Editing Page 1
The first page of an editing worksheet has three main sections; the instructions, the text and spelling. The instructions are located at the top of the page and they inform the children of how many mistakes are in the text. The text is the main part, it may have spelling errors, punctuation missing or it may not make sense. Children are to use editing codes as they go through the text. One suggestion when looking for spelling mistakes is to read the text backwards, looking at the words out of context. Finally the word shapes down the bottom are to support the children as they try to correct the spelling mistakes. The word shapes are in order of the mistakes in the text, however, repeated words are skipped.
Editing Page 2
The second page allows the children to improve the quality of the text. The aim is for the text to be rewritten, with a focus of improving the detail in the sentences, choosing more descriptive words or adding missing information. As this is not their own writing children may readily see how the text can be improved, as they get better at this skill, the knowledge they have learnt can be transferred to their own writing.
Editing Page 3
The final editing page highlights the answers to help with marking and teaching.
Developing editing and proofreading skills is an important part of the writing process. Children need time to develop these skills with texts that are non threatening. They need to be able to identify spelling and punctuation mistakes as well as improve their ability to improve the quality of what has been written. The activities in this section aim at developing editing skills. The layout is repetitive so that children can become familiar with the tasks.
Common editing marks are included in the link below.