Capitalization: The Art of Writing Correctly

• ELA
• 6-8 Grade

Capitalization: The Art of Writing Correctly

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to understand the rules of capitalization and apply them in your writing.

Introduce the topic and explain the importance of capitalization in writing.

What is Capitalization?

Capitalization is the act of writing a word with its first letter in uppercase and the rest of the letters in lowercase.

Explain to the students what capitalization is and why it is important.

Capitalizing Proper Nouns

Proper nouns, such as names of people, places, and organizations, should always be capitalized.

Give examples of proper nouns and explain why they should be capitalized.

Which word should be capitalized in the following sentence: i went to the store.

1. went
2. I
3. store
4. the

Capitalizing Titles

Titles of books, movies, songs, and other works should be capitalized.

Explain the rules for capitalizing titles and give examples.

Capitalizing First Words in Sentences

The first word in a sentence should always be capitalized.

Explain why the first word in a sentence should be capitalized.

What should you always capitalize in a sentence?

1. The last word
2. The first word
3. The middle word
4. The shortest word

Capitalizing the Pronoun 'I'

The pronoun 'I' should always be capitalized.

Explain why the pronoun 'I' should be capitalized.

Capitalizing Adjectives Derived from Proper Nouns

Adjectives derived from proper nouns, such as 'American' or 'French', should be capitalized.

Give examples of adjectives derived from proper nouns and explain why they should be capitalized.

Exceptions to Capitalization

There are some words that are not usually capitalized, such as 'and', 'the', and 'a'.

Explain the exceptions to capitalization and give examples.

Which of the following should be capitalized in English?

1. A) the first word in a sentence
2. C) adjectives derived from proper nouns
3. B) proper nouns
4. D) all of the above

Capitalization in Titles

When writing titles, the first word, last word, and all other important words should be capitalized.

Explain the rules for capitalizing titles and give examples.

Capitalizing Abbreviations

The first letter of each word in an abbreviation should be capitalized.

Give examples of abbreviations and explain why they should be capitalized.

Capitalization in Dialogue

The first word of a piece of dialogue should be capitalized.

Explain why the first word of a piece of dialogue should be capitalized.

Which of the following sentences has correct capitalization?

1. The Statue of Liberty is located in New York City.
2. the statue of liberty is located in new york city.
3. The Statue Of Liberty is located in New York City.
4. the Statue of Liberty is located in New York City.

Capitalizing Geographic Locations

The names of cities, states, countries, and continents should be capitalized.

Give examples of geographic locations and explain why they should be capitalized.

Capitalizing Dates and Holidays

The names of months, days of the week, and holidays should be capitalized.

Give examples of dates and holidays and explain why they should be capitalized.

How should the following date be capitalized: saturday, june 7th, 2021?

1. SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH, 2021
2. saturday, June 7th, 2021
3. Saturday, June 7th, 2021
4. Saturday, june 7th, 2021

Capitalizing Acronyms

The first letter of each word in an acronym should be capitalized.

Give examples of acronyms and explain why they should be capitalized.

Capitalizing Historical Events

The names of historical events, such as the Industrial Revolution or the Civil Rights Movement, should be capitalized.

Give examples of historical events and explain why they should be capitalized.

Which of the following is an example of a proper noun?

1. book
2. cat
3. New York City
4. table

Common Capitalization Errors

Common capitalization errors include capitalizing words that should not be capitalized and not capitalizing words that should be capitalized.

Explain some common capitalization errors and how to avoid them.

Why is capitalization important in writing?

Review

Capitalization is the act of writing a word with its first letter in uppercase and the rest of the letters in lowercase. Proper nouns, titles, first words in sentences, the pronoun 'I', adjectives derived from proper nouns, abbreviations, and acronyms should be capitalized. Exceptions to capitalization include words like 'and', 'the', and 'a'. Common capitalization errors include capitalizing words that should not be capitalized and not capitalizing words that should be capitalized.

Review the main points of the lesson and answer any remaining questions the students may have.