 |
Click on the punctuation images below
Think an ellipsis is when the moon moves in front of the sun? Celebrate the seventh annual
WE HAVE A WINNER!
Rhode Island architecture professor
PINOLE, CA — Tamara Metz, an adjunct professor of architecture at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, is the winner of the first National Punctuation Day® Baking Contest Tamara’s Chocolate Orange Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Ganache — “A cookie with something to say,” she says — was nearly too beautiful to eat! And don’t you just love the word “ganache”? And is there anything better than the taste chocolate and orange mixed together — except for, perhaps, chocolate and raspberry? “Rather uncharacteristically for an architect, I also have always been interested in language — etymology, usage, idioms, punctuation, etc.,” says Tamara. “As a result, I’m the person who tends to provide unsolicited information about the origins of a particular phrase, or point out the grammatical mistakes on signs and in newspaper articles. “In terms of baking history, I am a rank amateur, and most of my overambitious projects end in extreme mediocrity. I do really enjoy eating all sorts of baked goods though, so I know a good thing when I taste it. I have never before entered any sort of cooking competition, but when I saw the piece about the National Punctuation Day® contest I just had to try. This recipe was developed specifically for this contest but will now be a standard. “I am so happy that the contest brought both the day and the website to my attention, and am just thrilled that I won. Thank you!” Brother and sister Ben and Rachel Arant, of Vernon, TX, finished in a second-place tie for their creative soft pretzes — Ben for his Cinnnamon "?" Pretzel and Rachel for her multi-colored Exclamation Point Pretzel. Melisa Genaux, of Murray, Utah, sent us Apple Tart Ellipsis, and she gets the third-place award. The contest drew entries from all over the United States, including many from children who were being exposed to punctuation for the first time. Other entries included Parentheses Pepperoni Bread, by Pat Frantz Cercone, Director of Communications and Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; Mystery Citrus Question Mark Cookies, by Michelle Porter, of Portland, OR; Mrs. Noble’s World Famous Chocolate Chunk Cookies, by Linda Noble, of Bay Village, OH; Christmas Question Mark Bread, by John Erickson, of La Grange, IL; Candy Cookies, by Morgan Roussy, of Chazy Central Rural School, in Chazy, NY; Exclamation Point/Question Mark Cinnamon Pizza Bread, by Breanna Struss, of Glen Ellyn, IL; Punctuation Cut-out Cookies,, by Dr, Sandy Melillo, 10-grade English teacher at Pompano Beach (FL) High School; two recipies for Chocolate Exclamation Cake,, by seventh-graders Brooke Melancon and Rustee Averette, of Central Private School, in Baker, LA; and Exclamation Point Biscuits, by Madison Cutrer, also a seventh-grader at Central Private School. The first-, second-, and third-place winners received a selection of National Punctuation Day® goodies for their efforts. Please read some of the coverage of the Sixth Annual National Punctuation Day® below; of particular interest is the on-line chat I did with columnist John Kelly of The Washington Post. PUNCTUATION PROGRAM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS In 2006, National Punctuation Day® founder Jeff Rubin and his wife, Norma, began performing Punctuation Playtime® assemblies in elementary schools. Punctuation Playtime® has been performed nearly 75 times in schools from California to Chicago to New York. Punctuation Playtime® is a 45-minute program for children in grades K-6. Punctuation Playtime® features games, activities, and storytelling—even a rap song—to reinforce important punctuation lessons in an effort to enhance children’s reading, writing, and communication skills. On October 21, 22, and 23, 2009, Jeff and Norma brought Punctuation Playtime® to the Westfield Fox Hills Shopping Center in Culver City, CA, to help the center inaugurate a new installation inside the mall called Punctuation Station. Jeff and Norma did three performances each day.Teachers love the program and how Jeff and Norma interact with the children. “Your program completely supports our curriculum content,” said Sally Feldman, a teacher at Washington Elementary School, in Point Richmond, CA. “You have wrapped up the best in teaching to bring to our students. I love the fact that you are not afraid to teach young children great skills!” “That’s a typical comment we get from teachers after a program,” says Jeff, who works during the day as The Newsletter Guy, writing company newsletters for