Conventions #1 - Single Sentence

VITAL INFORMATION

Subject Matter:

Elementary, Writing, Technology

Grades:

1

Software Application:

StarOffice Writer, or any word processing program

LESSON DESCRIPTION

Summary:

Students will edit individual sentences for capital letters and end punctuation marks.

State & National Standards:

CO- Colorado Academic Standards

• Subject : Reading and Writing

• Standard 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences

Writing and speaking are essential tools for learning, for success in the workplace, and for responsible citizenship. Developing a range of writing and speaking abilities requires extensive study, practice, and thinking. Students need frequent opportunities to write and speak for different audiences and purposes, and they need to be able to communicate expressively, informatively, and analytically. Growth in writing and speaking abilities occurs by applying skills to increasingly challenging communication tasks

• Grade/Level : Grades K-4

 Performance Indicator : revising and editing speech and writing

 Performance Indicator : creating readable documents with legible handwriting or word processing at the appropriate time• Standard 3: Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

Students need to know and be able to use standard English. Proficiency in this standard plays an important role in how the writer or speaker is understood and perceived. All skills in this standard are reinforced and practiced at all grade levels and should be monitored by both the teacher and student to develop lifelong learning skills

• Grade/Level : Grades K-4

 Performance Indicator : knowing and using correct capitalization, punctuation, and abbreviations

Local Standards:

Adams 12 Technology Standard 2: Student uses productivity software as a basis for learning and skill building, and demonstrates an understanding of the universal tools of word processing.

- begins to use special function keys: enter/return, space bar, shift, delete and backspace

- locates letters, numbers and ending punctuation characters

- knows how to make capital letters using the shift key.

Lesson Outcomes:

Given a single sentence, students will be able to edit it for correct use of capital letters and end marks.

Assessment:

This is the first lesson in a four-lesson unit. Formal assessment will take place at the end of the unit.

Student sentences will be assessed for correctness of capital letters and end punctuation, using the Conventions section of the attached rubric.

Assessment/Rubrics:

Rubrics:

Grade 1 Writing Rubric  

CLASSROOM & TIME MANAGEMENT

Student Prerequisites:

Students should have basic word processing skills. Daily language practice in the classroom to practice grade level punctuation and exposure to the trait of conventions through read-aloud experiences, discussions, teacher modeling and shared examples are also helpful.

Lesson Preparation:

The teacher should prepare three or more sentences to model for the students, as well as sample sentences for the students to correct. These may be printed and given to each student, or produced as a file loaded into each student's work folder on the file server.

Time Frame:

1 class period. 30 Min. per class.

Implementation Steps:

1. In the computer lab, the teacher models three or more sentences, showing students how to move around with the mouse or arrow keys to delete/add a character. (Projecting the teacher's desktop onto a screen is the best way to model this.)

2. The teacher provides students with single sentences to edit, loaded into their work folders.

3. Students edit the sentences by deleting/adding characters.

4. Students check their work, then print.

RESOURCES

Lesson Resources:

Attached are examples for use in modeling correct capitalization and punctuation. This lesson could be adapted for 2nd - 5th grade by changing the complexity of the sentences and the punctuation requirements.

Attachments:

 1.  Example for Teacher Modeling

STUDENT PRODUCT(S)

Product(s) Description:

Attached is a student example for this lesson.

Attachments:

 1.  Student Sample Sentence

REFLECTION

Comments:

To give students more practice with keyboarding skills, I gave them a handout with the sentences for them to copy, adding the correct capitalization and end marks as they went. When I do this again, I will do it both ways so the students get practice with typing text and editing text.

Conventions Lesson #1

Single Sentences

Example sentences to model correct capitalization and end punctuation:

my cat is soft

Edited: My cat is soft.

can I go with you

Edited: Can I go with you?

come back here

Edited: Come back here!

? . ! ? . ! ? . ! ? . ! ?

Conventions Lesson #1

Single Sentences

Name: Student Sample

Correct these sentences by adding capital letters and end punctuation. When you are finished, print your page.

john likes to play

the girl is six

a dog jumped on me

stop hitting me

did his cat run away

My Sentences:

1. John likes to play.
2. The girl is six.
3. A dog jumped on me.
4. Stop hitting me!
5. Did his cat run away?