South Dakota ELA 2.L.2.c

ELA2nd GradeLanguage

The Standard

2.L.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Use commas in greetings and closings of letters. Use commas to separate single words in a series. Use commas in compound sentences.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students punctuate the opening and sign-off of a note. They separate one-word items in a list and put a comma before and or but when it joins two complete thoughts.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student writes 'Dear Maya,' and 'Your friend,' in a note. They write 'red, blue, and green' and 'I called, but Dad was out.' They leave 'I called and waved' without a comma.
Common Misconceptions: Some students put a comma before every and, even in 'I ran and jumped.' Others forget the comma after 'Dear Ava' or 'Love.' In lists, they may put one comma at the end instead of between items.
How to Assess It: Use this exit ticket: Add commas to 'Dear Sam / I packed crayons markers and glue / I called you but you were busy / Your friend / Jo.'

Lesson moves

Give pairs comma stickers and a note reading 'Dear Sam / I packed pens pencils erasers / I called but nobody answered / Love / Mia.'
Compare 'I drew a cat and a dog' with 'I drew a cat, and she drew a dog.' Why does one need a comma?
Play comma detective: read five short sentences aloud; students raise a comma card only when and joins two complete thoughts.
Have students write the custodian a thank-you note with a greeting, a sign-off, three listed items, and two complete thoughts joined by but.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 2.L.2.c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.