Capitalization

Background
Capital letters are used to begin proper nouns—names of specific people,
places, and things. Examples include: people’s first, middle, and last names;
cities, countries, and continents; days of the week, months, and holidays;
historical periods and events; titles of books and movies; names of bands,
sports teams, and magazines; and brand names of products. Whether or not
a word is capitalized often depends on its function. If the word is
functioning as a common noun (I walked down the street), it is not
capitalized. If it is functioning as a proper noun (I walked down Cherry
Street), it is capitalized. Capital letters are also used at the beginning of a
sentence and in abbreviations (U.S.A.). The pronoun I is also always
uppercase. The Mega-Deluxe Capitalization Machine provides plenty of
examples to help students master the basic rules of capitalization.

Before Reading
• Introduce the topic by inviting volunteers to name their favorite books or movies. Write
students’ responses on the board using complete sentences—but without using any capital
letters. For instance: christina’s favorite movie is robot wars. Ask: What is wrong with these
sentences? Work with students to correct each sentence. (You may wish to review
capitalization rules for titles: explain that small words like a, an, and, the, and of are not
capitalized unless they are the first or last words in a title.)
• Next, tell students the basic rule for capitalization: proper nouns are always capitalized.
Explain that a common noun names a general person, place, or thing, while a proper noun
names a specific person, place, or thing. Help students distinguish between common and
proper nouns by providing examples of each, for instance: chocolate chip cookies and
Captain Cookie’s Super-Crisps.
• Then ask students to name any other places that need capital letters. Remind them that a
capital letter is always used at the beginning of a sentence and that the pronoun I is also
always capitalized. Capital letters are often used for abbreviations as well.
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 • Finally, show students the cover of the book and invite them to predict what the story might
be about. What do they think the machine will do?

During Reading
After reading the story once through for meaning, you can reinforce a variety of concepts in
subsequent readings.
• Have students raise their hands for each capitalized word they see in the illustrations. Then
have them do the same for capitalized words in the body of the story.
• As students point out capitalized words, stop occasionally and challenge them to tell why
the word is capitalized. Which capitalization rule is being applied?

After Reading
In addition to the group overhead lesson and mini-book practice activities, try the following
extensions to help reinforce students’ learning.
• Have a capitalization race. Make a deck of cards by writing each letter of the alphabet on a
separate index card. Then shuffle the deck and have a volunteer choose a card at random.
Set a timer and challenge students to list as many proper nouns as they can that begin with
the chosen letter. Encourage students to include names of people, places, movies, books,
sports teams, bands, and brand names of products. When the time is up, help students score
their lists. Players receive one point for each properly capitalized word or phrase on the list.
• Invite students to become capitalization machines! Have students work in pairs: one
partner “feeds” a slip of paper with a common noun to the partner playing the “machine.”
It is the machine’s job to “transform” the common noun into a proper one. For instance, if
a student receives the word road, he or she might write Lakeview Road on a new slip of
paper and hand it back to the first student. After a few rounds, invite students to switch
roles.

To Extend Learning
Use the activity on the next page to reinforce and extend the concepts students
have learned. You can turn this into a collaborative class activity by using the
page on an overhead projector, or make multiple copies for students to work
on individually.
• Have students read the directions at the top of the sheet. Then read through the
story, inviting students to point out any capitalization errors they see.
• Have students mark the errors as directed. You may also wish to have them
rewrite the story on a separate sheet of paper using correct capitalization.

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 A Capital Caper Capitalization
Names of specific people, places, and things begin with a capital letter.
The beginning of a sentence is always capitalized. So is the pronoun I.

The story below has 21 capitalization errors. Can you find

them all?
• Underline the uncapitalized words that SHOULD be capitalized.
• Circle the capitalized words that should NOT be capitalized.

Cindy was running out of ideas for her science fair project. So far, she
had tried out three different Inventions, and each one was a disaster!
Her brother zeke thought she should invent a new kind of cereal. But
when she tried out a box of garlic goodies on her family, nobody
seemed to like them much. cindy’s Father suggested she invent a robot
to clean her room. But the robot kept misplacing things—Cindy still
couldn’t find her autographed copy of alien Adventures, and it was her
favorite book! mrs. Cadoodle wanted Cindy to invent an automatic
baseball pitcher. she thought it might help her favorite Team win the
championship. But the manager of the springfield tigers said that only
human players were allowed. “How will i ever come up with a new
invention by next friday?” Cindy thought. Just then, she got
a postcard in the mail from her friend lucy Lowercase, who
had moved to louisiana in september. There were no
capital letters in Lucy’s note! The Postcard gave
Cindy a wonderful idea. She got straight to
Grammar Tales Teaching Guide Page 65

work on her new machine —she knew she

would amaze Mr. menlo and all the students
at sunny street School!

