Learning outcomes

1. Bullet points that follow a colon
If there is an introductory sentence, a colon should follow the sentence and each bullet should begin with a lower-case letter. Put a full stop after the last bullet point.
Bullet points can be used in different texts, including:

• 
  essays;
  
• 
  information texts;
  
• 
  presentations.
  

When bullet points consist of more than one sentence, start each bullet point with a capital letter and end it with a full stop. For example:
Before you hand in your work:

• 
  Check that you haven’t made any spelling mistakes. You can use a computer spell checker to check your spelling.
  
• 
  Look carefully for any missing capital letters. Ask a friend to help you.
  
• 
  Make sure that your writing is easy to read. If in doubt, cross the word out and write it again.
  

2. Bullet points that follow a heading
Bullet points that follow a heading should start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. For example:
Rules

• 
  Always be polite.
  
• 
  Walk when you are in school.
  
• 
  Open doors and hold them for other people.
  

Activity
In the two quotes from Winnie the Pooh below, the punctuation has been changed for symbols and the capital letters have been removed. It will not take you long to work out what the symbols stand for, but this can be an active way of encouraging children to engage with and talk about the punctuation marks on the page.

1. 
   #it*s snowing still~# said eeyore gloomily ¤ #so it is ¤ #and freezing ¤#
   

#is itª # #yes~# said eeyore ¤ #however~# he said~ brightening up a little~ #we haven*t had an earthquake lately ¤#

2. 
   #it is more fun to talk with someone who doesn*t use long~ difficult words but rather short~ easy words like #what about lunchª #
   

1. 
   ‘It’s snowing still,’ said Eeyore gloomily. ‘So it is.’
   

‘And freezing.’
‘Is it?’
‘Yes,’ said Eeyore. ‘However,’ he said, brightening up a little, ‘we haven’t had an earthquake lately.’

2. 
   ‘It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like, “What about lunch?” ‘
   

Another investigative approach is to present children with a short, unpunctuated passage. Ask them to read it through and then read it again, walking as they read. Invite them to pause briefly where the text seems to indicate that a comma is required, and pause for longer when a full stop might be required. They could begin working individually and go on to discuss with partners where other punctuation may be needed. Avoid asking them to write it out in their best handwriting, unless you are focusing on handwriting rather than punctuation.