South Dakota ELA 9-10.L.2.c
The Standard
- 9-10.L.2
- Demonstrate command of standard English mechanics and conventions; consult references as needed.
Use hyphens, dashes, and other punctuation correctly.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose punctuation that makes their meaning clear. They use hyphens in compound modifiers, dashes for interruptions or asides, and commas or colons where needed.
What Mastery Looks Like
- They write 'a well-known author' but 'the author is well known.' They use a dash to mark an interruption and put a colon after a complete clause that introduces a list.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may use a dash where a hyphen belongs or hyphenate a modifier after the noun. They may put a colon right after a verb, as in 'I brought: paper and tape.'
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Correct 'The well known coach brought: cones, balls, and whistles.' Then write a sentence using a dash to show an interruption.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips with compound modifiers, lists, and interruptions; have them place hyphen, colon, and dash cards where each belongs.
Put 'a small business owner' and 'a small-business owner' on the board; ask students how the hyphen changes who is small.
Run a punctuation relay: teams edit three posted sentences, one needing a hyphen, one a colon, and one a dash.
Show a mock cafe menu listing 'gluten free sandwich' and 'Today's specials are: soup and salad'; students correct both entries.
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