English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Capitalizing the names of places and geographic features
Capitalizing the names of places and geographic features
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify proper nouns that name specific places and geographic features.
Correctly capitalize the names of cities, states, countries, and continents.
Correctly capitalize the names of specific mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Differentiate between a common noun for a place (e.g., 'river') and a proper noun for a place (e.g., 'Mississippi River').
Edit sentences to correct capitalization errors for place names.
Apply capitalization rules for places and geographic features in their own writing.
If you were drawing a treasure map, how would you make the name of the secret island or the spooky mountain look extra important? 🗺️ You'd probably use a capital letter!
Today, we're going on an adventure to learn which words get a...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Proper Noun (for a place)The name of a specific, one-of-a-kind place. These always start with a capital letter.Instead of just 'city,' we say 'New York City'.
Common Noun (for a place)A general name for a type of place. These are not capitalized unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.The words 'ocean,' 'state,' or 'country' are common nouns.
CityA specific, large town where people live. The name is always capitalized.Denver
StateOne of the specific regions that make up a country like the United States. The name is always capitalized.California
CountryA specific nation with its own land and government. The name is always capitalized.Brazil
Geographic FeatureA natural formation on Earth, like a mountain, river,...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Specific Place Rule
Capitalize the names of specific cities, states, countries, and continents.
When you are naming one particular place, its name gets a capital letter. This tells the reader you are talking about a unique location on the map.
The Specific Feature Rule
Capitalize the specific names of mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, and deserts.
If a geographic feature has a unique name, all the important words in that name get a capital letter. For example, in 'Nile River,' both 'Nile' and 'River' are capitalized because they are part of the official name.
The General Word Rule
Do NOT capitalize common nouns like 'city,' 'river,' or 'mountain' when used generally.
If you are just talking about 'a...
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Challenging
Combine these facts into one sentence with perfect capitalization: 1. The Sahara is a desert. 2. It is the largest hot desert. 3. It is on the continent of Africa.
A.The Sahara, the largest hot Desert on the continent of africa, is a desert.
B.The Sahara, the largest hot desert on the continent of Africa, is a desert.
C.The sahara, the largest hot desert on the continent of Africa, is a Desert.
D.The Sahara, the largest hot desert on the Continent of Africa, is a desert.
Challenging
Read the paragraph. How many capitalization errors related to places or geographic features are there? "We left from chicago, illinois, and drove west. We crossed the mississippi river. Our final destination was denver, a city near the Rocky mountains."
A.3
B.4
C.6
D.5
Challenging
In the sentence, "We visited the city of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert," why is 'city' lowercase but 'Desert' is capitalized?
A.'City' is a shorter word than 'Desert'.
B.'City' is a common noun here, while 'Desert' is part of the specific proper name 'Sonoran Desert'.
C.All geographic features are capitalized, but cities are not.
D.'Desert' comes later in the sentence, so it needs to be capitalized.
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