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 Capitalization

The Mega-Deluxe
Capitalization Machine
Write a paragraph about yourself
including as many capitalized words as you
BY J USTIN M C C ORY M ARTIN
I LLUSTRATED BY M ATT P HILLIPS

can. You can include the name of your town

and names of friends, family members, and
pets. You can also include your favorite
movies, books, bands, and sports teams. And
don’t forget your favorite holidays, snack
foods, and toys! Check your work when you
are finished. Did you capitalize correctly?

7. ❍ S. dina is getting a reporter from moxie

magazine to cover the fair.
❍ T. Dina is getting a reporter from Moxie
Magazine to cover the fair.
❍ U. Dina is getting a Reporter from Moxie
magazine to cover the fair.

8. ❍ V. The fair will be the biggest event that

springfield has had in months.
❍ W. The fair will be the biggest Event that
Springfield has had in Months.
❍ X. The fair will be the biggest event that
Springfield has had in months.

9. ❍ Y. It will be even more fun than last year’s

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halloween parade.
❍ Z. It will be even more fun than last year’s
Halloween parade. The day of the science fair was finally here! And Cindy
❍ A. It will be even more fun than Last Year’s Cadoodle was ready. You see, she’d invented a great gadget
Halloween Parade. and couldn’t wait to show it off. It was called the Totally
Terrific Turbo-Charged Mega-Deluxe Capitalization Machine.
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 10. ❍ B. Just make sure to double-check the
sign for your booth, because MR.
Menlo is giving extra credit for good
grammar!
❍ C. Just make sure to double-check the
sign for your booth, because Mr. Menlo
is giving extra credit for good grammar!
❍ D. Just make sure to double-check the
sign for your booth, because Mr. Menlo
is giving Extra Credit for Good
Grammar!

Now crack the code! Each number below

stands for one of the questions. Write the letter of
the correct answer above each number. Then read
your secret message!

You did a ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ job!
10 1 6 3 7 1 4
Scholastic grants teachers permission to reprint this book for educational purposes.
Copyright © 2004 by Scholastic. All rights reserved. A
Printed in the U.S.A.
21

4. ❍ J. Olivia can’t come to the fair because

she’ll be on vacation in hong kong.
❍ K. Olivia can’t come to the fair because
she’ll be on vacation in Hong kong.
❍ L. Olivia can’t come to the fair because
she’ll be on vacation in Hong Kong.

5. ❍ M. Henry is doing a presentation on animals

that lived during the ice age.
❍ N. Henry is doing a presentation on animals
that lived during the ice Age.
❍ O. Henry is doing a presentation on animals
bo n ni e a n n b r i c that lived during the Ice Age.
k le
6. ❍ P. Freddie promised to bring enough Burpy
Grammar Tales Teaching Guide Page 68

Cola for everyone.

❍ Q. Freddie promised to bring enough burpy
“How does that contraption work?” Bonnie Brickle
cola for everyone.
asked.
“Allow me to demonstrate,” said Cindy. She wrote ❍ R. Freddie promised to bring enough burpy
Bonnie’s name on a piece of paper. Cola for everyone.
“That’s wrong. You made it all lowercase!”
B
exclaimed Bonnie.
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 Capitalization Station: Look at each set of sentences.
Fill in the circle next to the sentence that uses correct
capitalization. Then use the letters of your answers to
decode the secret message at the end.

1. ❍ A. The school science fair is next

Wednesday.
❍ B. The school Science Fair is next
wednesday.
❍ C. The School science fair is next
Wednesday.

2. ❍ D. Cindy Cadoodle is working on a Secret Rule #1:

Project. People’s first,

le
k
middle, and last

ic
❍ E. Cindy cadoodle is working on a secret

Br
names always
nn
project.
nie A begin with
n
❍ F. Cindy Cadoodle is working on a secret capital letters.

Bo
project.

3. ❍ G. I Heard That She’s Making A Robot.

“Just watch,” responded Cindy. With that, she fed the
❍ H. i heard that she’s making a robot. paper into her invention. The machine bleeped and
❍ I. I heard that she’s making a robot. blipped and gurgled. Then out popped her name with
the proper capitalization. “Wow!” screeched Bonnie.
18 “Your invention really works!” 3

Remember to
always capitalize . . .
1. the first letter of first, middle,
and last names
2. days of the week, months, and
holidays De
3. places, cities, countries, ce Saturd a y
mbe r
and continents
4. important historical events
5. books, movies, plays, TV shows, n
ee
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magazines, bands, and sports teams Rule #2:

ll ow Days of the week,
6. brand names, including Ha months, and holidays
snacks and toys Got it? Great. Now,
are always capitalized.
brainstorm a list of
The machine beeped and blared and chortled. Then out
words that fit in each
popped the words with the proper capitalization. “That’s
category. Don’t forget
awesome!” exclaimed Gary.
to capitalize them!
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 Let’s Review: Capitalization
Capital letters are used to begin
the names of specific people,
places, and things.
★ Always capitalize the names of people (Cindy Cadoodle)
and specific places (Paris, France, Europe).

