F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Punctuation as a Reading Tool
READING · LESSON 8 OF 10
Les van English
In deze les zitten 19 slides, met interactieve quizzen en tekstslides.
F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Punctuation as a Reading Tool
READING · LESSON 8 OF 10
Functional Skills English Level 1 · Reading · Lesson 8 of 10 (about 60 minutes)
Covers: subject content 18 (punctuation to aid understanding of straightforward texts), with 9 (main points and details). Speaking and listening (statements 2, 3, 6) run through the pair talk.
Before the lesson: print the handout (Source A is slide 9 and Source B is slide 12) as an A4 handout, one per learner, so nobody has to read the sources only from the board.
Device-free fallback: every activity works with the printed sources, mini whiteboards and hands up.
Description: Functional Skills English Level 1 Reading, lesson 8 of 10. Learners use punctuation to read travel information accurately: commas, colons, brackets, apostrophes and question marks, and how one mark can change the meaning.
Tags: punctuation, reading punctuation, commas, colons, brackets, apostrophes, question marks, travel and tourism, level 1 reading, reading comprehension, exam practice, functional skills english, further education, adult learners Image credit: Konara Bandara / Unsplash
😄 Great – ready to go
🙂 Good
😐 Okay
😕 Not great today
😴 Tired
Wellbeing check: what's your week been like so far?
Phase 0 · Wellbeing check (first 2 mins)
A quick, low-stakes check-in. Only totals show, so nobody is singled out. Say: "There's no right answer. It just helps me plan today."
Act on it: if several learners choose the last two options, ease the pace and build in a pair task early. Check in privately with anyone you are concerned about, and follow your college's wellbeing and safeguarding route.
Editor note: if any emoji have not come through, re-add them in the editor.
Device-free fallback: learners show 1–5 fingers, or write a number on a sticky note face down.
Yes – I missed a bus or train
Yes – I turned up on the wrong day
Yes – a text I sent came out wrong
Not that I remember
Too many times to count!
Have you ever misread a sign, a text or a timetable?
Phase 1 · Hook (0–5 mins)
No wrong answer. Vote, then ask two or three learners for the story behind their vote: what did they misread, and what happened next?
Probe: "Was it the words that tripped you up, or the way they were set out?" Often it is a missed comma, a time in brackets or a list that was not clear. That is today's lesson.
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option, or stand by the corner of the room that matches your answer.
What we're doing today
R E A D I N G
Today you will
Why it matters
spot what each punctuation mark is telling you
see how one mark can change the meaning
read travel information accurately
A missed comma or bracket can mean the wrong time, place or price.
The Level 1 reading exam asks what punctuation shows you.
Phase 2 · Goals (5–7 mins)
Keep it practical: punctuation is not only a writing rule. Readers use it as a set of signals, the same way a driver uses road signs.
The Level 1 reading assessment asks questions like "What does the information in brackets tell you?" and expects you to read details such as times and prices exactly.
Device-free fallback: read the slide aloud; learners copy the three goals into their book.
Name a punctuation mark. Where have you seen it on a ticket, sign or timetable?
Phase 2 · Activation (7–10 mins)
Free association. Collect every mark learners can name: full stop, comma, question mark, exclamation mark, apostrophe, colon, semicolon, brackets, dash, bullet points, speech marks.
Probe: "Where have you seen it on a ticket, sign or timetable?" (e.g. brackets on a ticket: "(off-peak)"; a colon on a timetable: "Platform: 3").
Say: "Today we use these marks as clues when we read, not just when we write."
Device-free fallback: pairs list as many marks as they can in 60 seconds and draw each one; collect on the board. Image credit: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
Punctuation is a road sign
It tells you how to read:
. stop: one idea ends
, pause, or split a list
? someone is asking
' belonging (the driver's bag) or missing letters (can't)
Phase 3 · Teaching (10–13 mins)
Say: "Punctuation is a set of road signs for your eyes. It tells you where to stop, where to pause and what is coming next."
Go through each mark with a quick example from travel: "Your train is late." / "Bring a coat, water and lunch." / "Is the coach step-free?" / "the driver's phone", "can't".
