Reading: Reading Fluency & Strategies (Beginnings): Lesson 2: Recognizing Basic Punctuation (Full Stop, Question Mark)

Reading: Reading Fluency & Strategies (Beginnings)

Lesson 2: Recognizing Basic Punctuation (Full Stop, Question Mark)

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The Traffic Signals of Reading

Last lesson, we practiced pointing to words. Today, we will learn about the "traffic signals" of reading called Punctuation¹. These small marks tell us when to pause and how our voice should sound.

We will learn the two most important punctuation marks: the Full Stop² and the Question Mark³.

Part 1: The Full Stop ( . )

This is a full stop, sometimes called a period. It looks like a small dot.

.

It means: STOP. The sentence is finished.
For your voice: When you read aloud, your intonation⁴ (the sound of your voice) goes down.

Example: Listen to how the voice goes down and pauses at the end of each sentence.

My name is Dara. I live in Kampot. I am a student.

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Part 2: The Question Mark ( ? )

This is a question mark. It means someone is asking something.

?

It means: ASK. The sentence is asking for information.
For your voice: When you read aloud, your intonation goes UP at the end.

Example: Listen to how the voice goes up at the end of each question.

What is your name? Do you live in Kampot? Are you a student?

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Part 3: Let's Compare!

Listen carefully to the difference between a statement and a question.

Statement (voice goes down):

Her moto is blue.

Question (voice goes up):

Is her moto blue?

Your Turn to Practice!

Practice Quiz 1: What's the mark?

Read the sentence. Does it need a full stop (.) or a question mark (?)?

Sentence: "The market is busy today__"

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Answer: It needs a full stop ( . ) because it is a statement telling you something.

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Sentence: "Do you like durian__"

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Answer: It needs a question mark ( ? ) because it is asking something.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Punctuation (noun)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: វណ្ណយុត្តិ
   Special marks in writing (like . , ?) that help us read and understand. ↩ back to text
2. Full Stop / Period (noun)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: ចំណុច (.)
   The mark `.` that shows a sentence has finished. ↩ back to text
3. Question Mark (noun)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: សញ្ញាសួរ (?)
   The mark `?` that shows a sentence is asking something. ↩ back to text
4. Intonation (noun)
   ភាសាខ្មែរ: សម្លេងឡើងចុះ
   The way a speaker's voice rises (goes up) and falls (goes down). ↩ back to text

Homework Task

Write and Read!

1. In your notebook, write one sentence that tells something about your day. End it with a full stop ( . ).
2. Write one sentence that asks a question about your friend's day. End it with a question mark ( ? ).

Practice reading your two sentences aloud. Remember to make your voice go down for the full stop and up for the question mark.