CAPITALIZATION & PUNCTUATION Areadskill.com/Products/Communication/Communication... · focus on both punctuation and capitalization. If punctuation is needed, they write the word

PRODUCT CONTENTSDOUBLE-SIDED 8.5 X 5.5 TASK CARDS:

18 capitalization lessons with answer keys (24 pages/12 sheets)

18 punctuation lessons with answer keys (24 pages/12 sheets)

SINGLE-SIDED 8.5 X 11 TASK CARDS:

18 capitalization lessons with answer keys (23 pages)

18 punctuation lessons with answer keys (23 pages)

WALL CHARTS:

12 pages capitalization charts

17 pages punctuation charts

10 pages of teacher information

COPYRIGHT © READING MANIPULATIVESAll rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. No part of these materials may be usedor reproduced in any form or by any means, orstored in a retrieval system, without prior writtenpermission of the publisher. Making copies of anypart of these materials for any purpose other thanyour personal use is a violation of United Statescopyright laws.

SKILL DEVELOPMENTAll sets or cards in Reading Manipulatives products are different.Once students are introduced to the skills and shown how to do theactivity, they work independently. The individualized materials canbe used for seatwork or stations. Students work on needed skills,and teachers are freed for instruction.

MATERIALS PREPARATIONPDF pages are designed to be printed on 8.5 x 11 inch sheets.Cover-weight paper in a variety of colors is available at officesupply stores or online. Lamination is recommended.

Task cards in this product are provided in both double-sidedand single-sided formats. The contents are identical. The double-sided cards are printed two to a page (each 8.5 x 5.5 inches) andwill require 24 sheets of cover stock and lamination for the cardsand answer keys. This is the cost-effective option for producingreusable task cards. Single-sided pages pages require 46 sheets.These are provided as black-line masters for worksheets.

WALL CHARTS SUMMARIZING RULESThese readable, accordion-style wall charts summarizecapitalization and punctuation rules. Optimally, a mini-lesson oneach rule or groups of rules should be given and then the relatedcharts posted. Charts remind students of the rules and encourageaccuracy in all their written communication.

ANSWER KEYS & STUDENT CHECKLISTSAnswer keys are provided because active involvement buildsaccountability. When done thoughtfully, students learn fromchecking their work and analyzing any errors. Checklists fortracking the materials that have been completed are important forrecordkeeping. The last page of this guide is a master for studentchecklists that can be copied and cut.

Reading Manipulatives, Inc. 1725 East Mountain View Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85020-2345 www.readskill.com

CAPITALIZATION & PUNCTUATION APRODUCT CODE: 380

Copyright © Reading Manipulatives, Inc. Capitalization & Punctuation A 5

English usage is constantly changing since there are multiple approaches for handling grammar andmechanics. Words are being added at an ever-accelerating pace. For these reasons, creating these cards to review or teach capitalization and punctuation rules was a daunting task.

Since the cards in the series have to teach the concepts, authors had to select rules to followthroughout. We compiled as many sources as possible, looked for the most widely held viewpoint, andthen used this as the “rule” for the students. The information on alternative mechanics options and trickyrules on page 7 should clarify rationale for selections. It may be acceptable to handle mechanics invarying ways, but it is unacceptable to be inconsistent in usage throughout any document. This is why it is better for students to learn a specific method and then to follow it.

CAPITALIZATION CARDSThere are 18 capitalization cards. Each card starts by summarizing a category of words that arecapitalized. Students must find the words needing capitals in the 10 sentences and write them correctlyon a sheet of paper. Some cards also have a paragraph to correct. The words in the paragraph that needcapitals are either examples of the card topic or the first word in the sentence.

The directions on the cards ask the students to write only the words to be capitalized. If they focuson the corrections, students are less likely to make careless mistakes. At the end of each card, they areasked to write sentences or do another activity related to the card. This will aid in the transfer ofconcepts and build writing skills.

