CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.2a
The Standard
Use correct capitalization.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to capitalize the right words in their own writing and in edited text. They should know capitals belong at the start of sentences, with proper nouns, titles, days, months, holidays, places, and the pronoun I.
Mastery means students use capitals automatically while drafting, not only during correction worksheets. They can also explain why a word needs a capital. Common trouble spots are book or article titles, names with multiple parts, headings, and random capitals added for emphasis.
Ways to Teach It
- Give pairs a paragraph on sentence strips and have them use highlighters to mark every word that needs a capital letter.
- Ask students to write three sentences about their weekend, then explain each capital letter they used to a partner.
- Show five sentences with mixed capitalization and have students rewrite only the words that need fixing on a sticky note.
- Bring in a school newsletter or menu and have students hunt for capital letters in names, dates, places, and titles.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.2a
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.2a
Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.