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English lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 60 minutes

Capital letters in titles (The Day the Robots Danced)

Punctuation

CCSS L.3.2.AEngland: Y3 GPS (capital letters)England: Y3/4 Writing (headings and titles)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Capital letters in titles (The Day the Robots Danced).

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Who or what? Did what? (subject and predicate); Common and proper nouns

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: Punctuation cards, A short unpunctuated text, Highlighters, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Who or what? Did what? (subject and predicate); Common and proper nouns). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which part is the SUBJECT (who or what the sentence is about)? The tallest girl in the team scored the goal. (The tallest girl in the team / The tallest / the team scored / scored the goal) → The tallest girl in the teamPrompt: Ask: who or what did something?
  2. Which word is a proper noun (the name of a particular person, place or day)? Last summer Priya visited Paris with her aunt. (Paris / visited / summer / aunt) → ParisPrompt: Proper nouns are special names.
  3. Which part is the PREDICATE (what the subject does)? My best friend lives next door. (My best friend / friend lives / My best / lives next door.) → lives next door.Prompt: Find the subject first: who or what?

Hook · 6 min

  • Read a short passage with no punctuation and let the class hear why it's confusing.
  • Share the objective: Capital letters in titles (The Day the Robots Danced). Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which book title uses capital letters correctly?
  • Step 1: In a title, use a capital for the first word, the last word and every important word. Small words like a, the, and, of, in, on, to and for stay small unless they come first.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: The Day the School Floated Away
  • Answer: The Day the School Floated Away
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which book title uses capital letters correctly? (A Map of the moon / A map of the moon / A Map Of The Moon / A Map of the Moon) → A Map of the MoonPrompt: Check the small words: a, the, and, of, to, in, on, for.
  2. Every word in this title has a capital. Which word should NOT? When The Owls Came Home (The / Home / Owls / Came) → ThePrompt: The first word always keeps its capital.

You do: independent practice · 17 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Every word in this title has a capital. Which word should NOT? The Dragon And The Dentist (The / Dentist / Dragon) → ThePrompt: The first word always keeps its capital.
  2. Which book title uses capital letters correctly? (Journey to the Bottom of the Pond / Journey to the bottom of the Pond / Journey To The Bottom Of The Pond / Journey to the bottom of the pond) → Journey to the Bottom of the PondPrompt: Check the small words: a, the, and, of, to, in, on, for.

Watch out for

  • Using commas where a full stop (period) is needed.
  • Putting apostrophes in plurals (apple's).

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Who or what? Did what? (subject and predicate).
  • Use concrete materials: punctuation cards.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-3.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Capital letters in titles (The Day the Robots Danced)

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which book title uses capital letters correctly?

    • A. The Girl who Talked to Bees
    • B. The girl who talked to bees
    • C. The Girl Who Talked to Bees
    • D. The Girl Who Talked To Bees

  2. Question 2

    Every word in this title has a capital. Which word should NOT? Ten Ways To Save A Snail

    • A. Snail
    • B. Ways
    • C. Ten
    • D. A

  3. Question 3

    Type this title with the correct capital letters. diary of a brave little bus

    Answer

  4. Question 4

    Every word in this title has a capital. Which word should NOT? The Day The School Floated Away

    • A. Day
    • B. Floated
    • C. The
    • D. Away

  5. Question 5

    Type this title with the correct capital letters. lost in the cloud forest

    Answer

  6. Question 6

    Every word in this title has a capital. Which word should NOT? A Map Of The Moon

    • A. Map
    • B. Moon
    • C. Of

  7. Question 7

    Type this title with the correct capital letters. the day the school floated away

    Answer

  8. Question 8

    Every word in this title has a capital. Which word should NOT? The Mystery At Maple Street Library

    • A. Street
    • B. Maple
    • C. At
    • D. Mystery

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Answer key: Capital letters in titles (The Day the Robots Danced)

  1. 1. C. The Girl Who Talked to Bees

  2. 2. D. A

  3. 3. Diary of a Brave Little Bus

  4. 4. C. The

  5. 5. Lost in the Cloud Forest

  6. 6. C. Of

  7. 7. The Day the School Floated Away

  8. 8. C. At