn that sentences end with an end mark. They practice the three most common end marks: a period, a question mark, and an exclamation mark. Start with End Marks: Use a Period at the End of a Statement to notice the most common ending mark.

Why it matters

End marks help readers know whether a sentence is telling something, asking something, or showing strong feeling. Then End Marks: Use a Question Mark for a Question and End Marks: Use an Exclamation Mark for Strong Feeling help students match the mark to the meaning.

Learn the idea

A period ends a statement. A question mark ends a question. An exclamation mark ends a sentence with excitement or strong feeling. When students choose the right end mark, their writing sounds more like real speech.

Try it

Say three short sentences aloud: one statement, one question, and one excited sentence. Ask the child to hold up one finger for a period, two fingers for a question mark, and three fingers for an exclamation mark before they write the sentence.

Parent guide

Keep the practice short and clear. Read a sentence aloud, ask what kind it is, and then have the child choose the ending mark. If they are unsure, ask whether the sentence tells, asks, or shows excitement.