Misconception: an apostrophe does not make a word plural. "Tickets" has no apostrophe; "the ticket's price" does.
Vocabulary: punctuation means the marks in writing that are not letters or numbers.
Device-free fallback: draw each mark big on the board and ask learners to say its job. Image credit: Fred Moon / Unsplash
One mark changes everything
R E A D I N G
1
"Let's eat, Grandma!" = you are talking to Grandma.
"Let's eat Grandma!" = Grandma is on the menu!
2
"The driver, Sam, will meet you." = one person.
"The driver, Sam and Leah will meet you." = three people.
3
"We stop at Hale Park, Saltby and Rye Cove." = three stops.
"We stop at Hale Park (in Saltby) and Rye Cove." = two stops.
Phase 3 · Teaching (13–17 mins)
Click to reveal each pair. Read both versions aloud and let learners hear the difference: the comma makes you pause.
Probe after each pair: "Who or what is this about? How many people? How many stops?"
Answers: 1 a comma before a name means you are talking to that person. 2 commas round "Sam" show Sam is the driver (one person); without them, it is a list of three. 3 brackets add extra information about Hale Park (it is in Saltby), so there are two stops, not three.
Support: give learners the pairs on a card to keep.
Stretch: can they write their own pair where one comma changes the meaning?
Device-free fallback: write each pair on the board one at a time.
Colons and brackets
R E A D I N G
Colon :
Brackets ( )
Means more is coming: a list or an explanation.
The price includes: a seat, a walk and a drink.
Ask: what is being listed?
Hold extra information. Skip it and the sentence still works.
Our coach (with Wi-Fi) leaves at 8.30am.
Ask: what extra detail do I get?
Phase 3 · Teaching (17–20 mins)
Two marks that often carry exam marks. A colon is a signpost: "more is coming". A pair of brackets is a side door: extra detail you can step past.
Model it: read the bracket example without the brackets: "Our coach leaves at 8.30am." It still makes sense, so the brackets only added detail.
Misconception: brackets do not mean "not important". In travel texts they often hold dates, prices and who a rule is for. Always read them.
Device-free fallback: the same, on the board.
www.ashworthcoachtours.co.uk/day-trips
SOURCE A
Ashworth Coach Tours · Day trips
Saltby Bay: a seaside day out
Sea air, fish and chips, and time to explore
Leave the car at home and let us do the driving. Our coach (with a toilet, Wi-Fi and phone chargers) takes you straight to Saltby Bay, a fishing town on the coast.
Your day at a glance
8.15am – meet at the bus station (Bay 4)
8.30am – coach leaves (please don't be late!)
11am – arrive in Saltby Bay
4.30pm – coach leaves for home
about 7pm – back in Ashworth
What's included?
The price includes: your coach seat, a guided walk round the harbour and a hot drink at the Lighthouse Café.
Adults £32. Under-16s £16.
Good to know
Can I bring my dog? Only assistance dogs can travel on the coach.
Is there step-free access? Yes. Tell us when you book and we'll save you a seat at the front.
**Colon.** What comes after it explains what comes before: Saltby Bay **is** a seaside day out.
**Brackets.** Extra information about the coach. Skip it and the sentence still makes sense.
**Bullet points and dashes.** One bullet for each part of the day. The dash links a time to what happens then.
**Colon, then commas.** The colon says "a list is coming". The commas split it. How many things are included?
**Question marks.** Questions a customer might ask, each followed by the answer. Scan the questions to find yours.
Phase 3 · Reading Source A (20–25 mins)
Learners read along on the handout while you read aloud (or a confident volunteer does). Then open the hotspots: each one is a punctuation mark doing a job.
Probe: "How many things does the price include? How do you know?" (Three: the colon starts the list and the commas split it.)
Vocabulary: an itinerary is a plan of a trip with times; a harbour is where boats are kept; assistance dogs help disabled people.
Device-free fallback: printed Source A; learners circle one colon, one pair of brackets and one question mark. Image credit: Pete Godfrey / Unsplash
Which sign asks you to bring three separate things?
