LITERACY INFORMATION FOR EDUCATORS AND PARENTS FALL 2013

From the founder of National Punctuation Day®and Punctuation Playtime®

www.PunctuationPlaytime.com jeff@punctuationplaytime.com(510) 724-9507

The Exclamation Point!The Exclamation Point!National Punctuation Day® announces 2013 contest

SALE ON COMMAS...SEE PAGE 4

10th holiday celebration asks: Have we made a difference?s we celebrate the10th National Punctu-ation Day®, whathave you learned?Has National Punctu-

ation Day® made a differ-ence?

Is there hope for properpunctuation, good grammar,and intelligent, incisive writ-ing among our young peo-ple?

When we started this holi-day in 2004 we hoped wewould bring to the forefront—if only for one day a year—the importance of correctpunctuation. With tonguefirmly implanted in ourcheeks, we told people how to celebrate NationalPunctuation Day®.

We told them to sleep late, take a long shower orbath, go out for coffee and a bagel (or two), read anewspaper and circle all of the punctuation errors youfind (or think you find, but aren’t sure) with a red pen,take a leisurely stroll while paying close attention to store

signs with incorrectlypunctuated words, stop inthose stores to correct theowners, visit a bookstoreand purchase a copy ofStrunk & White’s The Elements of Style, look upall the words you circled,congratulate yourself onbecoming a better writtencommunicator, go home,sit down, write an error-free letter to a friend, andtake a nap, for it had beena long day.

Now we’ve been at it10 years, and we’d like to know if anything haschanged. That’s the

subject of our contest this year. In an essay of nomore than 250 words, explain how National Punctuation Day® has affected the way you thinkabout punctuation (or not), and how the holidayhas affected your writing (or not).

The deadline for entries is October 31. Contest winners will be announced in December.

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Send us your photos of incorrectly punctuated signs and we will post them in our gallery on the NPD website.

Please visit the National Punctuation Day Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/NationalPunctuationDay?ref=hl

Cafe signage in Sydenham, SE London

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LITERACY IN THE NEWS

LITERACY IN THE NEWS

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LITERACY IN THE NEWS

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LITERACY IN THE NEWS

Welcome back, my ungrammatical studentsUnlike your friends, who will excuse your errors, your college professor may or may not like you.

he fall ismereweeksaway,another

college semestereither under wayor soon to be. Ifyou’re one ofthousands offreshmen nation-wide, you’ve justdiscoveredyou’ve beenplaced in aremedial Englishclass.

“How can thisbe?” you’re asking yourself. “I got straight A’s in highschool! I love writing stories and poems! I’m good inEnglish!”

The culprit is your grammar—and, just to be clear, I’musing the word “grammar” in a general way to refer tothe overall mechanics of your writing, including punctu-ation, syntax, and usage. Students in remedial Englishclasses are almost always smart enough to write college-level prose, but they don’t know how to put sentencestogether in ways that clarify, rather than cloud, whatthey’re trying to say. The form of their expression gets inthe way of the content of their expression, which is nothelpful for a college student.

Sure, grammar might not seem like a big deal if you’recomposing a text message, or updating your Facebookstatus, or tweeting about what you’ve just had for lunch.

Your reader, in suchcases, is someone whowants to know what’son your mind, who hasan emotional stake inthe information . . .who likes you. Yourcollege professors mayor may not like you.

They’ll smile at you,but they’ll also beweeping on the insideover the stacks ofpapers they have tograde. The last thingthey want, the lastthing any reader who’snot your “BFF” wants, is

to wade through a bog of your ungrammatical writing.

Suppose, for example, you don’t know that a semicolonis properly used to join two closely related independentclauses. Based on three decades of teaching Englishprep courses, I can assure you this is a safe suppositionsince no more than one in a hundred remedial studentscan define the term “clause.” You’re therefore liable towrite something like this: “Oedipus attempts to avoid hisfate by running away from home, it’s a decision he willcome to regret.”

That’s wrong. You’re using a comma where you shouldbe using a semicolon. But does it really matter? After all,the reader can still figure out what you’re trying to say.

