• Students identify the types of works that require underlining or italicizing.

• Students work with a partner to revise a given sentence or sentences that include the title of a work where the underlining or italics are missing.

• Students write a response on a book or text they are reading, underlining or italicizing the titles as necessary.

• Students use italics when typing and underlining when handwriting.

• Students know how to use italics in word processing documents.

• Students complete a quick write on their favorite movie, TV show, or video game, underlining or italicizing the title of the work.

• Students complete a quick write on a painting or sculpture, underlining or italicizing the title of the work.

• Students revise their own writing to include underlining or italics for titles of works as necessary.

• Teachers brainstorm with students the types of works that need to be underlined or italicized (e.g., books, newspapers, TV shows, music albums, paintings, sculptures, movies). This is referenced in the Appendix: Italics.

• Teachers model how to use italics in word processing documents and underlining when handwriting.

• Teachers provide students with mentor texts showing the proper way to italicize or underline the titles of works.

• Teachers partner students and provide sentences for students to revise where the underlining or italics are missing from the titles of works.

• Teachers discuss with students that it is typical to use italics when typing on the computer and to use underlining when hand writing, as there is not a way to show italics when handwriting.

• Teachers give a variety of quick write prompts for students to practice underlining and italicizing the titles of works, including writing about their favorite movie, TV show, or video game and responding to a painting or sculpture.

• Teachers monitor and provide feedback to students regarding underlining or italicizing titles of works.

When students struggle with incorporating italics correctly to indicate titles of works, thoughts in narratives, and words in a foreign language, teachers can...

• share mentor texts that exemplify correct italics use.

• provide students with sample sentence stems to practice integrating italics appropriately.

• have students create a grammar guide that houses examples of how and when to use italics in their writing.

• have students to routinely practice incorporating italics appropriately within their own writing when possible by requiring a reference to titles of works, thoughts in narratives, and/or words in a foreign language.

When students confuse italics with quotation marks in their writing, teachers can...

• provide mentor texts that exemplify the differences in usage for italics and quotation marks.

• create targeted, routine lessons for students to identify and correct errors in italics.

• encourage students to create a T-chart or other graphic organizers to house examples of when to use italics or underlining rather than quotation marks.

• 4.3.W.3: Opinion Writing

• 4.6.W.2: Citations

• 4.6.W.3:  Write informative texts independently.