Bring a coat. Water and lunch are provided.
Bring a packed lunch (water is provided) and a coat.
Bring a packed lunch, water and a coat.
Bring a packed lunch: sandwiches and water.
Phase 4 · Check (25–28 mins)
Answer: C. The commas split a list of three separate things: lunch, water, a coat.
Why the others are wrong: A asks for one thing; the full stop starts a new idea about what is provided. B asks for two; the brackets add extra information (water is provided). D asks for one thing; the colon explains what the packed lunch is.
Probe: "Which mark did you look at first?"
Device-free fallback: learners hold up A–D cards or fingers.
Drag each example to the job its punctuation is doing
Colon – a list or explanation follows
Brackets – extra information
Apostrophe – belonging or missing letters
Our coach (with a toilet and Wi-Fi) takes you there
Call the driver's mobile
Your return time hasn't changed
Please note: be there by 8am
This Saturday (14 June)
The price includes: a seat, a walk and a drink
Phase 4 · Practice (28–33 mins)
Every example comes from today's sources. Learners find the mark first, then decide its job.
Answers: Colon: "Please note: be there by 8am" and "The price includes: …". Brackets: "Our coach (with a toilet and Wi-Fi)…" and "This Saturday (14 June)". Apostrophe: "the driver's mobile" (belonging) and "hasn't changed" (missing letter: has not).
Probe: "Which apostrophe shows belonging, and which shows a missing letter?"
Device-free fallback: read each card aloud; learners show C, B or A on a mini whiteboard.
Inbox · Ashworth Coach Tours
SOURCE B
From: Ashworth Coach Tours
Subject: Saltby Bay trip – change to Saturday's pick-up
Dear passenger,
Because of roadworks on Station Road, Ashworth Bus Station will be closed this Saturday (14 June). Your coach will leave from Market Square car park instead.
Please note:
be there by 8am, not 8.15am
the coach will leave at 8.15am sharp
your return time hasn't changed
Running late? Call the driver's mobile on 07700 900 482. We can't wait for more than five minutes, but we'll do our best to help.
Sorry for any trouble this causes.
The Ashworth Coach Tours team
**Apostrophe for belonging.** Saturday's pick-up = the pick-up **on** Saturday.
**Brackets.** The exact date, so there is no doubt which Saturday.
**Colon and bullets.** "Please note:" says a list of things to do is coming. One bullet, one instruction.
**Question as a heading.** "Running late?" If this is you, read on. The answer comes straight after.
**Apostrophes.** driver's = belonging (the driver's phone). can't, we'll = missing letters (cannot, we will).
Phase 3 · Reading Source B (33–37 mins)
Read it aloud together. Ask first: "What has changed, and what has not changed?" (The pick-up place and time have changed; the return time has not.)
Then open the hotspots one at a time.
Probe: "Why does the writer put the date in brackets?" (So there is no doubt which Saturday.)
Vocabulary: roadworks are repairs to a road; sharp after a time means exactly on time.
Device-free fallback: printed Source B; learners underline every apostrophe and label it B (belonging) or M (missing letters).
Spot the difference. Find two punctuation changes. How does each one change the meaning?
Version 1
Running late? Call the driver. We can't wait.
Version 2
Running late. Call the driver, we can wait.
Phase 4 · Spot the difference (37–41 mins)
Learners compare the two versions in pairs first, then type their answer. Read both aloud with the voice going up on a question.
Answers (any two): 1 "Running late?" asks if you are late; "Running late." tells you the coach is late. 2 "can't wait" means they will not wait; "can wait" means they will wait: the opposite. 3 Version 2 joins two sentences with a comma, so it reads as one rushed message.
Exam tip: small marks can flip the meaning. Read every mark in a time, a rule or a price.
Device-free fallback: learners write the two differences on mini whiteboards.
Complete the punctuation rules
A colon can show that a list is coming. In a list, commas separate the items. Extra information you could skip goes inside brackets. An apostrophe can show that letters are missing.
Phase 4 · Check: the rules (41–44 mins)
These four sentences are today's strategy card. Read the finished text aloud together.
