Objective:

Students will practice writing sentences that demonstrate correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. They will engage in a hands-on activity where they will construct sentences, focusing on capitalizing names and dates, using commas, and spelling words correctly.

Materials Needed:

• Sentence strips with words (mix of capitalized and lowercase)

• Punctuation cards (periods, commas)

• Name and date cards

• Chart paper and markers

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Start by explaining the rules for capitalization and punctuation, such as capitalizing names and dates and using commas and periods correctly. 

  • Discuss why these conventions are important for clear communication.

• Group Activity:

  • Divide students into small groups. 

  • Give each group a set of sentence strips that contain a mix of capitalized and lowercase words, and punctuation cards. 

  • The task is to arrange the sentence strips into grammatically correct sentences, ensuring that names and dates are capitalized and that commas and periods are used appropriately.

• Building and Correcting:

  • Once students have arranged their sentences, they will check their work by reading the sentence out loud. 

  • If a sentence doesn’t make sense or follows the wrong punctuation pattern, they will rearrange the sentence strips to correct it.

Real-World Application:

Discuss how capitalizing names and dates or using punctuation is critical when writing letters, notes, or even filling out forms. These conventions make it easier for others to understand what is written.

CS Practice(s):

• Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems: Students identify and correct errors in their sentence-building "algorithm."

Standard(s):

• CA CCSS ELA-Literacy L.1.2

Objective:

Students will use Scratch Jr. or another coding platform to create animated sentences that demonstrate proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Through coding and animation, they will reinforce their understanding of sentence structure.

Materials Needed:

• Tablets or computers with Scratch Jr. installed

• Pre-made Scratch Jr. characters representing names and objects (e.g., "Sarah" and "dog")

• Punctuation and text blocks in Scratch Jr.

Steps:

• Introduction:

  • Begin by reviewing sentence structure, focusing on capitalizing names and dates, using commas in a list, and ending sentences with proper punctuation. 

  • Explain that they will use Scratch Jr. to create sentences and animate them.

• Group Activity:

  • In pairs, students will select characters and objects in Scratch Jr. to represent words in their sentences. 

  • They will drag and drop these elements into the correct sequence, ensuring proper capitalization and punctuation. 

  • For example, they could create the sentence, "Angelica plays with her dog," and animate the scene with characters representing Sarah and the dog.

• Creating and Coding:

  • Guide students as they animate their sentences by adding movement to the characters. 

  • They will also add text to the scenes, capitalizing names and using punctuation blocks to end the sentence. 

  • They will test their program to ensure that the sentence is displayed correctly and makes sense.

• Testing and Refining:

  • Students will test their animations and adjust any errors in the sequence or text. 

  • If they forgot to capitalize a name or use a comma, they will go back and fix it in their code.

Real-World Application:

Discuss how writing emails, text messages, or blog posts requires proper capitalization and punctuation to make sure the message is clear. Coding and writing both involve testing, correcting, and refining for clarity.

CS Practice(s):

• Creating Computational Artifacts: Students use Scratch Jr. to create digital sentences.

• Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts: Students test their animated sentence and adjust the code as necessary.

Standard(s):

• CA CCSS ELA-Literacy L.1.2, CA CS K-2.AP.17