Yes, it does matter. It really matters. As the reader’s eyesscan down the lines of your page, deciphering your

TBy Mark Goldblatt

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meaning, he’s going to come to that comma—and it’sgoing to look wrong. He’s going to think, “That lookswrong,” or maybe even “Hey, shouldn’t that be a semi-colon?”

But at the moment he’s thinking one of those things,guess what he’s no longer thinking about? He’s no longerthinking about what you’re trying to say.

Though there are many genres of writing, and many vari-ations within each genre, the one characteristic thatunites all good writing is that it communicates effectivelywhat the writer wishes to say. Whatever gets in the wayof that process, whatever gums up the works, is a prob-lem.

While there is definitely such a thing as good writing,there’s no such thing as good grammar. The belief thatthere is betrays a basic misunderstanding of grammar’spurpose—which is to illuminate, not to sparkle. Younever come to the end of anewspaper article and think,“Wow, the grammar in thatstory was fierce.” The bestthing you can say about awriter’s grammar is that it’scompetent; it doesn’t get inthe way. Competent grammaris grammar you don’t notice.

Do you detect a trace of elit-ism in what I’ve just said? Well,I’m a freaking college profes-sor! L’élite, c’est moi. But incase you haven’t noticed,that’s the door you’re knockingon. If you tough out the nextfour years to your bachelor’sdegree, that’s your partinggift—you’ll join the elite of thecollege-educated. It won’tmake you a nicer person, but itwill give you lots to thinkabout.

You’re going to come awaywith many opinions—and adesire to write down those opinions and to have themtaken seriously. But they’ll never be taken seriously if yourreader keeps getting sidetracked by your faulty pronounantecedents. That’s why it’s absurd to claim that teachingstudents standard grammatical rules and expecting stu-dents to abide by them is a form of oppression. Thereare “other” grammars, or so the argument goes: grammarsof the victimized, the ostracized, the marginalized.

Please. Nothing prolongs the socioeconomic struggles ofhistorically victimized people more than an inability tocommunicate effectively with the broader culture. Theyhave a desperate incentive to make themselves heard—

not in ways that grammaticallyunderscore generations ofhardship but on the preciselinguistic terms of that broaderculture.

Frederick Douglass understoodthis point; his writings are atestament to it. So did BookerT. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois and Martin Luther King Jr.

So take your medicine. Itwon’t be fun, but you need it.Learn what a clause is, what agerund is, what a misplacedmodifier is—because yourfather did not shoot an ele-phant in his pajamas. If you’regoing to stew over your work-load, fine. But cast the blamewhere it belongs. You shouldhave learned this stuff a longtime ago, maybe instead ofwriting a few of those ungram-matical stories or poems.

Now get out of here. Class is about to start.

Mr. Goldblatt teaches at Fashion Institute of Technologyof the State University of New York. He is the author,most recently, of the novel “Twerp” (Random House,2013).

Welcome back, my ungrammatical students

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LITERACY IN THE NEWS

Can’t teach an old guy to LOL when texting

Texting is causing people to have very bad grammar,or, as we likely would text it, “vry bd grmr.”

And — LOL — apparently it also causes some prettystrange spelling.

As a man who makes his living from the language, all Ican say is OMG.

Regular readers will know I long have suspected that adegeneration of our language has resulted from textingand tweeting our communications. Now, thanks to a sur-vey about “tech-speak,” I have proof that “50 percent ofsurveyed teens said that they don’t use proper punctua-tion or grammatical marks when they write text or instantmessages.”

Teens might have responded “50 pr¢,” but you get thepoint.

OLD GUY TEXTING

I’m an old fogey when it comes to texting. I type inwhole words and complete sentences and use properpunctuation no matter how many times I have to tap at atiny cellphone keyboard. This is not because I’m takingany particular “I will save English” sort of stand. I’m just atthe stage in my life where I know a lot of retired Englishteachers, and I’m worried I’ll get my text messages backgraded poorly.