Answers: colon · commas · brackets · apostrophe.
Distractors: "full stop" and "dash" both fit the grammar of the first gap but not its meaning; check against slide 8.
Editor note: after pushing, set this fill's text to 28px in the editor.
Device-free fallback: write the sentences on the board with gaps; learners copy and fill them in.
Exam-style practice
minute
second
Answer on paper using Source A and Source B. Look at the marks: they tell you how many things to write.
1. Source A: what do the brackets after "Our coach" tell you? (1 mark)
2. Source A: list the three things in the price. (3 marks)
3. Source B: what time must you now arrive? (1 mark)
4. Source B: what does the apostrophe in "driver's" show? (1 mark)
5. Source B: why does the writer begin with "Running late?" (1 mark)
Starters
The brackets tell you…
The price includes…
The apostrophe shows…
The question…
Phase 5 · Independent practice, exam style (44–54 mins)
Learners work alone, on paper, with Sources A and B. Start the 10-minute timer. This is the format of the Level 1 reading assessment: short questions, with the marks shown.
Support: let learners use the starters; for question 2, remind them to find the colon first.
Stretch: for question 5, explain the effect on the reader as well as the meaning.
Mark it together on the next slide.
Device-free fallback: the questions are written to be copied from the board or printed.
Check your answers
R E A D I N G
1. Brackets after "Our coach"
2. Three things included
3. New arrival time
4. The apostrophe
5. "Running late?"
Any two of the three features get the mark.
One mark for each. The colon starts the list; the commas split it.
Not 8.15am. That is when the coach leaves.
Accept "the phone belongs to the driver".
Accept any answer about speaking to late passengers or catching their attention.
The coach has a toilet, Wi-Fi and phone chargers.
Your coach seat · a guided walk round the harbour · a hot drink at the café.
8am (at Market Square car park)
The mobile belongs to the driver.
To speak straight to anyone who is late, so they know this part is for them.
Phase 5 · Mark it (54–57 mins)
Click each yellow marker to reveal the answer. Learners mark their own work with a different colour pen and add up out of 7.
Common errors: Q3 "8.15am" (that is when the coach leaves; you must be there by 8am). Q2 "the coach" (accept "your coach seat"; "the coach has Wi-Fi" is not in the price list). Q4 "there is more than one driver" (no: the apostrophe shows belonging).
Device-free fallback: read the answers aloud.
You can now…
R E A D I N G
say what job a punctuation mark is doing in a text
spot how one comma or bracket can change the meaning
use colons, brackets and apostrophes to read details accurately
Phase 6 · Celebrate progress (57–58 mins)
Click to bring in each tick. Ask: "Which of these feels solid now? Which one needs more practice?" Name it as real progress: reading punctuation accurately is how you get times, places and prices right.
Device-free fallback: learners tick the three statements in their book, adding a question mark next to any they are unsure about. Image credit: LessonUp Studio (made for this series)
Colons – a list or explanation is coming
Brackets – extra details like dates or prices
Commas – how many things there are
Apostrophes – who owns what
Question marks – the questions I'm asking too
Which punctuation mark will you look for first in a text now?
Phase 6 · Reflect (58–60 mins)
No right answer. Ask one or two learners why they chose theirs, and where they could use it outside college (e.g. a booking email, a parking sign, a work rota).
Device-free fallback: thumbs up for each option, or write the mark and its job on an exit slip.
Take it further
R E A D I N G
Stretch: in class
Before next lesson
Write two versions of one sentence about a trip, where one comma or pair of brackets changes the meaning.
Swap with a partner. Can they explain the difference?
Find a real letter, bill or leaflet at home.
Find and circle:
one colon
one pair of brackets
one apostrophe
Write the job each one does.
Take it further
Stretch is for early finishers in class. Accept any sentence where one mark changes who, how many or what happens; check that both versions are correctly punctuated.
Before next lesson needs no device. Learners bring their real text to Lesson 9, where we use headings, contents pages and tables to find our way round longer texts.
Device-free fallback: this slide is already paper-based.