How to Introduce Dialogue

Here’s the lowdown on how to introduce dialogue in an easy peasy way for students! So embarking on this new grade, I didn’t imagine quite fully all the new material I would be teaching. Dialogue in writing and how to punctuate it – certainly wasn’t something I was expecting.

I found these awesome ideas to be very helpful to introduce the concept to my students!

First up the Balloon Stickies App: It used to be free, so look for a similar version ( my Ipad is at school so I will try to get the one I used)

I got the original idea to use this app from the post over at Finally in First. Basically you use pictures and add text bubbles over the top then add dialogue or wording to the picture! I love the creativity involved and how easy it was to do. Never mind that my picture looks like word vomit 🙁

It was fun to play around with it, and get the grammar mechanics straight so it would help with our writing. Students had a great time exploring this app!

Next up, I showed my students this picture

I then had them free write a conversation between these 2 animals! We wrote for a designated amount of time using proper grammar rules when using quotations.

This also led to an opportunity to talk about “said is dead” and what other words we could use in its place.

They thought the picture was HILARIOUS and then I played them the short funny video clip below afterwards (it was Friday….) The video could also easily be tied in with health, cause and effect, and many other reading strategies honestly all while getting a good chuckle.

Just cracks me up! What other fun ways do you introduce and teach dialogue for either punctuation or in writing?! What other funny pictures could you use? There has to be tons!

I just completed these Halloween Jokes after seeing a similar idea on Pinterest. We turned the jokes into dialogue and then used macaroni for the commas, and quotations marks – GENIUS! it was such a hit!

I call that Macaroni Magic right there 🙂

The kids loved the tie in of the jokes and the holiday and it brought a quick close to our activities on dialogue. Such fun practice!!

If you love those activities – check out these quotation marks in wild posters – they are such a hit each and every year! See other great dialogue activities here!