Standard 5: Language

Students will apply knowledge of grammar and rhetorical style to reading and writing.

4.5.W.1 Students will capitalize

• familial relations

• proper adjectives

• conventions of letter writing

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will use correct capitalization for family relations (e.g. Aunt Sara, Uncle Joe, Grandpa George). 
• Students will use correct capitalization for proper adjectives (e.g. African; The African drums sounded loud in the concert hall).
• Students will use correct capitalization during the process of letter writing. 

• Teachers explain that familial relations need correct capitalization (e.g., Aunt Sara, Uncle Joe, Grandpa George).

• Teachers show examples of and model correct capitalization for family relations. 
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to use correct capitalization for family relations.
• Teachers provide feedback to students regarding capitalization for familial relations.
• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback to students regarding capitalization for familial relations.
• Teachers explain that proper adjectives need correct capitalization (e.g., African; The African drums sounded loud in the concert hall).  
• Teachers show examples of and model correct capitalization for proper adjectives.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to use correct capitalization for proper adjectives. 
• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback regarding capitalization for proper adjectives.
• Teachers explain that the process of letter writing needs correct capitalization.  
• Teachers show examples of and model correct capitalization during the process of letter writing.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to use correct capitalization during the process of letter writing.
• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback during the process of letter writing.

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights 

• When writing, students should follow the capitalization rules below:

• Capitalize relatives’ family names (kinship names) when they immediately precede a personal name, or when they are used alone in place of a personal name.

• I found out that Dad is here.

• You look good, Grandma.

• Zarmeen and Alyssa loved Aunt Beeson's cherry pies.

• Family names are not capitalized when they are used with possessive nouns or pronouns, or when they follow the personal name, or when they do not refer to a specific person.

• My dad is here.

• Joe’s grandma looks well.

• The Smith sisters were notorious robbers.

• There’s not one father I know who would allow that.

• A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun: English language, the Italian restaurant, the Spanish test.

• When writing letters the following should be capitalized:

• First word in the greeting and closing of letters

• Ex: Dear Beverly, Sincerely yours, etc.

• Names and abbreviations of cities, towns, counties, states, countries, nations, and continents

• Names of avenues, streets, roads, highways, routes, and PO boxes

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.