Transcript Writing Conventions

Writing Conventions
The rules that make your
students' writing perfect!
Choosing the Better Senten
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Before they can write effective paragraphs
and essays, students need to learn the
conventions that make writing work.
1. spelling
2. punctuation
3. capitalization
4. grammar
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The first writing convention: Spelling
•correct spelling makes students' written
•
language clear to readers -- incorrect
spelling can cause confusion
correct spelling shows students are careful incorrect spelling looks sloppy
Help your students see that correct spelling
lends credibility to their writing.
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Another writing convention:
Punctuation
Punctuation is needed for sentences to make sense
and for the reader's experience to be more
enjoyable. Note the following sentence without any
punctuation at all:
Let's eat Grandma
This is not a clear or logical (or pleasant) sentence.
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Punctuation tells readers when to start, stop,
slow down, pause, and whether it's a
question or statement.
Let's eat, Grandma!
It's a wonder what a difference a little comma
can make...
Try this example with your students; it should drive
the point home.
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A third writing convention:
Capitalization
Students easily learn to begin every sentence
with a capital letter, as well as every person's
name (first, middle, or last).
Other rules help distinguish between general
objects or ideas and significant or specific ones.
Certain conventions, such as titles, impose yet
more rules. So it is important to expose your
students to all the various rules.
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Other words needing capitalization:
1. proper nouns
2. names of specific places
3. titles of books, magazines, movies, and so on
4. days and months
Capitalization helps us know quickly what
types of nouns we're dealing with, without
our having to stop and figure it out.
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The final writing convention:
Grammar
Grammar is the structure of the language. It prescribes ways to put words
together to form intelligible sentences.
The rules of grammar help make the language we use understandable to
everyone. Without them, communication would be confusing. That said, some of
the rules themselves can be confusing to students.
This is where your role is so important. With the help of printable exercises and
even online games, your students can learn to master grammar.
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Grammar teaches us the right order of
words. Which sentence is correct?
The man walked the dog.
OR
The dog walked the man.
We know the first sentence is right,
because we know grammar.
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The end.
More free TEACHING WRITING resources:
helping students' creative writing
graphic organizers
critiquing & grading
the writing process
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Eight-week WRITING courses:
elementary school
middle school
high school
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