Parenthesis — Year 5 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: English Appendix 2 — Punctuation: brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis (Year 5)
Overview
Pupils learn to use brackets, dashes, and commas to mark parenthesis — additional information embedded within a sentence. They explore the effect of each punctuation choice and practise using parenthetical phrases to add detail, explanation, or qualification to their writing.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what parenthesis means and how it functions in a sentence.
- Use brackets, dashes, and commas to indicate parenthesis.
- Explain the difference in tone between brackets, dashes, and commas.
- Embed parenthetical phrases effectively in their own writing.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Display: 'My teacher — who has been teaching for twenty years — is brilliant.' Ask pupils to identify the extra information. Remove it: does the sentence still work? Establish the concept of removable information.
Explain parenthesis and the three ways to punctuate it. Compare tone: brackets = factual/formal aside, dashes = dramatic/emphatic aside, commas = neutral addition. Show examples of each in authentic texts (newspaper articles, non-fiction, fiction).
Pupils rewrite five sentences three times, each time using a different punctuation mark for the parenthesis. Discuss: does the tone change?
Pupils write a paragraph that includes at least two examples of parenthesis, using different punctuation marks. Topic: a description of a person or place.
Share examples. Identify the parenthetical phrase and the punctuation used. Ask: 'Why did you choose brackets/dashes/commas here?'
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils sometimes open parenthesis with one type of punctuation and close it with another (e.g. opening with a dash and closing with a comma) — stress that the pair must match.
- Treating parenthesis as compulsory information rather than additional — remind pupils the sentence must make full sense without it.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Familiarity with using commas to mark clauses.
- Understanding of main and subordinate clauses.
- Some experience of using dashes and brackets in reading.
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