The 18 cards can be done in any order, even though some topics are more challenging than others.All capitalization cards must be completed before students move on to the punctuation cards. Studentsmust correct both capitalization and punctuation related to the card topic on the punctuation cards. If youwant to have students working on both capitalization and punctuation cards simultaneously, use mini-lessons and wall charts discussed on the following page prior to starting the cards.

PUNCTUATION CARDSThe 18 punctuation cards cover end-of-sentence punctuation, periods, apostrophes, commas, quotationmarks, and colons. Cards begin with a usage summary and examples. Each of the cards contains 10sentences. Students are asked to write words to be capitalized on their papers and add punctuation relatedto the card topic. There are no paragraphs on the punctuation cards in level A because students mustfocus on both punctuation and capitalization. If punctuation is needed, they write the word preceding thepunctuation mark, followed by the mark. This format allows students to concentrate on finding the errorsand writing those correctly.

Punctuation rules are more challenging. Mini-lessons related to each punctuation mark would beworthwhile. Quotation marks are troublesome. The comma, due to the number of uses, should becovered in multiple lessons. The wall charts are particularly helpful for punctuation reference.

ANSWER KEYSThe answer keys for this series have the complete sentences and paragraphs. The corrections that thestudents were asked to write on their papers are underlined (both punctuation marks and capital letters).

In order for students to master these skills, they should analyze errors in responses. In actuality,carelessness is a major reason that students do not write well. They can learn the rules and apply them,but it takes interest and care. Teachers must set high standards and expectations.

CAPITALIZATION & PUNCTUATION CARDS

These accordion-style wall charts summarize the capitalization and punctuationrules. In order to make the charts as readable as possible from various vantagepoints in a classroom, the text in both the rules and examples is quite abbreviated.If introduced properly, students will use charts for reference as needed. They serveas a reminder to students of rules that teachers value and expect to be applied.

Consider posting charts in stages after mini-lessons related to the rules.Correlating them to lessons helps students to reference the charts as needed. Thereare so many rules and charts that students may not be efficient at finding what theyneed if they have not been familiarized with rules and charts in stages.

Charts remind students of the rules and help them as they are writing. Thecharts demonstrate that these skills are valued and expected. It is easier to demandthat students use proper capitalization and punctuation if they have reminders ofthe rules readily available. Refer to the charts as needed if students make errors.

WALL CHART PRINTING & ASSEMBLYThe capitalization and punctuation charts are in separate files. Additionally, thecharts in each file are grouped by odd and even numbers. If you print odd numberson one color and even on another, the rules are more readable on the wall. It wouldbe best to use a different color for the capitalization and punctuation cards. Thesesame 2 colors could then be used for the odd and even numbers in the charts.

The capitalization chart file has 6 pages of odd numbers and 6 pages of evennumbers. The punctuation chart files has 8 pages of odd numbers and 8 pages ofeven numbers. Due to the uneven number of pages (17 total), one page (p. 9)contains rules 33 and 34.

Each sheet contains two rule cards. Make a horizontal cut to separate the twocards. The lower right-hand corner of each card has a code to denote set (C-# forcapitalization, P-# for punctuation) and sequential order. Once the cuts have allbeen made, arrange the cards for capitalization (1-24) and punctuation (1-34).

Turn the cards over. Use two to three strips of tape on the backs to hold thecards of the accordion together. Leave enough space between the cards for them tobe folded into a pile for storage.

The cards can be grouped into sets in order to fit your wall space. Punctuationcharts should be grouped by punctuation marks. Place the card with the mark nameat the top, followed by the rules for that mark.

NONFICTION CONTENTIn order to engage students, the card exercises are filled with interesting facts andtrivia. We cannot guarantee that all information is true since we could not verifythe accuracy of our sources. Perhaps statements or facts that seem too far fetchedto students will motivate them to further research their validity. The Internet makesthis possible to do.

LESSONS, WALL CHARTS & CARD CONTENTS

Copyright © Reading Manipulatives, Inc. Capitalization & Punctuation A 6

USE CAPITALS FOR:

FIRST WORD IN SENTENCESentences start with capital letters.

Will you always remember this?

