Smekens Education Solutions, Inc.
Introducing the 6 Traits to Students
Put together an English language arts unit on the six traits of writing with this helpful collection of resources. From fun songs to differentiated writing exercises reinforcing each of the traits, great ideas are provided for developing...
We are Teachers
The Six Traits in Plain Language
If your rockin' writers use Six-Trait Writing, you'll definitely want to include these displays around your classroom throughout the year. Each trait (e.g. voice, word choice, organization, ideas, sentence fluency, conventions) is...
Mama's Learning Corner
Is This Sentence Correct? (capitalization and punctuation)
Turn your youngsters into little editors with an exercise that focuses on some of the most basic and important writing conventions: capitalization and punctuation. Learners fix five sentences and then rewrite a sentence using correct...
Curated OER
Writing Conventions: Complete Sentences
Practice composing complete sentences with your class. Sentence starters and endings are written on different strips that learners can paste together to create a complete sentence! Get your pupils familiar with complete sentences with...
Curated OER
Editor Travels U.S. Fixing Errors on Signs
An interesting article on editors helps young writers understand the conventions of written English. They read a news article about an editor traveling America correcting spelling and punctuation errors on signs. They discuss proper...
Curated OER
Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation
Elementary schoolers explore writing conventions. First they play a ball toss game to practice spelling high frequency words. (A link to a 2nd grade list is attached.) The class works together to correct spelling, punctuation, and...
K12 Reader
Alliteration: Change the Adjectives
Work on a wonderful worksheet this Wednesday! Elementary scholars read ten pairs of adjective and noun pairs, and choose a synonym for each adjective to create an alliteration.
Curated OER
Capitalization and Punctuation
First and second graders explore writing conventions. They add question marks or periods to the end of teacher generated sentences on sentence strips. They locate punctuation marks in poems and write original sentences using appropriate...
Curated OER
A Sample Mini-lesson for Teaching Writing Conventions
Young scholars study writing conventions. In this writing conventions lesson plan, students study writing they have already completed and look for conventions they are already using without realizing. In a small group, young scholars...
Scholastic
Literacy Activities for Any Time
As the title suggests, this packet is loaded with activities that can be used at any time. The common element in all the exercises is that they are connected to books by Dr. Seuss.
Curated OER
Writing Conventions: Capitalization and Punctuation
Learners read the sentences, circle the first letter, and draw a line under the punctuation for the seven sentences.
Curated OER
Writing Conventions: Punctuation
First and second graders read the sentences and choose what type of sentence it is based on the punctuation.
Curated OER
Writing Conventions: Sentence Completion
Young scholars write the naming part or the subject for the five sentences. They use the subjects in the word bank.
Curated OER
Checking Grammar: Accuracy
Get young writers in the practice of editing their work using this punctuation and grammar worksheet. They first read eight sentences with grammar issues, rewriting or checking off as correct. The sentence errors involve subject-verb...
Curated OER
Writing a Letter
Here are three well-thought-out tasks intended to build good note taking and letter writing skills. The class reads three short letters, determines who wrote them (based on context) and takes notes as a pre-writing activity. They finish...
K12 Reader
The Important Apostrophe: Their, They’re, and There
They're going to be there with their family. Class members practice using and identifying the correct use of they're, there, and their with a skills practice activity. The top half of the activity gives brief background information on...
Curated OER
Luscious Language Boxes
Young scholars experience a writing activity aimed at spicing up their writing. They use the classroom Luscious Language Box to add creative parts of speech to their writing.
Curated OER
A Conventional Family
Students explore writing techniques by analyzing their own families. In this family values instructional activity, students view the film "The Incredibles" in class and discuss the different types of modern-day families. Students write...
Curated OER
Sentence Conventions: Capital Letters
In these two recognizing beginning of sentences and proper nouns begin with capital letters worksheets, students read sentences and rewrite them adding capital letters where appropriate. Students rewrite 9 sentences.
Curated OER
Sentence Based Capitalization
Second graders demonstrate their command of Standard English conventions of capitalization by circling all the letters that should be capitalized in the sentences provided. In addition, they rewrite two sentences in which all the letters...
Curated OER
Capitalization and Punctuation (Pizza and Camping)
Second graders demonstrate their command of Standard English conventions for capitalization and punctuation by indicating the errors in two passages. They must circle all the words that should be capitalized and provide any missing...
Kid Zone
What is Your Favorite Summer Memory?
What are your pupils' favorite memories? Writing is one of the most difficult skills to master and writing every day for short periods of time is a fantastic way to improve overall expository writing skills and ability with writing...
Curated OER
Writing Conventions: Questions
In this sentence types learning exercise, learners read the 3 telling sentences and write a question for each sentence. Students write using capitalization and punctuation.
Curated OER
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement takes practice to master; give your learners a chance to put their skills to the test using these 10 sentences. They choose the correct verb from two options for each sentence. Encourage subject recognition and not...