Photo of lodgings high on the side of a mountain
Natura Vive (Skylodge)
Grammar,

Would You Sleep Here?

Discover three of the world’s most extreme hotels.

From the October 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: to identify when a comma is needed before a coordinating conjunction

Featured Skill: Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.1, L.2
  • Grade 6
    L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    2b, 10c, 10d (ix)

Presentation View
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Directions:

Read the hint below. Then read the blurbs that follow. Decide whether a comma is needed in the space before each bolded coordinating conjunction. If so, on a separate sheet of paper, write the comma on the line.

Comma or No Comma?

Not sure whether you need a comma before a coordinating conjunction
(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)?  If what comes either before or after the coordinating conjunction can stand alone as a sentence, the answer is yes:

Example:

Phil likes onions, but he doesn’t like olives.

could be a sentence: Phil likes onions

coordinating conjunction: but

could be a sentence: he doesn’t like olives

If what comes either before or after the coordinating conjunction cannot stand on its own as a sentence, the answer is no:

Example:

Phil likes onions but not olives.

could be a sentence: Phil likes onions

coordinating conjunction: but

could NOT be a sentence: not olives


Natura Vive (Skylodge)

Sky-High Slumber

If you like heights, Skylodge Adventure Suites is the hotel for you.

Located 1,200 feet up in the Andes Mountains in Peru, this unique hotel consists of six small pods suspended from a steep rock face. Each pod is equipped with four cozy beds__and a bathroom. The best part? The rooms are see-through, which means each pod has stunning views of the surrounding peaks. It takes a serious climb to check in__but guests can slide down a long zip line to the ground below when it’s time to check out. Whee!

Asaf Kliger/IceHotel Sweden (Icehotel)

Check In and Chill

Some studies say people sleep better if their rooms are cool. The Icehotel in Sweden takes that idea to a whole new level. 

Each winter, a team of artists and builders constructs the frigid hotel entirely out of ice. Temperatures in the hotel’s ice rooms hover around 23 degrees Fahrenheit__yet hotel employees promise guests will have no problem keeping warm. Each room comes with a high-tech sleeping bag that traps body heat__and can keep you toasty in temperatures as low as -13 degrees! 

John Athimaritis (underwater villa)

A Deep Sleep

Love the ocean? Frequent the aquarium? A stay at the underwater villa at the Conrad Rangali Island resort in the Maldives might be for you. The villa’s bedroom is some 16 feet below the surface of the Indian Ocean__and the walls are transparent. That means you can spend all night watching sea life swim by. You might see a green sea turtle__or a manta ray if you’re lucky. Both live in the water surrounding the Maldives. 

This article was originally published in the October 2025 issue.

Activities (2)
Skill-Building Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (2)
Skill-Building Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Printable Version
Table of Contents

1. Prepare to Read

(5 minutes)

Set a Purpose for Reading

Direct students’ attention to the hint box and directions on page 2 or at the top of the digital story page. Read each aloud.

2. Read and Discuss

(5 minutes)

Have students read the boxes of text independently or with a partner, placing a comma in each blue box when necessary. Optionally, share the interactive version of this article. Then discuss the answers.

In your Resources tab, find an anchor chart and a skill-reinforcement activity called Coordinating Conjunctions. The activity includes additional support around simple sentences, compound sentences, and the coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so (known by the acronym FANBOYS). This activity is also available as a Google Slideshow for projecting.

3. Write

(1 minute)

Have students practice using this grammar skill in context. Project this Exit Ticket prompt on your board for students to respond to on a sticky note before they leave class:

Write a sentence that includes the following:

the word singing

the word dancing

one of these two coordinating conjunctions: and, but

a comma

Text-to-Speech