NAMES & INITIALSSusan B. Anthony Anne FrankGeorge W. Bush Donald Duck

TITLESPresident Lincoln Dr. Wong

Mr. P. Jones, Jr. Queen Mary

I (pronoun)I have to meet Pam after school.Did you know that I won a prize?

NAMES for RELATIVESI don’t want Mom to see my sister.(used as a name without a modifier)

ORGANIZATIONS & GROUPSU. S. Air Force Girl ScoutsDenver Broncos the Beatles

NATIONALITIES (or origin)American Texan EuropeanFrench toast (nouns or adjectives)

RACIAL & RELIGIOUSCaucasian Asian LatinoCatholic Buddhist Jew

RELIGIONS & GODChristianity Islam JudaismHoly Spirit Allah Jehovah

DAYS & MONTHSSunday Wednesday Monday

July November April

HOLIDAYSNew Year’s Day ChristmasCinco de Mayo Kwanzaa

SPECIFIC THINGSKitty Hawk Pulitzer PrizeLiberty Bell Stanley Cup

CITIES, STATES, NATIONSPhoenix Honolulu LondonArizona Hawaii England

CONTINENTS & PLANETSAfrica North America JupiterEarth (not the earth referring to land)

BUILDING & PLACE NAMESWhite House Statue of LibertyGrand Canyon Central Park

WATER & LAND NAMESPacific Ocean Mississippi RiverDeath Valley Rocky Mountains

REGIONSMuch of the Southwest is desert.

(not compass directions or adjectives)

COMPANIES & BRANDSApple General MillsMacintosh Cheerios

PLACES of BUSINESSOlive Garden Target

Mall of the Americas Sears

EVENT NAMESCivil War Information Age

Mardi Gras Boston Tea Party

Number a paper from 1–10. Find the names and titles in each sentence that need to be capitalized. Write them correctly on your paper.

1. One thousand years ago, king arthur and his knights were honorable protectors of the citizens.

2. napoleon bonaparte, emperor of France, slept only three to four hours each night.

3. Before ronald reagan was elected president, he was an actor.

4. The Taj Mahal was built in the 1600s by a monarch in India, shah jehan.

5. After decades of entertaining children, mr. rogers retired from public television in 2001.

PEOPLE – TITLES:

Titles are capitalized when used BEFORE (and as part of) a person’s name.

President Abraham Lincoln Princess Diana Dr. Benjamin Spock

Abe Lincoln, United States president Diana, a princess Benjamin Spock, a doctor

Number a paper from 1–10. Find the names or initials in each sentence that need to be capitalized. Write them correctly on your paper.

1. charles schultz based his charlie brown character on his own childhood.

2. An Indian named javier pereira from Columbia, South America, died in 1955 at the age of 166.

3. samuel d. riddle left nearly $4 million in his will to maintain the grave of his racehorse, man o’ war.

4. president william h. harrison caught cold on his inauguration day and died 30 days later.

5. When bugs bunny first appeared in 1935, he was called happy rabbit.

PEOPLE – NAMES & INITIALS:

Martha Washington George W. Bush Albert Einstein J. K. Rowling

William Shakespeare F. D. Roosevelt Elvis Presley Harry Potter

Names given to ANIMALS are also capitalized. – Snoopy (dog), Bugs Bunny (rabbit), Tweety (bird)

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DOUBLE-SIDED CARDS FRONT

6. sigmund freud and his children collected mushrooms on their frequent hiking holidays.

7. barbie and ken dolls were named after the children of ruth handler, their inventor.

8. In July 1940, john v. sigmund swam for 89 hours, going 292 miles down the Mississippi River.

9. lucille ball and desi arnez starred in one of the most popular television series ever, I Love Lucy.

10. j. k. rowling tells about the adventures of harry potter, ron weasley, and hermione granger.

Write all words from the following paragraph that need capital letters on your paper. Be on the lookout for people’snames and initials. Check your work.

laurie and rob roberts were rafting on the Colorado River with their Labrador retrievers. bo was full-grownand dutchess was a puppy. the swift current flipped the raft. laurie and bo were trapped under it. finally, bowas able to escape. he dove back under the raft and pulled laurie out by her hair. she then grabbed on tobo’s tail and let him pull her to shore.

