Ideas and Resources for Teaching Capitalization and Punctuation

Teaching capitalization and punctuation to young learners is not always an easy task. They need daily practice in order to master these skills. Finding fun and effective teaching ideas can also be tricky. It is important for students to have daily, repetitive practice, which isn’t always easy to fit into the daily schedule. With this in mind, I thought I would share some ideas and resources that I like to use for teaching capitalization and punctuation.

One thing I try to do with teaching capitalization and punctuation is to fit practice time in during downtime. For example, when students walk in the door and are waiting for others to be seated and/or when they are waiting for attendance to be taken, basically during the morning routine. I do this by having a sentence on the board or using a printed booklet with one sentence to focus on.

Having a sentence on the board is easy to do. When students are ready, they can correctly write the sentence on a paper, or they can write the incorrectly given sentence and then use red and green crayons to show the errors. I have students underline capitalization errors in green and then write the capital/lowercase letter above the letter that has been used. Then I have them use red to show the punctuation error. They underline the punctuation error in red and then add the correct punctuation mark. 

I mentioned using a printed booklet. I like to use Phonics and Sight Words Based Spelling/Handwriting Books. This allows students to practice several skills. The first step is for student to hear and write a given sentence. Then they look at the book to see how they did. The booklet then allows students to trace the words and rewrite the sentence several times. While doing this they practice handwriting, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. One sentence a day provides quick practice and by the end of the week students have completed their book. Students can be easily and quickly assessed on their learning. They are orally given all five sentences and asked to write them correctly. Teachers can monitor students’ progress with little effort. 

Phonics and Sight Word Based Spelling/Handwriting Sentence Books

For practice that is more lesson-based, I use a product that has actually become one of my best sellers. Students learn capitalization and punctuation rules with the teacher and then are able to practice the skills that they have learned. These pages work well for whole class instruction, small groups, and even homework. 

Capitalization and Punctuation Practice Pages

Using downtime in the classroom is a big thing for me. I like cool down times after recess or lunch. Students often need a minute to get back into learning mode. My favorite thing to do during this time is to show kid song videos in which students use their songbook to practice reading skills (they just think they are singing). But another thing I like to do is to show an educational video/PowerPoint such as one on capitalization and punctuation. You can find different videos on YouTube, but I have one that goes with the Capitalization and Punctuation Practice Packet that I shared above. This could be used before using the pages, after using them, as you go through the pages, or even on its own. You can watch this video on YouTube or purchase it in PowerPoint format. 

YouTube Link

Capitalization and Punctuation PowerPoint

I am a big fan of making learning fun. I like students to learn in a way that seems more like play than work but that still allows them to practice and learn the skills that they need to master. Using a video or PowerPoint activity does this, but playing a game is one of my favorite ways of doing this. Unfortunately, capitalization and punctuation practice usually means taking the time to practice writing sentences. I like using my Capitalization and Punctuation - Choose the Correct Sentence Activity because the practice can be done both ways. This activity could easily be used as a game in which one person chooses the correct answer on a card and a partner checks the answer card to see if the answer is correct. This activity can also be used to record the answer by writing out the sentence correctly and then checking to see if the answer is correct. Either option works well for individual practice or working with a partner. There is also an Easel version of this activity that allows students to practice in a digital game format.

Capitalization and Punctuation - Choose the Correct Sentence

I of course like to have students practice capitalization and punctuation in many other ways, but these are just some quick ideas that I hope you find helpful. My overall message would be to make teaching capitalization and punctuation easy on yourself along with being fun and effective for your students.

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