1. New Year’s Resolutions for SPAG
Time is ticking… unscramble the key words and/or note down when to use them. 1)
semi-colon
We can use this punctuation mark when we want to join together two independent clauses. 2)
full stopirony
We can use this punctuation mark at the end of a full sentence. 3)
apostrophe
We can use this punctuation mark to show if letters are missing. We can also use it to show possession. 4)
capital letter
We use one of these at the start of a proper noun, for the pronoun “I” and to begin any sentence. 5)
clause
We use one of these whenever we have a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
mole coins
flu plots
spare photo
a little carpet
lace us
Extension: Can you make up a SPAG anagram of your own then test your partner?

2. semi-colon full stopirony Semi colon apostrophe Full stops
Time is ticking… unscramble the key words and/or note down when to use them. 1)
semi-colon
We can use this punctuation mark when we want to join together two independent clauses. 2)
full stopirony
We can use this punctuation mark at the end of a full sentence. 3)
apostrophe
We can use this punctuation mark to show if letters are missing. We can also use it to show possession. 4)
capital letter
We use one of these at the start of a proper noun, for the pronoun “I” and to begin any sentence. 5)
clause
We use one of these whenever we have a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
Semi colon
Full stops
Apostrophe
Capital letters
Clause
Extension: Can you make up a SPAG anagram of your own then test your partner?

3. Learning objectives: To understand how to avoid basic SPAG errors;
To be able to set effective literacy targets.

4. Activity 1: Capital letters
the shortest month of the year is february.
Sam and jane went to a restaurant in leeds.
how many easter eggs did you receive?
We went on holiday to mallorca with george.
My friends and i love eating chinese food.
Extension: Using your green pen, annotate the examples to explain why you have used each capital letter.

5. Activity 1: Capital letters
Use your
green pen to tick or correct your answers…
Activity 1: Capital letters
The shortest month of the year is February.
Sam and Jane went to a restaurant in Leeds.
How many Easter eggs did you receive?
We went on holiday to Mallorca with George.
My friends and I love eating Chinese food.
Now give yourself a mark out of ten…

6. Activity 2: Tricky spellings
How can I improve my spelling?
definitely
lose
weird
separate
surprise
happened
appearance
they’re
their
there
The old-fashioned way:
Look – cover – say – write – check
Use a dictionary or Microsoft Word to check your work.
Find a visual way to remember the letters:
Use a silly saying:
“There’s definitely a nit in my hair.”
Download a free app called My Spelling Test.

7. Activity 3: Ending sentences
When is the right time to use each of these?
. = full stop
! = exclamation mark
? = question mark
… = ellipsis

8. Activity 3: Ending sentences
. = full stop
! = exclamation mark
? = question mark
… = ellipsis
Activity 3: Ending sentences
Stop it
The door opened
What a surprise
Do you know what time it is
The wind whistled outside
They waited and waited
How hungry are you
It is my favourite place
Extension: Using your green pen, annotate the examples to explain why you have used each punctuation mark.
You have to use each punctuation mark twice.
How can you end these sentences?

9. Activity 3: Ending sentences
Stop it!
The door opened…
What a surprise!
Do you know what time it is?
The wind whistled outside.
They waited and waited…
How hungry are you?
It is my favourite place.
Now give yourself a mark out of eight…

10. Activity 4: Commas To separate items in a list:
What are the main reasons to use commas?
To separate items in a list:
You will need butter, eggs, milk and flour.
They played FIFA, Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed.
To separate two adjectives before a noun:
It was a cold, windy night.
He drove an old, rusty car.

11. Activity 4: Commas
To separate the main clause from another clause in a compound or complex sentence:
I support Forest, but my friend supports County.
My dad, who hates EastEnders, switched off the TV.
As it was sunny, we spent the whole day outside.
To separate an adverbial from the beginning of a sentence:
Unfortunately, it was time to get out of bed.
In the blink of an eye, everything had changed.

12. Do these sentences use commas correctly or incorrectly? Why?
Activity 4: Commas
She likes, football basketball and tennis.
It was a warm, sunny day in Nottingham.
I heard a loud bang, which made me jump.
Finally we had reached the beach.
He loved to swim but he was scared to go in the sea.
She likes football, basketball and tennis.   
Finally, we had reached the beach.  
He loved to swim, but he was scared to go in the sea.

13. Activity 5: Apostrophes
Im going to Catherines party tomorrow.
Kanes first goal should have been offside, but the referees decision was final.
We dont know if theyre going to be there.
The three girls bags were all exactly the same as Sarahs.
Ive heard that a lot of schools canteens serve fish and chips on Fridays.
Extension: Using your green pen, annotate the examples to explain why you have used each apostrophe.

14. Activity 5: Apostrophes
I’m going to Catherine’s party tomorrow.
Kane’s first goal should have been offside, but the referee’s decision was final.
We don’t know if they’re going to be there.
The three girls’ bags were all exactly the same as Sarah’s.
I’ve heard that a lot of schools’ canteens serve fish and chips on Fridays.
Now give yourself a mark out of ten.

15. Activity 6: Semi-colons
When is the right time to use a semi-colon?
We can only use a semi-colon if we have two independent clauses.
e.g. He likes pears and she likes apples.
Remember, a clause is independent if it could work as a full sentence on its own.
e.g. He likes pears. She likes apples.
The semi-colon slots in between the two clauses so that you avoid using ‘and’ or starting a new sentence.
e.g. He likes pears; she likes apples.

16. Activity 6: Semi-colons
Semi-colons are particularly useful if one of the independent clauses already includes the word ‘and’.
For example, which of these sentences is easiest to understand?
He likes oranges and pears and she likes apples.
He likes oranges and pears; she likes apples.
Semi-colons add variety to our writing; they also help us to show off our control of punctuation.

17. Activity 6: Semi-colons
My favourite countries are Greece and Spain; I really enjoy Mediterranean food.
Zara didn’t want a big party she didn’t like loud noises.
Adam really hoped it would snow he hadn’t used his sledge in years, but he knew exactly where it was.
Katie always remembered her planner her brother wasn’t so well-organised, however.
The worst part of the holiday was the journey there and back I always suffer from travel sickness.
Extension: Using pictures instead of words, can you explain the rule for using semi-colons?

18. Activity 6: Semi-colons
If it helps, highlight the different clauses using a different colour.
Activity 6: Semi-colons
My favourite countries are Greece and Spain; I really enjoy Mediterranean food.
Zara didn’t want a big party; she didn’t like loud noises.
Adam really hoped it would snow; he hadn’t used his sledge in years, but he knew exactly where it was.
Katie always remembered her planner; her brother wasn’t so well-organised, however.
The worst part of the holiday was the journey there and back; I always suffer from travel sickness.
Now give yourself a mark out of five.

19. Learning objectives: To understand how to avoid basic SPAG errors;
To be able to set effective literacy targets.

20. Set a target: Look back through today’s activities.
What do you need to improve the most?
How will you do it?
My New Year’s resolution for SPAG is…
I will achieve this by…