But, bad grammar in texting still does bother me. And, itdisturbs me that even though the study shows that 86percent of teens think “having good writing skills isimportant for success in life,” only 11 percent think“electronic communication has a negative impact ontheir writing skills.”

Since that’s probably “TMI” to most teens, I suspect theyresponded to the survey question by texting, “No probriten gd.”

WHAT’S IT MEAN

An infographic created by OnlineCollege.org, based onthe survey results, notes that shortening words is part ofthe allure of “techspeak,” which it defines as text mes-sages, instant messages, emails and social network post-ings.

The idea is to be quick and be numerous when sendingmessages. “See” turns to “c” and “to” turns to “2” in tech-speak. Nothing is worthy of taking the time to make ituppercase.

Accepting a date, for example, could just be a matter oftexting “gr8 c u 2nite” according to the infographic.

The problem is that the study concluded that “studentswho use techspeak often may have trouble switchingback to traditional grammar when needed,” the info-graphic warned.

What if that “gr8 date” turns into a relationship, and therelationship turns into a marriage?

Texting “i do” at the wedding, without any capitalizationand absent an exclamation point, sure isn’t going toseem very committed.

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BOOK NOOK

PUNCTUATION MANrecommendsthis book

Author Dan Gutman has new writing-tips book for kidsBy Kara YorioStaff WriterNorth Jersey record

hildren’s author DanGutman loves com-municating with hisfans, but he wasappalled as he readmany emails and

Facebook posts.It’s almost like texting

and cellphones have givenpeople the feeling punctu-ation and spelling andupper and lower case let-ters don’t even matter any-more,” said Gutman. “Iguess I’m kind of oldschool. I think communica-tion is really important.When someone writes likethat I feel like, ‘why do Ihave to decipher yoursecret code?’”

Concern over the poorquality of student writinghas New Jersey launching

new and more demandingguidelines and exams. Partof the challenge of the program, which starts inless than two years, is thatsome of the teachers aren’tequipped with the neces-sary writing skills, either.

Gutman is here to help,at least the kids. The frus-trating exchanges he hadwith readers inspired thecreator of the popular children’s series My WeirdSchool to write My WeirdWriting Tips. It’s aimed atentertaining kids ages 8 to12 with rules of grammarand the importance ofspelling.

“The idea of teachingkids to write sounds boring,” he said. “If I was akid, I’d drop that book in aminute. But I tried to writeit in the style of My WeirdSchool, using some of thecharacters, so hopefully the

kids who love My WeirdSchool will find this to beinteresting and not just awriting lesson.

Parents can do their partby encouraging their kidsto read.

“The best thing you cando to improve your writingis to read like crazy” Gut-man said.

Gutman wants kids toknow that writing can befun. With humor, he givesstorytelling tips as well astells readers why it’s impor-tant to use proper grammarand spell correctly.

When children want towrite, here’s a storytellingchecklist from Gutman’s My Weird Writing Tips thatparents can share with theirkids:

• Pick a setting and do alittle research to add in afew facts throughout thestory.

• Think of a main charac-ter that suits the setting—doesn’t have to be a person, or even alive.

• Give your main charac-ter a goal to achieve orproblem to solve.

• Surround the maincharacter with a few interesting and unusualsecondary characters.

• Start with a bang. Thefirst sentence in your storyneeds to grab the reader’sattention.

• Next comes the mostimportant and fun part—let your imagination gowild.

• Try to finish with abang, too. It doesn’talways have to be a happyending, but it should be asatisfying one. Better yet, asurprise ending.

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NATIONAL PUNCTUATION DAY®

CELEBRATE PROPER PUNCTUATION

WITH OUR UNIQUE PRODUCTS• T-shirts • Latte mugs • Greeting cards •

• Punctuation posters •

T-SHIRTS AND GREETING CARDS

featuring these designs

VISIT WWW.NATIONALPUNCTUATIONDAY.COM FOR LARGER IMAGESAND ORDERING INFORMATION. WE ACCEPT MAJOR CREDIT CARDS.