Write 3 sentences that contain names and initials of people.

6. In order to return home, a ginger tomcat named rusty traveled from Boston to Chicago, a distance of950 miles, in only 83 days.

7. president william h. taft weighed more than 300 pounds, and he got stuck in a White House bathtub.

8. queen victoria of England protested when the London Zoo sold jumbo, the largest elephant incaptivity, to p. t. barnum.

9. senator hillary clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate while she was first lady.

10. America’s most renowned civil rights leader, reverend martin luther king, jr., was assassinated in 1968.

Write all words from the following paragraph that need capital letters on your paper. Be on the lookout for people’snames and titles. Check your work.

lavinia bump and tom thumb were famous circus dwarfs. when they got married, more than 2,000 guestsattended their wedding. president and mrs. abraham lincoln were among the celebrities at the ceremony.

Write 3 sentences that contain names and titles of people.

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DOUBLE-SIDED CARDS BACK

Number a paper from 1–10. Find the names of buildings, parks, landmarks, or other places in each sentence thatneed to be capitalized. Write them correctly on your paper.

1. The washington monument sinks six inches every year.

2. The white house is on the opposite end of pennsylvania avenue from the united states capitol.

3. Many of the guards along the great wall of china never left the wall during their entire lives.

4. The first electric elevator was installed in the demarest building in new york city in 1889.

5. old faithful geyser in yellowstone national park spews more than 33 million gallons of water each day.

6. china’s beijing duck restaurant can seat 9,000 people at one time.

7. The empire state building may sway several feet from side to side during a severe storm.

8. In each of the Harry Potter books, he is in a new school year at hogwarts school of witchcraft andwizardry.

9. The largest collection of animals in the world is in the san diego zoo in california.

10. The eiffel tower was built on champ de mars in paris for the 1889 World’s Fair.

Write all words from the following paragraph that need capital letters on your paper. Be on the lookout for namesof buildings, parks, and landmarks. Check your work.

the leaning tower of pisa in italy leans so far to one side that it looks as though it will fall. this 800-year-oldbell tower leans a full 17 feet to the south. all attempts to stabilize it over the centuries have failed. peopleare no longer allowed to enter it. since 1975, there has been no further tipping of the leaning tower of pisa.

Write 3 sentences that contain names of buildings, parks, or landmarks.

PLACES – BUILDINGS, STREETS, PARKS, & LANDMARKS:Empire State Building Wall Street Yosemite National Park Statue of Liberty

Museum of Modern Art Central Park Hollywood Boulevard Gateway Arch

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SINGLE-SIDED CARDS/WORKSHEETS

Find all the words that need to be capitalized and write them correctly on your paper. If a punctuation mark needsto be added, write the word preceding the punctuation mark on your paper, followed by the punctuation mark.

Be on the lookout for the missing comma between two adjectives.

1. about 5800 stars can be seen with the naked eye on a clear moonless night

2. one-fourth of the land surface of earth is hot dry deserts

3. twenty percent of the world’s supply of fresh surface water is in russia’s lake baikal

4. many of our medicines come from plants found in tropical rain forests around the world

5. king charlemagne of france was a large muscular man with a high squeaky voice

COMMAS – Between two adjectives when the word and can be inserted

Intelligent, imaginative Albert Einstein had profound impact on science. (intelligent and imaginative)

Skiers and snowboarders visit Colorado’s enormous winter resorts. (NOT enormous and winter)

Find all the words that need to be capitalized and write them correctly on your paper. If a punctuation mark needsto be added, write the word preceding the punctuation mark on your paper, followed by the punctuation mark.

Insert a comma before the coordinating conjunction if both clauses are independent (could stand alone).

