HMS Sweet Tooth: Full stops

Key Skills
National Curriculum Key Stage 1
En2 Reading
1m use their knowledge of presentational devices
En3 Writing
3c use capital letters and full stops

Coverage National Curriculum Key Stage 1
Reading: Contextual understanding level 1
Writing: Punctuation level 1

Scotland: English Language 5-14
Reading for enjoyment level A
Functional writing level A

Northern Ireland
Reading: Expected outcomes c
Writing: Expected outcomes c

Wales
Reading: Range 3 ICT; Skills 2 Grammatical knowledge
Writing: Skills 6

• Introduce the activity by asking the children to tell you about full stops. What does a full stop look like? Where does it go? Why do we need full stops?
• Explain that the game lets you put the full stops in the sentences.
• Show the children how to click on a rope to get a sentence. Show them how to drag a full stop into the right place.
• As the children work through the game, go round the class asking individuals to read completed sentences.

• Introduce the activity as above. Read the words together. Before placing a full stop ask a child to point to the place on the screen where the full stop will go.
• Where the sentence is on two lines, try reading the first line as a sentence. Ask the children what is wrong. Praise them for explaining that it sounds unfinished and does not make sense.
• Involve as many children as possible in selecting ropes and in placing full stops.
• Always read the completed sentences together to help children develop a feeling for 'what sounds right' as a complete sentence.

• Introduce the activity as above. Let children work through the game at their own pace. If necessary remind them how to use the mouse to drag and drop.
• Notice whether the children place full stops correctly. Where a sentence is on two lines notice whether the child puts the full stop at the end of the line or at the end of the sentence.
• Ask children to read completed sentences to you.

Extension
Ask children who already understand full stops to sit next to children who are less confident. Ask them to prompt and remind their partner what to do without taking over. Alternatively ask more able children to write some sentences without full stops. Use these sentences as revision for the class in a plenary session.

Use to plan offline lessons
You can print the screen from the activity (File - Print or printer icon or press control P). Enlarge this to A3 on a photocopier for class or group work to follow up the television programme. Children can be asked to suggest sentences about the picture. You can also print multiple copies on A4 for individuals. Ask them to use the picture to write three or four sentences about the story.

Objectives NLS Year 1 Term
1S5 to recognise full stops and name them correctly.S7 to recognise that a line of writing is not necessarily the same as a sentence.S8 to begin to use full stops to demarcate sentences.

Resources required
Online activity for HMS Sweet Tooth; any big book; 6-8 prepared sentence cards without full stops (some sentences written on two lines); 6-8 cards with large full stops (blu-tack on reverse); pencil and paper for extension activity.

• Select 'HMS Sweet Tooth' from the menu. Select 'Activity'.
• Name the characters in the picture.
• Ask a child to make up a sentence about the picture. if an incomplete sentence is suggested, ask 'How can we make that into a real sentence?'
• Write the sentence on a board. Ask 'What do we need at the end?' and 'Where do we put the full stop?'
• Show the children how to click on a rope to get a sentence. Read the sentence together.
• Ask a child to use the mouse to catch a full stop and place it correctly. If a full stop flips back into the air, ask 'Why do you think that happened?' point out that the full stop will only stay if it is placed correctly.
• Read the completed sentence together.
• Click on other ropes to get more sentences. Involve as many children as possible in selecting ropes, moving full stops and reading the sentences.
• Select 'Go' for more practice with different sentences.

• Select a rope and ask the group to click on the same one. Ask a child to read the sentence aloud and to say where the full stop should go.
• Ask everyone to use the mouse to catch a full stop and place it correctly.
• Where a sentence is written on two lines, read the first line together and ask 'Does the full stop go at the end of this line?' Ask a child to explain that it does not make sense, and that the sentence ands on the next line.
• Work through the screens until each child has had at least one turnIndividual/paired workHaving been shown how to use the activity, the children can work at their own speed Extension: work with a partner. Write three sentences each about HMS Sweet Tooth, leaving out full stops. Exchange papers. Put full stops in each other's work. Check your partner's work. Are all the full stops correct?

Plenary
Use the sentence cards and full stop cards listed above. All read a sentence card together. Ask a child to fix a full stop at the end. Reread the sentence. Repeat with the other sentences.