corporate customers out of his office in Pinole, CA. PUNCTUATION PLAYTIME® TRAINING VIDEO Jeff and Norma have also produced a 30-minute instructional DVD that trains teachers how to facilitate Punctuation Playtime® in their schools. They also conduct 90-minute workshops for elementary school teachers on how to teach punctuation to children in a fun and engaging way. Visit the NPD website regularly at www.NationalPunctuationDay.com for updates and new photos. And check the Punctuation Playtime® website at www.PunctuationPlaytime.com for information about bringing our program to your school. BREAKING NEWS! 2009 media coverage of 6th annual FOX40 LIVE TV, Sacramento, CA: Watch Jeff and Norma (mostly Norma) bake an oatmeal-raisin cookie in the shape of a question mark! Washington Post: Not to Put Too Fine a Point on It, This Guy Cares About Writing’s Jots and Tittles Washington Post Online Chat: John Kelly’s Washington: The online punctuation chat Los Angeles Times: Want to enter a ?!“,;??!:“”! baking contest? Chicago Tribune: National Punctuation Day is Thursday Miami Herald: Kids: ‘Hooray for punctuation!’ Pittsburgh (PA) Tribune-Review: Punctuation errors can cost jobs, money, esteem Toronto Star, Canada: Saving language, one comma at a time Modern Ghaha News: We May Also Need a National Punctuation Day Runner's World: Its’ National, Punctuation Day! Baltimore Sun: Here’s to National, Punctuation Day! Long Island (NY) Business News: Pause here, and appreciate the history of punctuation Cincinnati Business Courier: Today We Salute Punctuation! Janesville (WI) Gazette Extra: Comma sense Boston Globe: Attention: English majors Huffington Post: National Punctuation Day: Take The Huffington Post Punctuation Quiz! Santa Barbara (CA) Daily Sound: Punctuate This Mid Valley (OR) Newspapers: Cupcakes look like colons, right? Milwaukee (WI) Journal-Sentinel: Good baking—period! Editor & Publisher: Share Your Tales of Bad Grammar or Copy Editing at The E&P Pub—On ‘National Punctuation Day’ Kitsap (WA) Sun: National Punctuation Day? Who knew? Times Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Literacy’s wane punctuates a period of gloom Whittier (CA) Daily News: School Notes: Whittier baking contest to kick-off National Punctuation Day celebration Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune: Pumped about punctuation Canton (OH) Repository: Looking for a reason to bake? National Punctuation Day Contra Costa (CA) Times: West County Notes Deseret News, Salt Lake City: Writers, unite! It’s your -.?:) day John McIntyre’s blog: The former head of the copy desk at the Baltimore Sun writes about Punctuation Without Fear Enid (OK) News: The misunderstood drama of the comma! National Post, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Our national shame. Period Palm Beach (FL) Post: Stop! Pause, momentarily, to appreciate punctuation; National Punctuation Day begins The Huntsville (AL) Times: Culinary commas Roseburg (OR) News Review: Connecting the dots on periodic misuse of ellipses Columbus (OH) Ledger-Enquirer: Dash out and celebrate National Punctuation Day! Weekly Reader: Get ‘Punct’! National Punctuation Day Celebrates Proper Use of Confusing Squiggles School Library Journal: Pesky Apostrophes? Elusive Ellipses? Here’s help About.com: Grammar & Composition: Marking Punctuation Day: Pause and Reflect About.com: Contemporary Literature: Happy National Punctuation Day? Raising Arizona Kids: Time to...party? Yes! Bugs and Bunnies: Party Time for People With a Penchant for Proper Punctuation Yahoo Buzz Log: Celebrate National Punctuation Day. Period. Susan Heim on Parenting: Happy National Punctuation Day! Grammar Monkeys podcasts: Lisa McClendon of the Wichita Eagle hosts this guide to the slippery parts of language Felt & Wire: National Punctuation Day The Writing Place: Tips on Technigue on National Punctuation Day The State News.com (Michigan State University): Appreciate the comma on National Punctuation Day Personal Money Store: Apostrophes, colons and dashes, oh my! Quiddity: Happy Punctuation Day, comma True/Slant: How ‘Bout a Semicolon for Dessert? David Rodeback’s Blog: Happy punctuation day National Punctuation Day® features
National Punctuation Day® makes the news! TV, radio, newspapers, and blogs are all covering this phenomenon.
Check it out here |
  Cook the Official Meat Loaf of National Punctuation Day®! (see PDF recipe) See how people
|
| HOME PAGE | APOSTROPHE | BRACKETS | COLON | COMMA | DASH |
| ELLIPSIS | EXCLAMATION POINT | HYPHEN | PARENTHESES | |
| PERIOD | QUESTION MARK | QUOTATION MARK | SEMICOLON |
|
Contact Jeff Rubin for more information about punctuation (877) 588-1212 (toll free) Jeff@NationalPunctuationDay.com |
