Grade 2 • Lesson 39: Quotation Marks

Direct Discourse Foundation

Introducing Quotation Marks to Young Learners: Direct quotation marks are first presented visually as "inverted commas" opening speech (“) and standard closing commas (”). Train children to identify the boundary between the speaker's exact words and the narrator's tag (said Ida, said Clara).

Key Section 2: Structural Analysis & Mechanics

1. “Name the parts of an orange,” said Ida.
• Opening Quote: Precedes the capital letter N in Name.
• Terminal Comma: Placed inside the closing quotation mark after orange.
• Dialogue Tag: Lowercase said, followed by capitalized proper noun Ida and a period.

2. “It has a peel, pulp, and seeds,” said Clara.
• Opening Quote: Precedes capital I in It.
• Series Commas: Note the commas separating items in a series (peel, pulp, and seeds).
• Closing Quote: Encloses the comma after seeds.
• Dialogue Tag: said Clara. with capitalized Clara and a period.

Model Section 3: Exemplar Student Dialogue Sentences

• Exemplar 1: “The robin has built a nest in the tree,” said Arthur.
• Exemplar 2: “May I have a ripe red apple?” asked Rose.
• Exemplar 3: “The stars shine brightly tonight,” whispered mother.

Evaluation Focus	Exemplary (Proficient)	Developing (Needs Support)
Quotation Mark Placement	Opening (“) and closing (”) quotation marks perfectly frame exact spoken words; comma placed inside quotes.	Places quotation marks after dialogue tags or omits closing marks.
Capitalization & Proper Names	First spoken word capitalized; proper nouns Ida and Clara capitalized; dialogue tag in lowercase.	Capitalizes said or leaves Ida/Clara lowercase.
Dialogue Construction	Composes two original, sensible sentences of direct speech with correct attribution tags.	Produces simple statements without quotation marks or speakers.

Lesson 39: Teacher Answer Key & Guide