• Items in a series
• Direct address, appositives, and parenthetical expressions
• Conventional uses (dates, letters and addresses)
• After introductory adverbial clauses
• With quotation marks
• Before coordinating conjunction in compound sentences consisting of two, long independent clauses.

AHSGE Standard IV - The student will use correct capitalization and punctuation.
 

Connecting Ideas 
Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions

Using Commas
Ideas for using commas

Teachers' Handbook of Lesson Plans
Comma lesson plans geared toward GED students that are appropriate for middle school students.
 

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill link to St. Cloud State University  Comma rules and use

Grammar Bytes  Interactive exercises using commas

University of West Florida Writing Lab Avoiding random acts of commas

Commas to Combine Sentences Mini-lesson

Comma PowerPoint presentation using commas

Suggestions for English Language Learners:                   

ESL Ideas      (B=Beginning, I=Intermediate, T=Transitional)
(B) Students highlight commas in a newspaper article or other written material. 
(I, T) Students keep a writing log for which the teacher provides sentences that are incorrect which students then correct independently or with peers.
 

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