English Language Arts · 7th Grade · Language in Action: Conventions and Style · Weeks 28-36

Apostrophes and Quotation Marks

Master the use of apostrophes for possession and contractions, and quotation marks for direct speech and titles.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.2.b
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.2.c

About This Topic

Apostrophes and quotation marks are two of the most misused punctuation marks in middle school writing, and each requires mastering multiple distinct rules. Apostrophes signal either possession ("the student's notebook") or a contraction ("it's = it is"), and confusion between possessive "its" and contraction "it's" is one of the most persistent errors at this level. Common Core Standard L.7.2.b addresses apostrophe usage specifically.

Quotation marks serve two main purposes in 7th grade writing: marking direct speech or quotations from text, and indicating titles of short works (stories, poems, articles, episodes). Common Core Standard L.7.2.c addresses both uses. Students often over-generalize, placing quotation marks around any emphasized word or applying them where italics are more appropriate.

Active learning tasks build fluency with these conventions through repeated, contextualized practice. Error analysis, creative sentence construction, and editing real writing samples are more effective than isolated exercises because they present the rules in the messy, real-world contexts where students will actually need them.

Key Questions

1. How does the placement of an apostrophe change the meaning of a word (e.g., its vs. it's)?
2. Differentiate between the use of quotation marks for direct quotes and for titles of short works.
3. Construct sentences that correctly use apostrophes and quotation marks.

Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between the uses of apostrophes for possession and contractions, correctly identifying and correcting errors in given sentences.
• Distinguish between the use of quotation marks for direct speech and for titles of short works, applying the correct punctuation in sentence construction.
• Construct original sentences that accurately demonstrate the use of apostrophes in possessive nouns and contractions.
• Analyze sentences to identify and correct misuses of apostrophes and quotation marks, explaining the reasoning for each correction.
• Apply rules for quotation marks to correctly punctuate dialogue and titles of short literary works within a narrative context.

Before You Start

Sentence Structure and Parts of Speech

Why: Students need a solid understanding of nouns, verbs, and sentence construction to correctly apply rules for possessives and contractions.

Basic Punctuation: Periods, Commas, and Question Marks

Why: Familiarity with fundamental punctuation helps students integrate apostrophes and quotation marks into their writing with greater accuracy.

Key Vocabulary

Apostrophe	A punctuation mark used to indicate possession or to show the omission of letters in a contraction.
Contraction	A word formed by combining two words and omitting some letters, indicated by an apostrophe (e.g., 'it's' for 'it is').
Possession	The state of owning something, indicated by an apostrophe and an 's' for singular nouns or just an apostrophe for plural nouns ending in 's'.
Quotation Marks	Punctuation marks used to enclose direct speech, quotations from text, and titles of short works.
Direct Speech	The exact words spoken by a person, enclosed in quotation marks.
Title of Short Work	The name of a component part of a larger work, such as a poem, short story, article, or song, enclosed in quotation marks.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Apostrophes should be added to any word ending in -s.

What to Teach Instead

Plurals do not require apostrophes. "Three dogs" is correct; "three dog's" is not. Only possessives and contractions use apostrophes. A simple self-check -- "Does this word show ownership or replace a missing letter?" -- helps students avoid this extremely common error. Peer editing in active tasks surfaces this pattern repeatedly.

Common Misconception

"It's" is the possessive form of "it."

What to Teach Instead

This is the most common apostrophe error in middle school writing. "It's" always means "it is" or "it has." The possessive form of "it" is "its" -- no apostrophe. Students benefit from a simple substitution test: read "it is" aloud in the sentence; if it sounds right, use "it's." If not, use "its."

Common Misconception

Quotation marks can be used to emphasize any word or phrase.

What to Teach Instead

In academic writing, quotation marks signal direct speech or titles of short works only. Students who write about their "amazing" idea or "so-called" project are using quotation marks incorrectly for academic contexts. Revision tasks that replace scare quotes with precise word choice build both conventions knowledge and vocabulary simultaneously.

Active Learning Ideas

Think-Pair-Share: Its vs. It's Test

Present ten sentences mixing "its," "it's," and incorrect uses. Students individually determine the correct form for each, then compare with a partner and agree on a rule they can articulate in their own words. Pairs share their self-generated rules with the class.

15 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Punctuation Error Stations

Post anonymized student writing samples (or teacher-created samples) that contain apostrophe and quotation mark errors. Students rotate through stations, mark each error on a sticky note, and write a correction and brief rule explanation.

20 min·Small Groups

Sorting Activity: Possession, Contraction, or Title

Groups receive cards showing phrases with apostrophes or quotation marks and categorize each by function (possession, contraction, direct quote, title). Cards include some with errors that students must identify and correct before categorizing.

15 min·Small Groups

Quick Write: Dialogue and Citation

Students write a short scene of dialogue (4-6 lines) that includes at least one reference to a short work (poem, article, or episode title), practicing both quotation mark rules in a single authentic writing context.

15 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Journalists use quotation marks precisely when reporting interviews or citing specific statements from sources, ensuring accuracy and attribution in news articles for publications like The New York Times.
• Authors of fiction and non-fiction meticulously use apostrophes for contractions and possessives, and quotation marks for dialogue and titles of referenced works, in books published by major houses like Penguin Random House.
• Screenwriters craft dialogue for films and television shows, relying on correct quotation mark usage to represent spoken words accurately, which is essential for clear communication between the script and the actors.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Present students with a worksheet containing 10 sentences, each with one error related to apostrophes (possession vs. contraction, singular vs. plural possessive) or quotation marks (dialogue vs. title). Ask students to identify the error and rewrite the sentence correctly.

Exit Ticket

Provide students with two scenarios: one requiring a contraction and one requiring a possessive noun. Ask them to write one original sentence for each scenario, demonstrating correct apostrophe usage. Then, provide a short paragraph with dialogue and a reference to a poem, asking them to add the necessary quotation marks.

Peer Assessment

Have students write a short dialogue between two characters. Then, they exchange papers with a partner. Each student reviews their partner's work, checking for correct use of quotation marks for dialogue and any necessary apostrophes for contractions or possessives. Partners provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I use an apostrophe?

Apostrophes serve two functions: showing possession (the teacher's book, the students' desks) and forming contractions (don't, it's, they're). Never use an apostrophe just to form a plural -- "three apples" is always correct without one. When you see a word ending in -s, ask: is this a possessive or a contraction? If neither, leave the apostrophe out.

How do I know whether to write "its" or "it's"?

Substitute "it is" in the sentence. If it makes sense, use "it's." If not, use "its" (no apostrophe). Example: "The dog wagged ___ tail" -- "it is tail" makes no sense, so use "its." "___ raining outside" -- "it is raining" makes sense, so use "it's." This substitution test works every time.

When should I use quotation marks instead of italics for titles?

Use quotation marks for titles of short works: short stories, poems, articles, chapters, song titles, and TV episode titles. Use italics for longer standalone works: novels, films, newspapers, albums, and TV series. If you cannot use italics (such as in handwriting), underline instead.

How does hands-on error correction help students learn punctuation rules?

Identifying and explaining an error in someone else's writing is more demanding than applying a rule in isolation. When students work through real writing samples in small groups, they encounter errors in authentic contexts, discuss rules with peers, and develop editing habits that carry over into their own work. Punctuation rules are best learned through repeated application, not memorization.