Suggested Homework: look in a newspaper or advertisement. Cut out a sentence. Bring it to school. Display the sentences with the heading 'How many sentences? How many full stops?

When to use this worksheet:
The level of difficulty is suitable for year 1 children. They need to be able to recognise some high frequency words on sight. The children are at the stage when they are beginning to realise what a sentence is.

• Enlarge the worksheet to A3 on a photocopier. Read the instructions with the children. Identify the characters.
• Read what Captain Chocoblock is saying. Is it all one sentence? How can you tell? Where does the first sentence end? What do we put there? Show the children where to place the full stop. Point out that it does not go high up above the letters, or half way down, but in line with the lower edge of the letters.
• Where does the second sentence end? Ask a child to put in the full stop.
• What does Biff say in reply? Ask another child to place the full stop.
• Read what Floppy says. Are there two sentences, or only one? What does the first line say? Does it make sense? Is it a sentence? What does the whole sentence say? Where does the full stop go?
• What did Wilf say? Where does the full stop go?
• Draw lots of smiley faces in the space below. What might these children be saying? Ask the class to think of sentences about the programme or about chocolate. Write one of the suggestions in the speech bubble. Ask the children to help with spelling and to tell you where to put the full stop.

• Ask the children to explain to you where a full stop should go.
• Let the children complete the sheet independently. When a child has finished, ask why s/he needed two full stops for Captain Chocobloc, but only one for Floppy.
• Use this sheet as an assessment of children's understanding that sentences end with a full stop and that a sentence is not the same as a line of writing. Can the child distinguish between a complete and an incomplete sentence?

Extension:
Ask quick finishers to draw a speech bubble on the back of the sheet and write a sentence with at least six words in it. Ask the children to read their sentences to the class at the end of the lesson.

Objectives
S5 to recognise full stops and name them correctly.
S7 to recognise that a line of writing is not necessarily the same as a sentence.
S8to begin to use full stops to demarcate sentences.

Resources required
Copy of HMS Sweet Tooth worksheet each (select Print-out from story menu);Print screen of HMS Sweet Tooth activity (keyboard: Ctrl P) and enlarge to A3; A4 prints of same picture for group and extension activity; 6-8 sentence cards without full stops (some sentences written on two lines) ; 6-8 cards with large full stops (blu-tack on reverse); pencils

Teaching activities
Introduction: read a sentence card together. Ask 'What is missing?' Ask a child to place a full stop card in the right place. Where a sentence is written on two lines, cover the second line and read the first line. Ask 'Does the full stop go here?' 'Why not?' Read the whole sentence to check that it now makes sense. Place the full stop.

• Use the enlarged print of the activity screen picture. Ask the children to name the characters and suggest a sentence about the picture.
• Write the sentence under the picture, leaving out the full stop.
• Ask a child to put in the full stop.
• Think of some more sentences together. Write each one and ask a child to put in the full stop. Make sure you write some sentences on two lines. Read the first line and suggest putting a full stop there. Make sure that children can hear the difference between a complete and an incomplete sentence.

• Give each child an A4 copy of the activity screen print.
• Ask a child to suggest a sentence to you. It can be very simple, e.g. 'I can see Floppy.' Ask all the children to write the same sentence under the picture. Discuss spellings, sounding out CVC words and identifying beginnings and endings of longer words. Finish with a full stop.
• Take turns so that everyone in the group has a chance to suggest a sentence. You may have a group that will benefit from repetition, e.g. more 'I can see…' sentences. Encourage more able children to think of longer sentences, e.g. 'Captain Chocobloc is standing at the top of the steps.'
• Praise children for placing full stops correctly.

• Give a copy of the worksheet to each child. Read the instructions together. Explain what to do at the bottom of the sheet.
• Remind the children that they can find out how to spell words such as 'chocolate' by looking for it on the sheet.
• Ask children to check their own work. How many full stops did you use?
• On the back of the sheet, write a sentence about the picture. check your spelling and remember a full stop.

Extension: use A4 copies of the activity screen. Ask the children to write three sentences about the picture. Remind them to check spellings and full stops.

Plenary
Ask children to read the sentences they wrote in the speech bubble or on the back of the sheet. Praise children for writing sensible sentences and for using full stops correctly.

Suggested Homework:
Look at notices on the way home. Which ones had full stops? Discuss the notices the next day. Why do some notices not have full stops?