Second Grade Play Emphasizes Proper Punctuation

The second grade boys presented a play in April based on the picture book, “Punctuation Takes a Vacation,” by Robin Pulver. Teacher Rachel Gerber notes, “The story follows school children and what happens when their punctuation leaves the building. By the end of the play, they realize they can’t write without punctuation.”

In her book, Ms. Pulver gives each punctuation mark its own personality; likewise, Browning cast members dressed the part, speaking their lines loudly and clearly and emulating the action in the book as described in a New York Times Book review: “The quotation marks can’t stop talking, the colons are always telling time, and the exclamation points stand on their heads in excitement.”

After the boys took their bows, Headmaster Clement complimented them on their excellent production and further emphasized the need to know how to properly punctuate. He mentioned examples of Browning publications such as the Grytte and Buzzer, which rely on grammar and punctuation to provide readers with well-written stories.