this might work

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this might work
By Jamie

Hi Susan-
I teach fourth grade too, and dialogue always seems to be a struggle for kids to write correctly! I came up with an idea while reading your post that I'm going to try soon.

Kids love to hear their own voices
and talk with their friends. What if you had students tape record a brief conversation (between 2 students)? Then, the students could play it back for themselves and write down what is being said on the tape. Tell them to start a new line each time the speaker changes. When they're finished, have them add quotation marks and note which speaker said what so that the conversation is

clear. This could also be done with a short video clip from a favorite show or cartoon. I think it would really help kids to understand the reasons for using quotation marks, and maybe it would help them transfer it to their writing.