Title Rules Anchor Chart Grammar & Mechanics Tool
Mastering Title Rules
How to properly capitalize and format titles of works!
Rule 1: Whole vs. Part
To format a title, ask: "Is this a complete, standalone work, or is it a small part of something larger?"
Standalone Works
The "Giants" (Whole Containers)
Big, complete creations that stand completely on their own.
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Books (Harry Potter)
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Movies (Inside Out)
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TV Shows (Wild Kratts)
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Albums (Deep Blue)
How to write & type:
Handwritten: Underline it
Typed: Italicize it
Parts of a Whole
The "Gems" (Slices or Pieces)
Shorter works that usually live inside a standalone container.
•
Songs (inside an album)
•
Poems (inside a poetry book)
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Short Stories (in an anthology)
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Articles (in a newspaper)
How to write & type:
Handwritten: Use "Quotes"
Typed: Use "Quotes"
Rule 2: Title Capitalization
When writing a title, you must use Title Case ! This means we capitalize only the key, heavy-lifting words.
Always Capitalize:
The first word and last word of the title, plus all nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
e.g., The Secret Garden
Keep Lowercase:
Short, quiet words like articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, or), and prepositions (of, in, to, for, on, with) unless they are first or last!
e.g., Sick in the City
Handwritten Style
Pencil & Paper:
I read The Secret Garden.
I sang "Sick in the City".
Typed Style
Computer & Keyboard:
I read The Secret Garden .
I sang "Sick in the City".
The Double-Check Checklist:
1. Standalone or Part? | 2. Underline or Quotation Marks? | 3. Capitalize first, last, and important words (no small prepositions/articles in the middle)!
Title Rules Bellwork Sheet Daily Practice Series
Title Showdown Bellwork
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2.d
Underlines, Italics, & Quotation Marks
NAME:
DATE:
SCORE:
/ 8
Remember your Anchor Chart: Use Underlining for standalone/whole works (books, movies) and "Quotation Marks" for parts/slices (songs, chapters, poems)! Always capitalize first, last, and important words!
Tuesday: Find & Fix Choose the correct handwritten format to fix Leo's spelling and capitalization errors.
The Problem: Leo wrote: "Yesterday, we read the book hatchet . Next, our teacher read us a funny poem called sick in the city."
1. How should Leo write the book title hatchet by hand?
A) "hatchet" (in quotes, not capitalized) B) Hatchet (underlined & capitalized) C) Hatchet (capitalized but not formatted)
2. How should Leo write the poem title sick in the city by hand?
A) "Sick in the City" (quotes, middle small words lowercase) B) Sick In The City (underlined, everything capitalized) C) "Sick in the city" (quotes, missed 'City' capitalization)
Wednesday: Standalone or Slice? Choose the option that matches both punctuation and capitalization rules.
3. How should the song title shake it off be written by hand?
Category: Slice/Part
A) "shake it off" (correct quotes, not capitalized) B) "Shake It Off" (correct quotes and capitalized) C) Shake It Off (capitalized but underlined)
4. How should the movie title the lion king be written by hand?
Category: Standalone/Whole
A) The Lion King (correct capitalization and underline) B) the lion king (underlined but not capitalized) C) "The Lion King" (capitalized but in quotes)
Thursday: Sentence Architect Select the sentence that has the title capitalized and formatted correctly for handwriting.
5. Which sentence correctly formats and capitalizes the book title the secret garden by hand?
A) I couldn't stop reading "The Secret Garden" last night. B) I couldn't stop reading The Secret Garden last night. C) I couldn't stop reading the secret garden last night.
6. Which sentence correctly formats and capitalizes the song title we will rock you by hand?
A) We learned to sing "We Will Rock You" in class. B) We learned to sing "we will rock you" in class. C) We learned to sing We Will Rock You in class.
Friday: The Final Review Show off your general knowledge of title capitalization and formatting.
7. An article title is a **part** of a larger stand-alone work. Which handwritten option is capitalized and punctuated correctly?
Title Rules Bellwork Key Teacher Reference Tool
Title Showdown Bellwork Answer Key
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2.d
Underlines, Italics, & Quotation Marks
Teacher Quick Guide: Correct answers are marked with a green background and a checked box . Use this sheet side-by-side to grade student submissions.
Tuesday: Find & Fix Answer Key & explanations
The Problem: Leo wrote: "Yesterday, we read the book hatchet . Next, our teacher read us a funny poem called sick in the city."
1. How should Leo write the book title hatchet by hand?
A) "hatchet" (in quotes, not capitalized)
B) Hatchet (underlined & capitalized)
C) Hatchet (capitalized but not formatted)
2. How should Leo write the poem title sick in the city by hand?
A) "Sick in the City" (quotes, middle small words lowercase)
B) Sick In The City (underlined, everything capitalized)
C) "Sick in the city" (quotes, missed 'City' capitalization)
Wednesday: Standalone or Slice? Answer Key & explanations
3. How should the song title shake it off be written by hand?
Category: Slice/Part
A) "shake it off" (correct quotes, not capitalized)
B) "Shake It Off" (correct quotes and capitalized)
C) Shake It Off (capitalized but underlined)
4. How should the movie title the lion king be written by hand?
Category: Standalone/Whole
A) The Lion King (correct capitalization and underline)
B) the lion king (underlined but not capitalized)
C) "The Lion King" (capitalized but in quotes)
Thursday: Sentence Architect Answer Key & explanations
5. Which sentence correctly formats and capitalizes the book title the secret garden by hand?
A) I couldn't stop reading "The Secret Garden" last night.
B) I couldn't stop reading The Secret Garden last night.
C) I couldn't stop reading the secret garden last night.
6. Which sentence correctly formats and capitalizes the song title we will rock you by hand?
A) We learned to sing "We Will Rock You" in class.
B) We learned to sing "we will rock you" in class.
C) We learned to sing We Will Rock You in class.
Friday: The Final Review Answer Key & explanations
7. An article title is a **part** of a larger stand-alone work. Which handwritten option is capitalized and punctuated correctly?
A) "Saving the Oceans" (small word 'the' in lowercase)
B) "Saving The Oceans" (everything capitalized)
