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Syntax and Sentence Structure
Fix the Story: Capital Letters and End Marks!

Summary

In this literacy centre, designed for grades 1 to 3, students will understand the importance of starting sentences with capital letters and using correct end punctuation (periods, question marks, and exclamation points). Students will work on correcting capitalization and punctuation errors in a fun, engaging story that contains intentional mistakes.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this centre, students will be able to:
  • Understand that sentences begin with capital letters;
  • Correctly use end punctuation marks (periods, question marks, exclamation points);
  • Apply their knowledge by editing and correcting a short story.

Material to Prepare

  • Appendix A: Story Sheets
  • Appendix B: Editing Checklist
  • Appendix C: Sentence Cards
  • Appendix D: Score Tracker
  • Dice
  • Writing sheets
  • Coloured pencils

Procedure

Station 1—Fix the Story
Step 1: Learn About Capitals and Punctuation Marks
  • Step 1: Introduction to Conjunctions

    Start by reading the basic rules for capital letters and punctuation:

    • Every sentence starts with a capital letter.
    • Sentences end with the appropriate punctuation mark:
      • Period (.) for statements.
      • Question mark (?) for questions.
      • Exclamation point (!) for strong emotions or commands.
  • Step 2: Read Some Examples

    Example sentences with each type of punctuation:

    • “I went to the playground.” (period)
    • “Did you see the hound?” (question mark)
    • “Ouch, that stung!” (exclamation point)
Step 2: Correct the Story
  • Step 1: Find the Mistakes

    Read through the story on your Story Sheets (Appendix A). Look carefully! You’ll find mistakes in capitalization and punctuation. Pay attention to how each sentence begins and ends.

  • Step 2: Mark the Mistakes

    Use a coloured pencil to underline the sentences that need to be fixed. Then, circle the punctuation mistakes at the end of each sentence.

  • Step 3: Correct the Errors

    Rewrite each sentence correctly on your writing sheet. Make sure to:

    • Capitalize the first word of each sentence.
    • Add the correct punctuation at the end.
Step 3: Review Your Work with the Checklist
  • Step 1: Use the Editing Checklist

    After correcting the story, use the Editing Checklist (Appendix B) to make sure you found all the mistakes. Did you:

    • Start every sentence with a capital letter?
    • Use the right punctuation mark at the end?
  • Step 2: Read and Record
    • Read your completed or corrected story aloud.
    • Emphasize the pauses for periods, the rising intonation for question marks, and the excitement for exclamation marks.
    • If possible, record yourself and play back you recording to check if your reading reflects the punctuation marks.

Checklist for Independent Work:

  • Did you underline sentences that need capital letters?
  • Did you circle sentences with missing or incorrect punctuation?
  • Did you rewrite the sentences correctly with capitals and punctuation marks?
  • Did you use the checklist to double-check your work?
Station 2—Card Challenge
  • Step 1: Shuffle the Sentence Cards

    Shuffle the deck of Sentence Cards and place them face down in the centre of the table.

  • Step 2: Draw a Card

    Each player takes turns drawing a card. The card will have a sentence with errors in capitalization and punctuation that need to be corrected.

  • Step 3: Correct the Sentence

    The player who draws the card must rewrite the sentence on their paper, fixing the mistakes. If they believe the sentence is correct, they leave it as is.

  • Step 4: Check the Sentence

    After the player corrects the sentence, they flip the card to reveal the correct version (the correct version is printed on the back of each card).

  • Step 5: Scoring
    • If the player corrects all the mistakes, they earn 1 point.
    • If they miss any mistakes, they lose 1 point.
  • Step 6: Continue Playing

    The next player takes their turn by drawing a new card and repeating the process. Play continues until all cards are drawn or a designated time limit.

Optional Twist (Using Dice):

Players roll the dice at the beginning of their turn:

  • Roll 1-3: Correct a sentence.
  • Roll 4-6: Create your own sentence and have your partner correct it.

Winner:

The player who collects the most points at the end of the game wins!

DIFFERENTIATION: Observing and providing support during analysis.

Possible Observation Intervention Strategies
Students overlook capitalizing the first word in a sentence, especially in the middle of a paragraph. They may correct a few sentences but leave others with lowercase letters at the start.
  • Encourage students to underline or circle the first word of each sentence to make it stand out.
  • Remind students that every sentence starts with a capital letter, even when it follows another sentence.
  • Have students use the Editing Checklist (Appendix B) to ensure they check each sentence for proper capitalization.
Students confuse punctuation marks, adding periods where question marks or exclamation points are needed.
  • Review the rules for using periods, question marks, and exclamation points, providing clear examples.
  • Prepare a quick sorting activity where students identify whether a sentence is a statement, question, or exclamation, matching the correct punctuation mark.
  • Create a simple visual guide showing the different punctuation marks with their uses (e.g., question mark = question, exclamation point = excitement or emotion).
Students overuse exclamation points or question marks, placing them where they don’t belong. They place exclamation points in nearly every sentence (e.g., “We went to the park! We saw a dog! It was big!”).
  • Show students examples of when to use each type of punctuation in context. Compare a sentence with different punctuation to see how the meaning changes (e.g., “It was fun.” vs. “It was fun!”).
  • Ask students why they chose certain punctuation marks. If they use too many exclamations, prompt them to consider if the sentence really expresses strong emotion.
  • Give students sentence frames like “I had fun at the park” and ask them to choose the correct punctuation for each, explaining their choice.
Students fix only the beginning or end of a text, leaving errors uncorrected in the middle.
  • Encourage students to go sentence by sentence, marking each one as they go. Prompt them to reread the story carefully after making their corrections.
  • Pair students up to review each other’s work. Sometimes, a second pair of eyes helps catch missed errors.
  • Ask students to place a checkmark next to each sentence they’ve reviewed for capitalization and punctuation before moving to the next one.
Students complete the activity quickly and might not find it challenging enough.
  • Challenge advanced students to rewrite the story, adding dialogue using quotation marks, capital letters, and punctuation correctly.
  • Ask advanced students to write their own short stories, intentionally leaving out capitals and punctuation for a peer to correct.
  • Encourage students to extend simple sentences into more complex ones using conjunctions varying punctuation (e.g., commas, periods, exclamations) within longer sentences.

Appendixes

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