Capitalization Rules

Capitalization rules govern when to use uppercase letters in writing, including sentence beginnings, proper nouns, titles, and specific terms. First-grade instruction should begin with the two most fundamental rules: capitalizing the first word of a sentence and proper names of people, establishing these patterns through consistent modeling and guided practice. Introduce capitalization of proper nouns gradually, starting with names of people and places students encounter regularly (classmates, hometown, school name) before expanding to days of the week, months, and holidays as vocabulary develops. Implement multisensory activities like highlighting capitalized words in different colors in classroom texts, creating capital letter tactile cards, or playing "Capital Detectives" where students identify correctly and incorrectly capitalized words in prepared examples. Address common challenges such as students' tendency to capitalize words based on perceived importance rather than grammatical rules, providing explicit instruction that distinguishes between general nouns (dog, teacher, park) and proper nouns (Rover, Mrs. Johnson, Central Park). Connect capitalization instruction to reading by highlighting how capitalized words serve as visual signals that help readers identify sentence beginnings and recognize proper nouns, enhancing comprehension and fluency. Differentiate instruction by providing struggling students with visual cues and checklists while challenging advanced students with more nuanced capitalization rules for titles or geographical features, always returning to the purpose of capitalization as a reader aid.