1. dogs make about 10 vocal sounds but cats can make over 100 different sounds

2. there are 120 thousand redwood seeds per pound yet this tree can grow to 350 feet high

3. goldfish lose their color if they live in running water or are kept in dim light

4. lemon sharks grow a new set of teeth every two weeks and this adds up to 24,000 new teeth per year

COMMAS – Before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses

These “little conjunctions” are coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, yet, or, so, norIn short, balanced sentences, the comma could be omitted; however, it is always correct to use it.

Most of the salt is squeezed out of seawater when it freezes, so Inuits in Alaska drink melted ice.(BOTH parts of this sentence would stand alone)

Thomas Edison would work several days without resting and then catch up on his sleep.(NO comma since the second clause CANNOT stand alone)

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DOUBLE-SIDED CARDS FRONT

6. it is a beautiful sight when the peacock spreads its glossy blue-green plumes dotted with eyespots intoa huge fan

7. african americans in inner cities created the fast-paced chanted music known as rap

8. the small fearless mongoose will seize a deadly snake by its neck, killing it before it can strike

9. though huge savage-looking gorillas beat on their chests to threaten, they are really quite gentle

10. red-hot smoldering lava flows from an erupting volcano as smoke and ashes pour into the sky

Write 3 sentences containing 2 adjectives for a word. Place a comma where “and” could be inserted.

5. crocodiles are cannibals and will occasionally eat other crocodiles

6. babies are born without kneecaps but they appear between two and six years of age

7. ostriches cannot fly but the 400-pound birds can outrun many racehorses

8. a kangaroo cannot jump if its tail is lifted since it’s used for pushing off

9. few animals live longer than human beings but the giant tortoise can live twice as long

10. steve allen was known as a comedian yet he also recorded 30 albums and wrote 4,000 songs

Write 3 sentences that contain two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.Be sure to use a comma before the conjunction.

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DOUBLE-SIDED CARDS BACK

Find all the words that need to be capitalized and write them correctly on your paper. If a punctuation mark needsto be added, write the word preceding the punctuation mark on your paper, followed by the punctuation mark.

Write the possessive form of the word in the parentheses.

1. an (ostrich) eye is bigger than its brain

2. since (rodent) teeth never stop growing, they wear them down by gnawing on things

3. (babe ruth) record of 60 home runs in one season was not broken for 34 years

4. the (statue of liberty) mouth is three feet wide

5. (thomas edison) mother took over his education after his teacher said he was a slow learner

6. a brain is only 2 percent of a (human) weight, yet it uses 25 percent of the (body) oxygen

7. forty-five million copies of (michael jackson) album thriller have been sold since 1982

8. a (mosquito) wings move back and forth 1,000 times a second

9. a (woman) uterus expands to 500 times its normal size during pregnancy

10. (women) vocal cords are shorter than (men), which is why their voices are higher

Write the possessive form for the following ten items. Show ownership with the ‘s or s’ .

OWNERSHIP BY ONE OWNERSHIP BY MORE THAN ONE1. Jill has a cat 6. teachers have meeting2. Mother has a cold 7. states have governors3. Britney Spears has a concert 8. the Browns have horses4. baby has a teddy bear 9. girls have a rest room5. elephant has a trunk 10. people have responsibility

APOSTROPHES – Possessives

Singular Possessives To show possession for most singular nouns, add apostrophe and s (’s).boy – boy’s bee – bee’s teacher – teacher’s partner – partner’s horse – horse’s

If a word ends in s, add the apostrophe only.boss – boss’ class – class’ James – James’ Douglas – Douglas’ Jones – Jones’

Plural Possessives Most plural nouns already end in s, so simply add apostrophe after s (s’).girls – girls’ mothers – mothers’ leaders – leaders’ citizens – citizens’ dogs – dogs’ponies – ponies’ babies – babies’ witches – witches’ wives – wives’ Joneses – Joneses’

If the plural is formed in an irregular manner, add apostrophe and s (’s) to the plural.child – children’s man – men’s woman – women’s deer – deer’s alumnus – alumni’s

Avoid using possessives with inanimate objects (river’s current). Use OF instead (current of the river).

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SINGLE-SIDED CARDS/WORKSHEETS