LATTE MUG

PUNCTUATION POSTERSSet of 4 full-color posters for teachers andparents, featuring definitions and correctusage of 13 punctuation marks.

September 24

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Great gifts for your literate friends!

Call us at(510) 724-9507 Temporarily out of stock

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®

THE ASSEMBLY PROGRAM THAT TEACHESELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS PUNCTUATION

IN A FUN AND ENGAGING WAY

®

Punctuation is FUN!Punctuation is important in helping children

learn to read and write with clarityEARNING IS EASIER WHENYOU.RE HAVING FUN,

AND WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN,. says Jeff Rubin, co-creator of PunctuationPlaytime®, and founder ofNational Punctuation Day®. Jeff and his wife, Norma

Martínez-Rubin, facilitatethe 45-minute program ofnon-stop activities, games,and punctuation learning.Punctuation Playtime®

takes a subject that childrenmight roll their eyes at andmakes it an engaging, enjoyable, and memorable learningexperience.

Jeff and Norma believethat reaching children at thebeginning of their scholasticcareers is critical in helpingthem develop the readingand writing skills that willbe a key not only to theiracademic success, but alsoto their professional successas adults.Games such as The

Punctuation Relay and Pinthe Punctuation Mark on the Sentence reinforce theprogram.s important punctu-ation lessons.Students learn best when

they have FUN! The children will remember this pro-gram — and the lessons they learned — for a lifetime!

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JEFF RUBIN, 1517 BUCKEYE COURT, PINOLE, CA 94564(510) 724-9507

JEFF@PUNCTUATIONPLAYTIME.COM WWW.PUNCTUATIONPLAYTIME.COM

.Your program completely supports our curriculum content. You havewrapped up the best in teaching to bring to our students. I love the fact

that you are not afraid to teach young children great skills!.— SALLY FELDMAN, WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, POINT RICHMOND, CA —

Punctuation PlaytimePunctuation Playtime

Jeff Rubin, founder of Punctuation Playtime® and National Punctuation Day®, isThe Newsletter Guy, owner of the Pinole, CA-based newsletter publishing firm ofthe same name (www.thenewsletterguy.com). Jeff has written and designed more than 1,800 newsletters for companies in a

wide variety of industries since beginning his business in 1981. Previously, Jeff was a newspaper reporter, columnist, and editor for papers in

New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and California. His freelance articles haveappeared in Family Weekly, Runner's World, Basketball Weekly, Consulting Today,and Professional Speaker magazines.Jeff is a professional speaker (www.JeffRubinSpeaks.com) and a former member

of the National Speakers Association. He speaks about marketing, integrity, andcustomer service for owners of small businesses.

Norma Martínez-Rubin is a veteran of EAST BAY IMpRoV classes and a bornlaugher. She has a gentle way with children, dogs, and her husband, Jeff. Norma holds an MPH from UCLA and an MBA from John F. Kennedy

University, in Pleasant Hill, CA.Norma owns Evaluation Focused Consulting (www.evaluationfocused.com),

which conducts health program evaluations for foundations, health maintenanceorganizations, and corporations with community benefit interests. She provides ahigh level of qualitative data that enables her clients to maximize the effectivenessof their community health initiatives.

Punctuation Playtime®

Facilitators

nderstanding the rules of punctuation helps children learn to read and comprehend what they read. Statistics show that students who read welldo better in school, get better jobs, earn more money, and live more satisfying and productive lives..

JEFF RUBIN, FOUNDER, PUNCTUATION PLAYTIME®

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Punctuation Playtime® praised by Teachers. Choice Award panele entered the Punctuation Playtime® instruc-tional DVD for teachers in the 2008 Teachers.Choice Award competition sponsored by Learning Magazine. While the DVD did not win

an award (only 15% of the entries win), the DVD gotvery positive comments from the panel of teachers thatreviewed it.

Here.s a sampling of those comments:WWHAT ASPECTS OF THIS PRODUCTDID YOU LIKE THE MOST?

