Although our middle school ELA students should have been capitalizing words like "I" since they were in early elementary school, many either just don't do it or don't take the time to proofread their work to make sure they did. 

So I decided to create a fun incentive—the "Capitals Club"

Members of the Capitals Club are students who consistently capitalize words correctly in their writing.

I induct students into the Capitals Club with a fun ceremony where students are awarded a little trophy and their name is hung on an anchor chart displayed in the classroom.

Even though it's kind of silly, a lot of students do strive to get into the club and since I started it I've noticed a real improvement in capitalization.

Carmel McDonald has taught middle school ELA in both British Columbia and Michigan, and has learned that tweens are tween-ish everywhere. She digs that. In 2019, Carmel was named Jackson Magazine’s Teacher of the Year. Carmel has twenty adventurous years behind her as an educator, and is enjoying year twenty-one.