Elementary School Grammar Goals for IEPs

Browse CCS-aligned IEP goals and objectives for grammar and complete sentences.

Elementary School Grammar & Complete Sentences Goals

These grammar goals for students in 6th to 8th grades cover the mechanics of writing, from capitalizing the first word in a sentence to the nuances of capitalization, commas, and quotations. Not seeing the grade level or skill you need? Check out our elementary schoolmiddle school, and high school grammar goals.

Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.2a

  • I like to do two assessments for this. The first is a writing sample, one where I have asked the student to check for capital letters and periods. The second is an editing assessment where I give the student two sentences without capitalization and ask the student to edit.

Need more ideas? Check out the PreK-2 Writing Present Levels and Assessments Page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

On writing samples, Diana can write simple sentences such as, “i lk skl” (I like school), but does not currently use any punctuation or capitalization. When asked to edit a sentence for capital letters, Diana capitalized random letters in the sentence.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • On a writing sample, __________ will capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I with 75% accuracy as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.2a

To be honest, I have never had a kinder student who could write well enough for this goal! Here, however, are a few ways I might modify the goal.

  • Change whether the writing is in context or on an editing assessment
    • Given an editing worksheet, __________ will capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I with 75% accuracy as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.2a
  • Change how you measure success
    • On a writing sample, __________ will capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I on three of four occasions as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.2a
  • If what you want is a systematic workbook series where students progress from writing complete sentences to capitalizing proper nouns to breaking up run-on sentences, check out the Grammar and Complete Sentences intervention in the store!
  • I used to use Framing Your Thoughts, but had issues with how much time it took up in groups. There are other sentence framing programs out there, but I haven’t tried them! Has anyone tried No Red Ink? It looks interesting.
  • The IRIS center has some research-based interventions for writing, but fewer for grammar and complete sentences.  Intervention Central has some relevant, research-based strategies too.

Use end punctuation for sentences CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2b

  • I like to do two assessments for this. The first is a writing sample, one where I have asked the student to check for capital letters and periods. The second is an editing assessment where I give the student a run on sentence (of two complete sentences) and ask the student to edit.

Need more ideas? Check out the PreK-2 Writing Present Levels and Assessments Page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

On writing samples, Diana can write simple sentences such as, “i lk skl” (I like school), but does not currently use any punctuation or capitalization. When asked to edit a run-on sentence for capital letters and punctuation, Diana capitalized random letters in the sentence and added a period at the end.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • ______ will use end punctuation for sentences as demonstrated by correctly (75% accuracy) adding periods, exclamation points, and question marks to someone else’s one-sentence writing samples as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2b

This goal can be modified to focus on the student’s own writing, to having the student edit more complex sentence, or to also add the kindergarten standard of capitalizing first letters and “I.”

  • Change whether the writing is in context or on an editing assessment
    • Given time and prompts to edit, _____ will use end punctuation for sentences on a writing sample so that at least 50% of the sentences have correct end punctuation as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2b
    • ______ will use end punctuation for sentences as demonstrated by correctly (75% accuracy) adding periods, exclamation points, and question marks to someone else’s one- and two-sentence writing samples as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2b
  • Change how you measure success
    • ______ will use end punctuation for sentences as demonstrated by correctly (80% accuracy) adding periods, exclamation points, and question marks to someone else’s one-sentence writing samples as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.2b
  • If what you want is a systematic workbook series where students progress from writing complete sentences to capitalizing proper nouns to breaking up run-on sentences, check out the Grammar and Complete Sentences intervention in the store!
  • I used to use Framing Your Thoughts, but had issues with how much time it took up in groups. There are other sentence framing programs out there, but I haven’t tried them! Has anyone tried No Red Ink? It looks interesting.
  • The IRIS center has some research-based interventions for writing, but fewer for grammar and complete sentences.  Intervention Central has some relevant, research-based strategies too.

Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f

  • I like to do two assessments for this. The first is a writing sample, one where I have asked the student to check for capital letters and periods. The second is an editing assessment where I give the student sentences of varying complexity to edit (one sentence, one question, a run-on sentence, etc).

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Writing Present Levels and Assessment Resources page  or the PreK-2 Writing Present Levels and Assessments Page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

On writing samples, Sean can write simple sentences such as, “I lik skol” (I like school), and will capitalize the word “I” and the first letter of the writing sample. He will put a period at the end of the writing sample. When asked to edit a run-on sentence for capital letters and punctuation, Sean capitalized the first letters in the sentence and added a period at the end.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • _________ will produce complete simple and compound sentences with 50% accuracy as measured by a writing sample  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f

This goal can be modified to focus on the student’s own writing, to having the student edit more complex sentence, or to focus on sub-skills.

  • Change whether the writing is in context or on an editing assessment 
    • Given an editing sheet, ____ will edit for complete simple sentences, adding initial capitals and end punctuation with 75%accuracy as measured by a writing sample  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f
  • Change what editing skills are being assessed
    • _________ will produce complete simple and compound sentences that include initial capital letters and complete sentences with end punctuation with 50% accuracy as measured by a writing sample  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f
  • Change how you measure success
    • _________ will produce complete simple and compound sentences with 75% accuracy as measured by a writing sample  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f
  • If what you want is a systematic workbook series where students progress from writing complete sentences to capitalizing proper nouns to breaking up run-on sentences, check out the Grammar and Complete Sentences intervention in the store!
  • I used to use Framing Your Thoughts, but had issues with how much time it took up in groups. There are other sentence framing programs out there, but I haven’t tried them! Has anyone tried No Red Ink? It looks interesting.
  • The IRIS center has some research-based interventions for writing, but fewer for grammar and complete sentences.  Intervention Central has some relevant, research-based strategies too.

Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i

  • I like to do two assessments for this. The first is a writing sample, one where I have asked the student to check for capital letters and periods. The second is an editing assessment where I give the student sentences of varying complexity to edit (one sentence, one question, a run-on sentence, etc).

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Writing Present Levels and Assessment Resources page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

On writing samples, Lien will capitalize the word “I” and the first letter of the writing sample. He will put a period at the end of the writing sample and uses a question mark for questions. When asked to edit a run-on sentence for capital letters and punctuation, Lien capitalized the first letters in the sentence and added a period at the end.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • _____ will produce complete simple, compound, and complex sentences with 66% accuracy as measured by a writing sample CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i

This goal can be modified to focus on the student’s own writing, to having the student edit more complex sentence, or to focus on sub-skills.

  • Change whether the writing is in context or on an editing assessment
    • Given an editing sheet, ____ will edit for complete simple sentences, adding initial capitals and end punctuation with 75%accuracy as measured by a writing sample CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i
  • Change what editing skills are being assessed
    • _____ will produce complete simple, compound, and complex sentences with two-thirds of sentences in a writing sample being complete, with correct end punctuation as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i
  • Change how you measure success
    • ________ will produce complete simple, compound, and complex sentences with 75% accuracy as measured by a writing sample CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i
  • If what you want is a systematic workbook series where students progress from writing complete sentences to capitalizing proper nouns to breaking up run-on sentences, check out the Grammar and Complete Sentences intervention in the store!
  • I used to use Framing Your Thoughts, but had issues with how much time it took up in groups. There are other sentence framing programs out there, but I haven’t tried them! Has anyone tried No Red Ink? It looks interesting.
  • The IRIS center has some research-based interventions for writing, but fewer for grammar and complete sentences.  Intervention Central has some relevant, research-based strategies too.

Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f

  • I like to do two assessments for this. The first is a writing sample, one where I have asked the student to check for capital letters and periods. The second is an editing assessment where I give the student sentences of varying complexity to edit (one sentence, one question, a run-on sentence, etc).

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Writing Present Levels and Assessment Resources page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

Honnah has an emerging grasp of sentence structure. She generally knows when to use a period, question mark, and exclamation point. She can punctuate three sentence paragraphs with over 67% accuracy and will capitalize some proper nouns. She also tends to add a lot of extra periods and capital letters. 

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • ______ will  produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons so that 75% of the sentences in a writing sample will be complete as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f

This goal can be modified to focus on the student’s own writing, to having the student edit more complex sentence, or to focus on sub-skills.

  • Change whether the writing is in context or on an editing assessment
    • Given an editing sheet, ____ will edit for complete  sentences, adding initial capitals and breaking up run on sentences with 75% accuracy as measured by a writing sample CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f
  • Change what supports a student has
    • Given an editing checklist and prompts to edit, ______ will  produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons so that 75% of the sentences in a writing sample will be complete as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f
  • Change how you measure success
    • ______ will  produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons so that 66% of the sentences in a writing sample will be complete as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f
  • If what you want is a systematic workbook series where students progress from writing complete sentences to capitalizing proper nouns to breaking up run-on sentences, check out the Grammar and Complete Sentences intervention in the store!
  • I used to use Framing Your Thoughts, but had issues with how much time it took up in groups. There are other sentence framing programs out there, but I haven’t tried them! Has anyone tried No Red Ink? It looks interesting.
  • The IRIS center has some research-based interventions for writing, but fewer for grammar and complete sentences.  Intervention Central has some relevant, research-based strategies too.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2

  • I like to do two assessments for this. The first is a writing sample, one where I have asked the student to check for capital letters and periods. The second is an editing assessment where I give the student sentences of varying complexity to edit (one sentence, one question, a run-on sentence, etc).

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Writing Present Levels and Assessment Resources page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

Honnah has an emerging grasp of sentence structure. She generally knows when to use a period, question mark, and exclamation point. She can punctuate three sentence paragraphs with over 67% accuracy and will capitalize some proper nouns. She also tends to add a lot of extra periods and capital letters. 

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • _______ will  demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English punctuation including complete sentences by turning in a writing sample in which at least 75% of the sentences are complete CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2

This goal can be modified to focus on the student’s own writing, to having the student edit more complex sentence, or to focus on sub-skills.

  • Change whether the writing is in context or on an editing assessment
    • Given an editing sheet, ____ will edit for complete  sentences, adding initial capitals and breaking up run on sentences with 75% accuracy as measured by a writing sample  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2
  • Change what supports a student has
    • Given an editing checklist and prompts to edit, _______ will  demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English punctuation including complete sentences by turning in a writing sample in which at least 75% of the sentences are complete CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2
  • Change how you measure success
    • _______ will  demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English punctuation including complete sentences by turning in a writing sample in which at least 66% of the sentences are complete CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2
  • If what you want is a systematic workbook series where students progress from writing complete sentences to capitalizing proper nouns to breaking up run-on sentences, check out the Grammar and Complete Sentences intervention in the store!
  • I used to use Framing Your Thoughts, but had issues with how much time it took up in groups. There are other sentence framing programs out there, but I haven’t tried them! Has anyone tried No Red Ink? It looks interesting.
  • The IRIS center has some research-based interventions for writing, but fewer for grammar and complete sentences.  Intervention Central has some relevant, research-based strategies too.