• I like the reinforcement of punc-tuation outside of a textbook lesson.Also, the suggestions could easilybe used for an observational evalua-tion of lessons.

• I liked the supplemental materi-als that came with it. I like the songs.

• Using an assembly program is acute way of introducing students toa difficult concept.

• I like the idea of using music tointroduce the topic of punctuation.

• The students at the assemblyseemed to be having a really goodtime. I liked the interactive games. Iliked the two songs that came withthe program to teach punctuation. Itis certainly a different way toapproach a curriculum piece.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THISPRODUCT?

• I learned that too often I forgetto re-teach and enhance lessonswith activities. It doesn.t take muchmoney or time to follow up a lessonwith one of these activities.

• Students can learn about sub-ject matter in different ways. In thiscase, the use of an assembly pro-gram may pique their interest inpunctuation.

• The use of games and activitieshelp make teaching the topic ofpunctuation fun.

• Students were actively engagedwith interactive games and activities.

HOW WILL YOU APPLY INFORMA-TION FROM THE PRODUCT IN YOURCLASSROOM?

• I will integrate the punctuationposters with my English series I amalready using.

• Many (of this program.s) ideascould be used in other curriculumas enhancement and re-teaching. Iwould use products they can do ontheir own, at their own desks.

• I will incorporate some of thegames demonstrated in the video.

IF FUNDS WERE AVAILABLE, WOULDYOU RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT TOA TEACHER AT THE APPROPRIATEGRADE/AGE LEVEL?

• Yes. The ideas presented weregood, solid grammar rules.

• If a school/PTA had money topay for this program it looks like itcould be lots of fun for students.

• If a school had extra funds, itwould be fun to have Mr. Rubincome and do an assembly program.

• The games and activities pro-vided on the CD could be put touse in the classroom for students ingrades 1-6.

• If a PTA had funds to purchasethis program, I.d recommend it.

See page 14 for ordering information.

How we help young students learn about punctuation

Two ways to get Punctuation Playtime®

Book us for programsWe love working with young students. Please call us

about coming to your school. Call us at (510) 724-9507, or e-mail Jeff at

Jeff@PunctuationPlaytime.com.

Pin the Punctuation Mark on the Sentence—here at Roundout Elementary School, northof Chicago—is one of the most popularPunctuation Playtime® activities.

Purchase our instructional DVDWe also offer the program to schools and libraries

as a training DVD. It takes teachers and facilitators stepby step through our activities and learning objectives

so they can replicate the program in their classrooms andassemblies.

The DVD can be shared for cooperative teaching. Severalgrades in one school can learn important writing and literacy skills. Teachers and facilitators can reinforce andsupport each other. It's a great value!

With either option, you'll receive a CD with:• A Teachers. Activity Kit (12 punctuation activities)• A Kids. Activity Kit (23 punctuation activities to be done individually and with parents)

• A set of four, 4-color punctuation posters for theteacher to hang in his/her classroom

• The Punctuation Rap® music and lyrics• The sentences for Pin the Punctuation Mark on the Sentence.

Order online at www.PunctuationPlaytime.comWe accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit cards.

If you prefer paying by check, make it payable to .Punctuation Playtime. and mail it to:Punctuation Playtime, 1517 Buckeye Court, Pinole, CA 94564

Price includes shipping in the United States. To Canada or Mexico add $5; to other countries add $10.

Order the DVD/CD package for only $299

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earning is easier when children are having fun,and they have a lot of fun with Punctuation Playtime®.

We facilitate a 45-minute program of non-stop activities, games, and punctuation learning.Punctuation Playtime® takes a subject that

children might roll their eyes at and makes it anengaging, enjoyable, and memorable learning experience.

We believe that reaching children at the beginningof their scholastic careers is critical in helping themdevelop the reading and writing skills that will be key

not only to their academic success, but also to theirprofessional success as adults.

The children will remember the lessons theylearned in this program for a lifetime!

Punctuation Playtime® meets Language Arts state standards.

Book us now for spring 2014 and fall 2014 programs.Call (510) 724-9507.

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