Keeping a capitalization chart in the classroom gives students a reference and a chance to contribute to their learning environment. Students can check the chart for capitalization concerns and add new words to the chart as they learn. Create a matching game with the chart by making index cards for seasons, days of the week, months, states and holidays, then inviting children to tape them on the board in the upper or lower case columns.
Students will enhance their awareness of capitalization rules by recognizing and correcting the errors of others. Make it a classroom game for the students to catch mistakes on the the teacher's board and make the proper corrections. You might use lowercase letters for month and day of the week when writing the date or use capital letters when writing the seasons. By regularly noticing and reforming these typos, students gain a solid awareness of when to capitalize common words.
Reinforce the rules of capitalization by playing movement games with students on the playground. Assign a role of uppercase or lowercase to the children and let them design signs to represent their assignment. While on the playground, hold up words and invite the students to move forward when the word applies to their rule for capitalization. For instance, when you hold up the word "Monday," the children with uppercase signs will advance toward you. This activity works well for kinesthetic learners who learn best through movement.
Songs help children to retain information by presenting it in a way they will remember. By singing songs and chanting rhymes about when to capitalize words, students will have a device for recalling those rules when needed. Brainstorm the types of words that need capitalization and find creative ways to put them in a song. The children should contribute by finding rhyming words to make the song flow. For example, use the words states and dates and sing, "we capitalize the names of states and also the months of important dates."