D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose and Voice

Editing and Proofreading Like a Pro

D2.6 D2.5About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can edit my writing for spelling, punctuation, grammar and text conventions.
I can use proofreading marks.
I can choose the right homophone (their, there, they're; to, too, two).
I can proofread my edited writing one last time to catch mistakes.

Words to know

edit
To find and fix mistakes in spelling, punctuation, grammar and capitals.

proofread
To read your edited writing one last, careful time to catch any mistakes left.

proofreading marks
Small symbols editors use to show what to fix.

grammar
The rules for how words go together in sentences.

homophones
Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings: there, their, they're.

verb tense
When an action happens: past (walked), present (walk) or future (will walk).

text conventions
Rules readers expect, like capitals in titles, indented paragraphs and headings.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you used CUPS to edit: Capitals, Understanding, Punctuation and Spelling. In Grade 3 you will also check grammar (like verb tense), homophones and text conventions, use proofreading marks, and proofread your work one last time.

Revise first, then edit

Revising makes your writing better (ideas, order, words). Editing makes it correct. It makes sense to revise first. Why fix the spelling of a sentence you might delete?

Then comes proofreading: one final, slow read of your edited writing to catch anything you missed.

Check	Look for	Example fix
Capitals	Start of sentences, I, names of people, places, days, months, holidays; important words in titles	on saturday in toronto → On Saturday in Toronto
Punctuation	End marks; commas in lists and dates; apostrophes; quotation marks	snacks juice and popcorn → snacks, juice and popcorn
Grammar	Same verb tense all the way; verbs that match (was/were); complete sentences	Yesterday I goes → Yesterday I went
Spelling	Tricky words, homophones, word endings	freind → friend
Text conventions	Title, indented paragraphs, headings in reports, a new paragraph for each speaker	Indent each new paragraph

A Grade 3 editing checklist

Mark	Meaning	Example
≡ (three lines under a letter)	Make it a capital	t̲oronto → Toronto
/ (slash through a letter)	Make it lowercase	my Dog → my dog
^ (caret)	Add a word or letter here	I went ^ store → I went to the store
⊙ (circled dot)	Add a period	We won⊙
sp (circle the word)	Check the spelling	(becuz) sp → because
¶	Start a new paragraph	¶ The next morning...

Proofreading marks

Proofreading marks in action: three lines for a capital, a circle and sp for spelling, a caret to add a word, and a circled dot for a period.

Worked example

Let's edit a paragraph

Draft: on saturday my freind and i goes to the hockey game in toronto. we brought snacks juice and popcorn. their was so many people! our team scored too goals

Capitals: On, Saturday, I, Toronto, We, There, Our.
Grammar (verb tense): the game was on Saturday, in the past, so goes becomes went.
Homophones: their (belongs to them) should be There (a place, or there is/there are). too (also, or very) should be two (the number 2).
Grammar (agreement): people is more than one, so was becomes were.
Punctuation: commas in the list (snacks, juice and popcorn), and a period at the end.
Spelling: freind → friend (a friend to the end: f-r-i-end).

On Saturday, my friend and I went to the hockey game in Toronto. We brought snacks, juice and popcorn. There were so many people! Our team scored two goals.

Homophone	Meaning	Example
there	a place; there is / there are	Put it over there.
their	belongs to them	They hung up their* coats.*
they're	they are	They're coming at noon.
to	toward, or part of a verb	We went to the rink to skate.
too	also, or more than enough	I want some too. It's too* cold!*
two	the number 2	I have two* mitts.*
your / you're	belongs to you / you are	Your toque is warm. You're fast!

Tricky homophones. A spell-checker won't catch these, because each one is a real word!

Three homophones that sound the same but mean different things. A spell-checker won't catch a mix-up, because all three are real words.

Worked example

Let's proofread

Mina edited her writing. Now she proofreads it one last time.

She reads slowly, pointing to each word with her finger.
She reads it out loud, to hear missing words. She notices I went the library and adds to.
To check spelling, she reads the last line backwards, word by word, so she looks at each word instead of the meaning. She finds becuz and fixes it to because.
She checks her title has capitals and her paragraphs are indented.

Proofreading is the final check. Slow, careful reading catches mistakes that a quick read misses.

Just for fun

A spell-checker is happy with this sentence: "Eye sea too bares over their." Every word is spelled right... but it should say "I see two bears over there!"

Spelling strategies

When you aren't sure how to spell a word:

Say it slowly and write each sound or syllable: Sat-ur-day.
Think of a word family: if you can spell light, you can spell night and bright.
Try it 2 or 3 ways and pick the one that looks right.
Check a word wall, a dictionary, or a book where you saw the word.
Spell-check on a device can help, but it doesn't know if you meant there or their. You still have to check!

Hands-on activity

Be the editor

You need: a piece of your own writing, a coloured pencil, and this lesson's checklist.

A grown-up writes 4 sentences with hidden mistakes for you to find. For example, my dog max is too years old. he like to chase squirrels. their so fast. last week he catch one has 9 mistakes: My, Max, two, He, likes, They're, Last, caught and a period at the end.
Use proofreading marks to mark all the mistakes. Then write the sentences correctly.
Now edit your own writing. Check one thing at a time: capitals, then punctuation, then grammar, then spelling.
Proofread: read it slowly out loud, pointing to every word.
Trade jobs! Write 4 sentences with mistakes for your grown-up to find.

Your turn

Add capitals: last july we drove to halifax, nova scotia.

Add commas: We need mitts toques scarves and boots.

Choose: (There / Their / They're) dog is barking.

Choose: I have (to / too / two) brothers.

Fix the verb tense: Yesterday we walk to the park and play soccer.

What does the proofreading mark ^ mean?

Why won't spell-check catch Their going to the store?

More practice: warm-up

Does Monday need a capital?

What do three lines under a letter mean?

Which is the number: to, too or two?

Should you revise or edit first?

What end mark goes after a question?

More practice: on your own

Edit: my cousin aisha lives in vancouver

Fix the grammar: The kids was happy.

Choose: (Your / You're) going to love this book!

Write the contraction for do not and for it is.

Proofread and fix: We went too the beach and swimmed in the lake.

Challenge

Edit this (find 8 mistakes): on canada day me and my family watches fireworks. their was red ones and white ones

Write one sentence that uses there, their and they're correctly.

Mina finished editing but still has a mistake. Explain two proofreading tricks she could use, and why they work.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which sentence is edited correctly?

Which is correct?

Which sentence has the right verb tense?

What does proofreading mean?

Where do the commas go? I packed apples grapes and crackers.

Which mistake will spell-check NOT find?

Which should you usually do first?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D2.6): Grade 3 writers edit for spelling, punctuation, grammar and text conventions, and proofread edited texts to make corrections. Grammar and spelling are taught in detail in Strand B; here, children apply them to their own writing.

How to help at home:

Edit together, one thing at a time (capitals first, then punctuation...). A long list of fixes all at once is discouraging.
Instead of correcting a mistake yourself, put a dot in the margin and let your child find it.
Make a personal "words I often misspell" list.

Common difficulties:

Homophones (there/their/they're, to/too/two). Practise the meaning tricks: there has here in it (a place); their has heir (owning).
Mixing verb tenses in a story. Read aloud and ask, "Did this already happen?"
Relying on spell-check. Remind them that it can't tell which real word they meant.

In Grade 3, children's spelling is still developing. Praise good guesses that show the sounds, and focus on high-frequency words first.