What is this skill?
First graders learn the two marks that frame a sentence. The sentence starts with a capital letter, and it ends with an end mark: a period after a telling sentence, a question mark after a question and an exclamation point after a strong feeling. They also learn that some words need a capital wherever they appear, such as names, the word I and days of the week.
Most questions show three versions of a sentence and ask which is written correctly, for example "The dog is big." beside "The dog is big" (no end mark) and "the dog is big." (no capital). Others show a sentence with a blank where the end mark goes, such as "I have a red bike___" and "Do you like pizza___," and ask whether it needs a period, a question mark or an exclamation point. Later questions look more closely at capitals: "Leo and I play," "On Monday we go to school" and "Priya lives in Ohio." There are also yes/no cards, such as "The cat sleeps." (correct) and "my friend Noah is here." (not).
Why it matters
Capitals and end marks are what make writing readable. They tell a reader where a thought begins and where it stops, and a young writer who forgets them produces text that is hard for anyone else to follow. Getting these into habit early saves a lot of editing later.
The end mark also carries meaning. The same words can be a statement, a question or an exclamation, and noticing which it is trains a child to think about the voice of a sentence. A child who sees "Watch out for the ball" as an exclamation is learning to read with expression too.
Common mistakes
- Capitalizing the first word but forgetting the end mark, or the reverse. Teach a two-part check: look at the start, then look at the end.
- Using a period after every sentence. Ask your child to read the sentence in the voice that fits. If it sounds like a question, it needs a question mark.
- Writing the word I in lowercase, as in "Leo and i play." I always gets a capital, even in the middle of a sentence.
- Forgetting capitals for names and days. Try pointing out that a name, like Zoe or Priya, is special and gets a capital every time, as do the places and days they know.
How to help at home
- Edit a sentence on purpose. Write one with the capital and mark missing and let your child be the detective who fixes it with a colored pencil.
- Take turns saying the same words in three voices: telling, asking and shouting. Then decide which mark each one needs.
- Look for end marks on signs, cereal boxes and books, and ask your child which kind each one is.
- Read aloud and pause at periods. Let your child notice how the voice goes up for a question mark.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus capitals and end marks practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
Which end mark fits?
Do you like pizza___
Choices: ., !, ?
Answer: ? This is a question, so it ends with a question mark.
Example 2
Choose the end mark.
My dog likes to dig___
Choices: ., !, ?
Answer: . This sentence just tells us a fact, so it ends with a period.
Example 3
Is this sentence correct?
my friend Noah is here.
Answer: Fix it. Noah has a capital, but the first word "my" needs a capital M too.
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.