Grammar & Conventions - Common Core (Part 1)

California is currently considering requiring schools to offer pre-k or transitional kindergarten to an expanded age group to better prepare them, particularly those who are disadvantaged, for the rigors of early education.  A glimpse at the new Common Core Standards for Kindergarten Grammar may help this decision.

Since this is going to be a somewhat long resource, we'll be having this as a four-part series of blog posts.

1. Capitalization

Capital letters, or uppercase letters, make words stand out on a page. In general writing, a capital letter is used for the first word of every sentence. Certain words are always capitalized: the personal pronouns I, and I’m; and proper nouns (days of the week, months, holidays; and names of people, places, and things).
Examples of capitalization:

o I’m going shopping the day after Thanksgiving with Antoine.
o I am excited to go to the movies with Sandra.
o This year Christmas is on Sunday, December 25th.

2. Complete Sentences

A complete sentence contains a subject and a predicate that work together to express a complete thought.
Examples of complete sentences:

o John spent his afternoon coloring and reading.
o Chelsea goes to the doctor today.
o I love to swim at the lake.
o Keshav likes to ride his bike.

3. End Punctuation

A period (.) is used to end a sentence. It may also be used in initials, abbreviations, or as a decimal point. A question mark (?) is used at the end of a sentence when a direct question is asked. An exclamation point (!) is used at the end of a sentence to express strong feeling.
Examples of end punctuation:

o Period: Ashton won the pie eating contest.
o Period and Decimal Point: The pizza was $5.00.
o Question Mark: Are you coming over today?
o Exclamation Point: Happy Birthday!

 Stay tuned!

http://www.pineconelearning.com/Blogs/2014/January/grammar_and_conventions_common_core_part_1.html