A period is only one of the three marks that can end a sentence. A question mark ends a question, and an exclamation mark ends a sentence said with strong feeling, such as a shout of joy or a warning. Reading the mark tells a child how to say the sentence: with a rising voice, or with excitement. On this page every item shows the same sentence twice, once with the right mark and once with a wrong mark, and the child circles the one that is written right.
Questions, such as Where is my hat, are mixed with exclamations, such as We did it, so the child has to listen to the meaning of the sentence, not only look at the mark. Read each pair aloud in a different voice: a question goes up at the end, and an exclamation is loud and quick.
What your child will learn
Tell a question from an exclamation
End a question with a question mark
End an exclamation with an exclamation mark
Read a sentence in the right voice
Common Core standard: L.K.2.B
Worked example
Where is my hat? asks something, so it ends with a question mark. We did it! shows strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.
Common mistake
Using a period or a question mark at the end of a shout.
Helpful hint
Say the sentence. Does it ask something, or is it a shout?