Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
3.23.B*
use capitalization for:
geographical names and places;
historical periods; and
official titles of people;
3rd Grade Writing - Capitalization Lesson
Capitalization
There are certain words that must always begin with a capital letter.
Geographical names and places should always be capitalized when they refer to specific locations.
Example:
Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Michigan, Sahara Desert
The names of specific geographical areas, which includes mountains, lakes, deserts, and many others, are always capitalized.
Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, the White House
The names of buildings, monuments, and landmarks are always capitalized.
Waco, Texas, Antarctica
The names of cities, states, countries, and continents are always capitalized.
Historical periods should always be capitalized. The exception is when referring to specific centuries in time. They are always written in lowercase.
Example:
Bronze Age, Victorian Era, the Roaring Twenties
The names of specific periods in history should always be capitalized.
ninth century, sixteenth century, 21st century
Specific centuries of time are not capitalized.
Official titles for people always begin with a capital letter when they come before a person's name and are a part of the name, or if they are used to refer to a specific person.
Example:
President Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth, Sir Elton John
When a title comes before a person's name and is used as part of the name, the title is always capitalized.
The patients are ready, Doctor.
The Prime Minister will see you now.
If a title is used to address someone directly or used to refer to a specific person, then it should be capitalized.
The club presidents got together to plan the party.
The country of Sweden has a king.
If the title of something is plural or refers to a general position someone has, then it should not be capitalized.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
When a name of something that should be capitalized contains the words, "the" or "of," in the middle of the name, the word should not be capitalized. Instead they are written in lowercase.
3rd Grade Writing - Capitalization Lesson