Cap It All Slides Cap It All!
Mastering the Rules of Capital Letters
3rd Grade Grammar
Quick-Fire Warm-up
Question 1
What do you call a medical professional?
Question 2
What do you call a married woman?
Can you guess the abbreviations?
Dr.
Mrs.
Mr.
The Capitalization Rules
1
First Letter
Always capitalize the first letter in every sentence.
2
Proper Nouns
Names of people, places, and pets (like Paris or Muffy).
3
Time Words
Specific days of the week, months, and holidays.
4
Titles
Formal titles like Dr., Mr., and Mrs. before a name.
Bonus Rule: The pronoun 'I' is ALWAYS capitalized when it's by itself!
Video Focus
Rule #4 & Summary
Embedded media
Watch For:
Honorifics like Dr.
The "Dr. Jones" example
Rapid-fire recap
The Dr. Jones Challenge
"Last Friday I went to Dr. Jones for a checkup."
I
Pronoun
Dr.
Title
Jones
Proper Noun
Can you find the other two capitalized words in that sentence?
Formal Letters
Write a thank-you note to a teacher or community helper. Use your best grammar and capitalization skills!
Requirement 1
Use a formal Title (Dr., Mr., Mrs.)
Requirement 2
Use the pronoun 'I'
Requirement 3
Include today's Date
Letter Writing Template Formal Thank-You Note
Practice your capitalization rules!
Student Name
Date
Must Include:
Today's Date A Title (Dr., Mr., Mrs.) The Pronoun 'I'
Place Stamp
Write the date here...
Dear,
,
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Self-Check Pro Tips
Did you capitalize the first word of your sentences?
Is the word I capitalized when it stands alone?
Does the title have a capital letter? (ex: M r.)
Are the names of people and places capitalized?
Capitalization Checklist Cap It All Checklist
Peer Review Activity
Writer's Name
Who wrote the letter?
Reviewer's Name
Who is checking it?
Check the Rules!
Read your partner's letter carefully. Check "Yes" if they followed the rule, or "Needs Fix" if they missed a capital letter.
1
Sentences start with capital letters?
Check the first letter of every sentence.
Yes
Needs Fix
2
Names and proper nouns are capitalized?
Check names of people, places, or pets.
Yes
Needs Fix
3
Days, months, and holidays are capitalized?
Check the date at the top of the letter.
Yes
Needs Fix
4
Formal titles (Dr., Mr., Mrs.) are capitalized?
Check the title used in the greeting.
Yes
Needs Fix
The pronoun 'I' is always capitalized?
Check every time they wrote about themselves.
Yes
Needs Fix
Feedback Note
Write one thing your partner did great and one thing they can fix...
Teacher Facilitation Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
Cap It All: Capitalization Mastery
Grade Level
3rd Grade
Objective
Students will apply capitalization rules to formal titles (Dr., Mrs., Mr.), names, days/months, and the pronoun 'I' through video analysis and letter writing.
Materials
Cap It All Slides
Letter Writing Template
Peer Review Checklist
YouTube Video (link in slides)
Misconceptions
Titles without names: Remind students that "the doctor" isn't capitalized, but "Dr. Smith" is.I vs. i: Students often default to lowercase 'i' when writing quickly.Mom/Dad: Only capitalize when used as a name (e.g., "I love Mom" vs "my mom is nice").
Lesson Sequence
1. Warm-up: Abbreviation Race
5 Minutes
Display the Warm-up Slide. Use rapid-fire questioning to elicit "Dr.", "Mr.", and "Mrs.". Write these on the board and ask: "What do these all have in common?" (Capital first letters and a period at the end).
2. Video Viewing & Discussion
10 Minutes
Focus: Rule #4 (Titles) and the Bonus Rule (Pronoun 'I').
Watch segments 6:32-8:02 of the video. Use the "Dr. Jones Challenge" slide to break down the example sentence. Ask: "Why is the J in Jones capitalized?" and "Why is the I capitalized?"
3. Activity: Formal Letters
20 Minutes
Hand out the Letter Writing Template . Students choose a teacher or local hero to thank. Encourage them to look at the "Mission" slide for requirements. Circulate and check for the "Bonus Rule" especially!
4. Peer Review & Closure
10 Minutes
Students swap letters and use the Capitalization Checklist . They should specifically hunt for the 4 rules plus the 'I' rule. Close by sharing one "Common Mistake" found and fixed during the review.
Differentiation Strategies
For Strugglers:
Provide a "Cheat Sheet" showing common titles and their abbreviations clearly capitalized. Allow them to dictate the letter before writing.
For Advanced Learners:
Challenge them to use a holiday name (Rule #3) in their letter (e.g., "I had fun over Christmas break").
