Apostrophes and Quotation Marks

Middle school writers need hands-on practice to turn abstract apostrophe and quotation mark rules into automatic habits. Active tasks like sorting and dialogue writing let students test their understanding in real writing contexts, where errors become visible and correctable through immediate peer feedback.

• 7th Grade
• English Language Arts
• 4 activities
• 15 min–20 min

Learning Objectives

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

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 15 min·Pairs

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.

Prepare & details

How does the placement of an apostrophe change the meaning of a word (e.g., its vs. it's)?

Facilitation Tip: During the Think-Pair-Share, circulate and listen for the substitution test as students justify their choices between 'its' and 'it's'.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Gallery Walk

⏱ 20 min·Small Groups

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.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between the use of quotation marks for direct quotes and for titles of short works.

Facilitation Tip: Set a timer for the Gallery Walk so students move deliberately from station to station and have time to discuss errors before rotating.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Chalk Talk

⏱ 15 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.

Prepare & details

Construct sentences that correctly use apostrophes and quotation marks.

Facilitation Tip: For the Sorting Activity, provide colored pencils so students can mark possessives in one color, contractions in another, and titles in a third to build visual memory.

Setup: Large papers on tables or walls, space to circulate

Materials: Large paper with central prompt, Markers (one per student), Quiet music (optional)

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Chalk Talk

⏱ 15 min·Individual

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.

Prepare & details

How does the placement of an apostrophe change the meaning of a word (e.g., its vs. it's)?

Setup: Large papers on tables or walls, space to circulate

Materials: Large paper with central prompt, Markers (one per student), Quiet music (optional)

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Teaching This Topic

Teach apostrophe rules in short bursts followed by immediate application. Research shows that middle schoolers master these conventions best when they write first and then edit with clear prompts, rather than studying rules in isolation. Avoid long lectures on exceptions; instead, use quick-reference anchor charts at each station.

What to Expect

Students will confidently distinguish between possessives, contractions, and dialogue while explaining their choices in writing. They will also recognize and revise common misuses of quotation marks in academic contexts, not just in isolated exercises.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Sorting Activity, watch for students who mark plurals with apostrophes.

What to Teach Instead

Have them reread the possessive rule aloud from the anchor chart and cross out any apostrophes on plural nouns before resorting.

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who use 'it's' as the possessive form of 'it'.

What to Teach Instead

Ask them to read their sentence aloud substituting 'it is' for 'it's'; if the sentence still makes sense, they've confirmed the contraction. If not, they should switch to 'its' and recheck.

Common Misconception

During the Quick Write, watch for students who use quotation marks to emphasize words like 'amazing' or 'so-called'.

What to Teach Instead

Prompt them to replace the quotation marks with stronger word choice, such as 'brilliant' or 'alleged', and explain why academic writing avoids scare quotes.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Gallery Walk, give students a worksheet with 10 sentences containing one error each related to apostrophes or quotation marks. Ask students to identify the error and rewrite the sentence correctly on their own before discussing answers in pairs.

Exit Ticket

After the Think-Pair-Share, ask students to write two original sentences on an exit slip: one using 'its' correctly as a possessive and one using 'it's' correctly as a contraction. Collect these to check for immediate understanding.

Peer Assessment

During the Quick Write, have students exchange papers after drafting their dialogue. Partners use a checklist to verify correct quotation marks for dialogue and apostrophes for contractions or possessives, then provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to write a three-paragraph narrative using at least five contractions and three possessive nouns correctly.
• Scaffolding: Provide a sentence frame with underlined blanks for apostrophes and quotation marks; students fill in only the missing punctuation.
• Deeper: Ask students to research and present the history of the apostrophe or quotation mark, tracing how their uses have changed over time.

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.