Kung Fu Punctuation
HA!HI YAH! Shi, shi, shi HA!
Punctuation just got a whole lot more interesting.
Kung Fu Punctuation is a phenomenon that has reached schools worldwide, and is proving highly successful in children’s understanding and use of punctuation. Recommended by and based on the beliefs of Ros Wilson (Big Writing founder), Kung Fu Punctuation works by assigning a Kung Fu based sound and action for each punctuation symbol making it more enjoyable to learn and more memorable in the process.
Once learned, fun instructional games and competitions can be played (see and download our resource pack) to reinforce the sounds and actions - and in turn, the shapes and names of punctuation symbols. And of course it makes comprehension exercises so much more entertaining - for all!
Sounds brilliant. How do I teach it?
There seems to be one particular, perhaps original, set of movements and sounds that lots of schools are following utilising the sound ‘shi’ and ‘ha’ as their main sounds. Should ‘performing’ or creating actions not be your forte, I think this is a great place to start and to replicate with your class. Watch a video of a school performing it here.
However, personally, I think there is more fun to be had! Create your own class version together, taking suggestions for sounds and actions from your students. This gives your class ownership of the activity - ownership always encourages learning.
Just remember… for consistency, remember to keep the same sound and action for the same shape even if it is seen in multiple punctuation marks. E.g. Keep any dot shapes the same: full stop, the dot at the bottom of a question or exclamation mark, and which make up colons and semicolons.
As an example, we made some of our own sounds! Check out the West End in Schools version here:
We had so much fun making this, and you and your class will too! Just like our actor Tú, be sure to make actions and sounds as big, loud and energetic as possible! Should you have space, go one step further and turn some punches into kicks!
Here’s a breakdown of the West End in Schools sounds and actions:
| Punctuation Mark | Sound | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Letter | Kai Shi (begin) | Fingertips touching to create a capital ‘A’ shape, and bow. |
| Full stop . | Yah! | Punch forward |
| Comma , | Huh! | Flat hand, palm up, pulls back towards body |
| Question mark ? | Hiiiiiiiiii Yah! | Draw the shape of a question mark in the sky, finish with a punch forward (full stop) at the bottom. |
| Exclamation mark ! | Hi Yah! | Draw a straight line down in the sky, finish with a punch forward (full stop) at the bottom. |
| Speech marks “ ” | Grrrr! | Hands start above your head, arms bent. Pull them down strongly, diagonally to sides |
| Brackets ( ) | Shi! Shi! | Draw a bracket either side of your body in the sky, sharply |
| Apostrophe ’ | (soft) Huh | One hand in the sky to softly slice the shape of an apostrophe |
| Colon : | Yah! Yah! | Two punches forward, one on top of the other (full stops) |
| Semi colon ; | Yah! Huh! | One punch forward (full stop) on top then flat hand, palm up, pull back towards body (comma) underneath |
| Ellipses … | Yah! Yah! Yah! | Three punches in a row, travelling sideways |
Though it’s super fun finishing all the punctuation marks, you don’t have to teach them all in one go. Ros Wilson has a great punctuation pyramid you can follow to stage your development of this activity depending on key stage and/or class levels:
Once perfected, why not go for gold - or black, if we’re aiming for belts instead of medals! - and have your class perform their sequence in Kung Fu attire. Or set it to that old disco favourite Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting! Or make it part of your morning routine to wake your class up!
We’d love to see some class videos of your Kung Fu punctuation! Please don’t hesitate to send them to us at office@westendinschools.org.uk
Here’s one of the best videos I’ve found so far - Kung Fu Panda himself demonstrates punctuation to this school! (Kudos to these teachers!)
Finally, you can download our West End in Schools Kung Fu Punctuation teaching resource here!
Download Kung Fu Punctuation Teaching Resource
- Sarah
World Book Day 2024
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