Colons Presentation

Anne Pillar's comprehensive presentation on colons, designed for Key Stage 2 grammar, is a valuable resource for Year 6 educators teaching their students how to correctly use a colon in writing. The presentation is divided into sections, allowing teachers to tailor the content to their class's needs. It includes whole-class instruction, group and paired activities, and independent tasks, with the level of support being at the teacher's discretion. The presentation covers the various uses of a colon, such as introducing lists, separating independent clauses, introducing quotations and direct speech, and writing play scripts.

The presentation details how a colon can be used to introduce a list, especially when items in the list contain commas, in which case semi-colons are used as separators. Activities are provided to practice adding colons to lists and combining sentences using colons. Furthermore, the presentation explains how to use colons in direct speech and play scripts, with character names followed by their dialogue. Additional challenges encourage students to find examples of colons in various texts and to write paragraphs and play scripts incorporating colons, using nursery rhymes like "Humpty Dumpty" and "Jack and Jill" as inspiration. This structured approach helps students understand the function of colons and how they can enhance their writing skills.