Cirque Du Freak - Lesson 16 - Speech Marks PowerPoint

In Lesson 16 of the Cirque Du Freak series, students are delving into the world of speech marks through an engaging PowerPoint presentation. The objective of the lesson is to teach students the correct usage of speech marks, also known as quotation marks, in written dialogue. The lesson begins by outlining the basic rules: speech marks are used to indicate when a character is speaking, a new line is started for each new speaker, and speech marks are placed at the beginning and end of the spoken words, not the sentence. Additionally, the first word within speech marks should be capitalized, and punctuation is necessary to separate the spoken words from the rest of the text.

Following the introduction to speech marks, students participate in an activity where they practice rewriting sentences to include correct speech mark usage. Examples are provided to guide them, such as turning 'Jo said, I need to get directions.' into 'Jo said, "I need to get directions."' The lesson then transitions to a creative writing exercise where students are encouraged to write an additional chapter for the story. They are prompted to consider the setting, describe it using literary devices like alliteration, adjectives, and similes, and introduce a main 'freak' character by defining their name, talent, personality, appearance, and the challenges they face. The use of direct speech is emphasized to enhance character development. Finally, students are asked to plan how their character's problem will be resolved by the end of the chapter. This planning phase includes peer review, where students swap plans with a partner to provide feedback on language devices used, elements they enjoyed, and what they would like to see in the story, fostering collaborative learning and creative exchange.