★ Days of the week, months, and holidays also begin with

capital letters (December, Saturday, Halloween). So do

er historical periods or events (Renaissance, Civil War ).

llo da y b

★ Capitalize titles, too—whether it’s the title of a book

r m

ce n (Barry Blotter and the Sorcerer’s Soup) or a movie (Toy

e
e
d u
we

Tale). The same rule applies to names of bands

t (Sidestreet Guys), plays (The Longest Minute), TV
sa a shows (I Love Larry), sports teams (Florida Flyers), and
h magazines (Moxie Magazine). Brand names also always
begin with capital letters (Chiperoos, Burpy Cola).

★ How do you know when to capitalize a word? Here’s

“Let me try! Let me try!” shouted Gary Grigsby. a good rule to follow: If the word names something
“Make sure you write in all lowercase,” said Cindy. general (the street) you should not capitalize it. If the
Gary wrote down his favorite month, day of the week, word is part of a specific name (Cherry Street ), then
and holiday. C it should be capitalized.
4 17

p aris f ra n ce e uro pe
A+

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“My turn,” said Olivia Orlando. Olivia was a

world traveler. Her family always went on The invention clanged and clapped and whistled. Then
fantastic vacations. Olivia closed her eyes and out popped the paper. On it, Mr. Menlo had written a
thought about a place she dreamed of visiting. single big, bold letter. It was Cindy’s grade for the
She wrote down the city, country, and even science fair project—an A+. Talk about a capital day!
D
the continent.
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 s
Pari
Fra nce
Rule #3:
The names of

p e cities, countries,

Now it was the science teacher’s turn to examine the

E ur o and continents
always begin with
capital letters.
machine. Cindy was very nervous. Mr. Menlo circled her
invention, pushing buttons and twisting dials. After a
Cindy’s invention jumped and gibbered and yodeled.
few minutes, he announced: “Brilliant! Remarkable!
Then out popped the words with the proper
Ingenious!” Then, quick as a wink, he jotted something
capitalization. “Ooh-la-la!” remarked Olivia
on a piece of paper and fed it into the machine.
14
enthusiastically. 7

os i swirl
o
r w n ce
issa
e
ki
h ip
i p-

burp a r
soda c Ren
ch

sven y t-
m in
a

a nd larr ’s triple
W

v i l
B o s t o n Te a C i
Par t y
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Rule #4:
Important historical events, such as the Boston Tea Party
Freddie Farber loved ice cream. He also loved cookies, or Civil War, always begin with capital letters.
popcorn, lollipops, potato chips, beef jerky, soda, and
The machine sniffed and snorted and crackled.
bubble gum. Freddie wrote the names of his three favorite
Then out popped the words with the proper
snacks in the whole world.
capitalization. “Simply sensational,” stated Henry.
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 ’s wirl
Bu rry Kiw i S

t-C a
rpy p-

L
hi
d
S o da

an
in
n
M
e s
Sv pl roo

e
Tri
Chipe

bo
sto
ren n tea
ais p
san arty
ce civ Rule #6:
i l war Brand names of
various items,
such as snacks
and toys, should
be capitalized.

Now it was Henry Hilbert’s turn. Henry loved history. It The machine gulped and gobbled and burped. Then
was his favorite subject. He wrote down three fascinating out popped the words with the proper capitalization.
historical events. “Mouthwatering!” cried Freddie.
E
8 13

r
tte
ry
l o
B e up To
h
Bar nd t ’s So y
a er Ta
Sor
ce
r le

b ar
ry b
l ot te
r and
th e s o rc e
re r ’ s s o u p
t
to
s i d e y tale Sidestree
s t r e et
guys Guys

Rule #5:
The names of books, movies, and rock bands
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should be capitalized. The same goes for other

kinds of entertainment such as plays, TV
shows, magazines, and sports teams.

“Don’t forget me!” squealed Dina Duncan. Dina The invention rocked and rattled and clattered. Then out
was always up on the latest trends. She wrote popped the words with the proper capitalization. “Utterly
down her favorite book, movie, and rock band. fabu!” declared Dina. “By the way, that’s the newest way
F to say great.”
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 How to Assemble the Mini-Books

1 Make double-sided
F
copies of the mini-book E
pages. You should have D
C
three double-sided B
A
copies for each book.
3 Position the pages with the lettered spreads
(A, B, C, D, E, F) face up. Place the B spread
on top of the A spread. Then, place the C, D,
E, and F spreads on top of those in sequence.

2 Cut the pages in

half along the 4 Fold the pages in half along the
dotted line. solid line. Make sure all the
pages are in the correct order.
Then staple them together
along the book’s spine.

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Capitalization: The Mega-
Deluxe Capitalization Machine
A Capital Caper (Overhead, page 65)

Capitalization Station (Mini-Book, page 18)

1. A; 2. F; 3. I; 4. L; 5. O; 6. P; 7. T; 8. X; 9. Z; 10. C

Message: You did a capital job!

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