Sentence Flow Anchor Chart SENTENCE FLOW
My Writing Guide
Use this simple Traffic Light Checklist to make your writing clear, strong, and easy to read!
Step 1
🟢 GREEN means GO! (Capital Letters)
Every sentence must start strong. Use a capital letter for:
The First Word
The Word "I"
Names & Places
Step 2
🔴 RED means STOP! (Punctuation)
Every sentence must have a clear ending. Put a stop sign at the very end:
Period .
Question ?
Exclaim !
Step 3
🟡 YELLOW means FLOW! (Reread & Check)
Slow down. Reread your sentence out loud. Ask yourself:
Does it make sense?
Are there missing words?
The Perfect Sentence Model
🟢 Go
My
friend
🟢 Name
Sam
and
🟢 "I"
I
like pizza
🔴 Stop
.
Start Capital "M"
Name Capital "S" in Sam
Pronoun Capital "I"
Stop Period "." at end
Easy to Write, Easy to Read! Keep this in your writing folder
Sentence Flow Slides Sentence Flow Lesson
SENTENCE FLOW
The sensory-friendly way to write clear, polished, and confident sentences.
🟢 Go • 🔴 Stop • 🟡 Flow Slide 1 of 7
The Traffic Light Checklist
Overview
🟢 GREEN (Go)
Start with Capital Letters .
🔴 RED (Stop)
End with Punctuation .
🟡 YELLOW (Flow)
Reread to make sure it makes sense.
Three easy steps for perfect sentences. Slide 2 of 7
🟢 GREEN means GO!
Step 1: Capitalization
When do we capitalize?
The First Word
Always capitalize the very first letter of a sentence.
The Word "I"
"I" is always capitalized when talking about yourself.
Names & Places
People's names and places need capital letters.
"Capital letters tell the reader:
Always check the beginning of your sentence first. Slide 3 of 7
🔴 RED means STOP!
Step 2: Punctuation
"Punctuation tells the reader:
Choose your stop sign:
.
Period
For statements and normal facts.
Statement
?
Question Mark
Use when asking something.
Question
!
Exclamation Point
Use for strong feelings or excitement.
Excited
Every complete thought needs a stop sign. Slide 4 of 7
🟡 YELLOW means FLOW!
Step 3: Reread & Check
Slow down and check:
Read Out Loud
Whisper your sentence to yourself. Your ears will hear if it sounds correct!
Check for Missing Words
Did your hand miss a word that your brain wanted to write down?
The "Flow" Test
If you run out of breath or get confused when reading your sentence, it is time to slow down and fix the flow!
Does it sound like a complete thought?
Slow down. Rereading helps us catch minor mistakes. Slide 5 of 7
The Perfect Sentence Model
Example Study
🟢 Go
My
friend
🟢 Name
Sam
and
🟢 "I"
I
like pizza
🔴 Stop
.
🟢 Capitals used at the start, for the name Sam , and the pronoun I .
🔴 Ended with a clear period stop sign.
🟡 Reread out loud: "My friend Sam and I like pizza." It flows perfectly!
This is exactly what your sentences should look like. Slide 6 of 7
Your Turn to Flow!
Ready to Write
Ready to try it on your own?
Open up your writing notebook or folder. Every time you write a sentence, check it off with your folder's Sentence Flow Anchor Chart !
Start Capital
Stop Mark
Does it Flow?
Believe in yourself. You've got this! Slide 7 of 7
Sentence CUPS Anchor Chart SENTENCE CUPS
My Editing Checklist
Use the CUPS Checklist to review and polish your sentences before you finish writing!
C
Capitals
Capitalization
Check for big letters at the start of your sentence, names, and the word "I".
Start of Sentence Word "I" Names of People
U
Sense
Usage (Understanding)
Read it out loud. Does your sentence make sense? Are any words missing?
Read Out Loud Complete Idea
P
Stop
Punctuation
Check for ending marks. Make sure you have a complete stop symbol.
. Period ? Question ! Exclamation
S
Spelling
Spelling
Double check tricky words, sight words, and word families.
Sight Words Check Word Walls
How to Fix a Sentence with CUPS
1. WRONG SENTENCE
"my freind sam and me likes pizza"
CUPS
2. SHINING SENTENCE
"My friend Sam and I like pizza."
🔵 C (Capitals) My, Sam, I
🟣 U (Usage) "me likes" ➔ "I like"
🟠 P (Punctuation) Added Period "."
🟢 S (Spelling) "freind" ➔ "friend"
CUPS makes my sentence shine! Keep this in your writing folder
Sentence CUPS Slides Sentence CUPS Lesson
SENTENCE CUPS
Four simple steps to check, edit, and perfect every single sentence.
🔵 Capitals • 🟣 Usage • 🟠 Punctuation • 🟢 Spelling Slide 1 of 8
The CUPS Checklist
Overview
C
Capitals
First letters, names, and the word "I".
U
Usage
Does it sound correct? Do words flow?
P
Punctuation
Check ending stops (. ? !).
S
Spelling
Check words against our Word Wall.
Check off each box to complete your sentence checklist. Slide 2 of 8
C Capitalization
Step 1
Target Capitals:
Sentence Openers
The first letter of your first word is always a Capital.
The Pronoun "I"
Whenever you write "I" by itself, make it a Capital.
Proper Names
Capitalize names of people, towns, states, and schools.
"Capitals rule over names and openers. Check them first!"
Capitals are your sentence's formal crown. Slide 3 of 8
U Usage (Does it make sense?)
Step 2
"Your ears are great editors! Whisper the sentence and see if it flows smoothly."
Target Flow:
Read Out Loud
Whisper the words. Do they align together nicely?
Missing Word Check
Sometimes our hands write slower than we think. Make sure all words made it onto the page.
If a sentence sounds funny, rewrite it until it flows! Slide 4 of 8
P Punctuation (Ending Stops)
Step 3
Target Stops:
.
Period
For flat-out statements and info.
?
Question Mark
For asking something directly.
!
Exclamation
For expressing extra high energy!
"Punctuation provides the physical space to pause and understand."
Every sentence must end with an approved stop mark. Slide 5 of 8
S Spelling
Step 4
"Take it slow. If a word looks weird, circle it and check it against our Word Wall resources!"
Target Words:
Sight Word Walls
Look at our classroom lists for high-frequency words (there, their, they're).
Sentence CUPS Guided Notes CUT ALONG DOTS TO FIT IN NOTEBOOK
G
MY CUPS NOTES
Fill in the blanks!
Name:
Date:
C
C is for ______________
Always use a big letter for the f _ _ s _ word in a sentence, the word " __ " by itself, and the n _ _ _ s of people or places.
U
U is for ______________
Read your writing out l _ _ d to check if it makes s _ _ s _. Make sure no words are missing!
P
P is for ______________
Every sentence needs a s _ _ p mark at the end, like a p _ r _ _ d (.), question mark (?), or exclamation point (!).
S
S is for ______________
Check your spelling. If a word looks wrong, c _ r _ l e it and check the classroom w _ r d wall.
My Notebook Practice Sentence
Before (Correct this sentence using CUPS!):
"my freind sam and me likes pizza"
Write corrected sentence below:
Glue this into your Interactive Notebook! Sentence Mechanics Toolkit
