I can tell the difference between capital and
lowercase letters, and use capitals for sentence starts,
names, and the word I.
Materials
Short, sharpened pencil
Eraser
Ruled paper (primary lines preferred)
Tracing Pad (below)
Alphabet strip or chart (with capitals and lowercase letters)
Mini-lesson — Capital and lowercase letters
In writing, we use two kinds of letters:
capital letters and lowercase letters.
They are partners. They show the same sound but look different.
1. Capital letters
Capital letters are the big forms, like A B C.
We use capitals at the start of a sentence.
We use capitals for names of people and places, like Mia or Paris.
We write the word I as a capital when it stands alone, like
"I am six."
2. Lowercase letters
Lowercase letters are the smaller forms, like a b c.
We use lowercase for most of the letters in a word.
Lowercase letters still sit on the line and follow our neat letter rules.
3. Letter partners
Each letter has a capital partner and a lowercase partner:
A a, B b, C c.
The partners look different but still belong together.
We can read a word even when the letters change size, like
cat and Cat.
4. Using capitals carefully
Do not use capitals in the middle of a word for no reason.
Do not write a whole word in capitals unless a grown-up tells you.
Use capitals only where they belong:
sentence starts, names, and the word I.
Ask yourself:
"Did I use a capital to start my sentence? Did I use capitals for names and I? Are the other letters lowercase?"
Picture strip: "Capital and lowercase partners"
Guided Practice — Capital and lowercase partners
Use this routine to match capital and lowercase letters
and to practice using capitals in the right places.
Warm up with partners:
On the Tracing Pad, choose pairs like Aa, Bb,
or Cc. Trace a row slowly. Say the sound as you trace
each partner.
Check the shapes:
Look at an alphabet chart. Make sure your capital and lowercase
shapes match the chart. Fix any letters that look very different.
Practice the word I:
On the pad, choose I and trace a row of the capital
letter I. Say, "I is always a capital
when it is by itself."
Move to paper:
On your paper, write three short words:
cat, sun, pen.
Then write them again with a capital at the start:
Cat, Sun, Pen.
Write a name:
Write your own name with a capital first letter and lowercase
letters after, like Emma or Leo.
Check that only the first letter is capital.
Make a sentence:
Write a short sentence, like
I see the sun.
Check: capital at the start, capital I,
lowercase in the middle, and a period at the end.
You can repeat this routine with different names and sentences to
help capital and lowercase rules feel natural and easy.
Tracing Pad
Drag & Drop — Build and write capital and lowercase rules
First, build each short sentence.
Then copy it onto your ruled paper.
Step 1 (on the device):
Drag the words into the correct order.
Release inside a slot to drop.
Step 2 (on paper):
Write each finished sentence on your paper
with the correct capitals and lowercase letters.
Matcheachcapitalwithitslowercase.
Useacapitaltostartnames.
Useacapitaltostartsentences.
Uselowercaselettersinthemiddle.
Donotmixbigandsmall.
Quick Check — Capital and lowercase letters
Answer each question about capital letters,
lowercase letters, and
when to use capitals.
This is a gentle 10-question check.
What are capital letters?
What are lowercase letters?
What should you use at the start of a sentence?
Which word needs a capital?
How should you write the word I in a sentence?
In the middle of a word, most letters should be…
Which is the best way to write the word cat at the start of a sentence?
Next Gen Learning