Grade by Grade
D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Real Audiences

Editing, Proofreading and Word-Processing Skills

D2.6 D2.2 A2.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can edit and proofread for spelling, punctuation, grammar and format, and for consistent style.
  • I can use word-processing tools such as fonts, headings, lists, find and replace, word count and spell check, and I know their limits.
  • I can keyboard with growing speed and accuracy, and write in fluent cursive when I write by hand.

Words to know

edit
To fix and polish a draft for correct and consistent conventions and style.
proofread
To read a nearly final text slowly to catch any last mistakes.
font
The style and size of the letters on a screen or page.
format
How a text looks and is arranged: headings, spacing, lists, margins and fonts.
consistent
Staying the same all the way through, like using the same verb tense or the same heading style.
keyboarding
Typing on a keyboard using the correct fingers for each key.
automaticity
Doing something so smoothly that you don't have to think about each step.

Remember from Grade 4

In Grade 4 you edited with CUPS (Capitals, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling), learned that spell check can miss mistakes like homophones, used undo and cut and paste, and began touch-typing from the home row.

In Grade 5 you will edit for accuracy and style, use more word-processing skills to make texts of different lengths look clear, and build speed and accuracy at the keyboard.

Editing for accuracy and style

Edit with CUPS, one pass at a time. Then add a style pass:

  • Verb tense: Did I stay in the past tense (or present) the whole time?
  • Point of view: Did I switch from I to you by accident?
  • Format: Are all my headings the same style? Are paragraphs clearly separated?
  • Names and numbers: Are names spelled the same way every time? Did I write numbers consistently?
CCapitalsUUsagePPunctuationSSpellingStyletense,point of viewOne pass at a time
Edit in passes: one for each CUPS letter, then a style pass to check verb tense and point of view.
Worked example

Let's edit a paragraph

Draft: last saturday my family and me went to the Sugar Shack. we walk through the forest and saw buckets on the trees. you could smell the syrup boiling. Their was so much steam. it was the funnest day.

  1. Capitals: Last Saturday, We, It. Sugar Shack only needs capitals if it's the name of a real business, so for a general place write sugar shack.
  2. Usage: my family and me went → my family and I went (try it alone: I went). Their → There. funnest → most fun.
  3. Verb tense (style): we walk → we walked to match went and saw.
  4. Point of view (style): you could smell → we could smell to stay in first person.
  5. Punctuation: check every sentence ends with a period.

Last Saturday, my family and I went to a sugar shack. We walked through the forest and saw buckets on the trees. We could smell the syrup boiling. There was so much steam. It was the most fun day.

Word-processing skills

  • Fonts: For the main text, choose a plain, readable font in a size that's easy to read (often 12 or 14). Use one or two fonts at most. Save fancy fonts for a title, if at all.
  • Headings: Use the heading styles so every heading looks the same.
  • Bold and italics: for a few key words or titles, not whole paragraphs.
  • Bulleted and numbered lists: for steps and short points.
  • Spacing and alignment: leave space between paragraphs; keep text lined up on the left for easy reading.
  • Find and replace (often in the Edit menu): fix a word that's wrong all through your text, like changing every Sara to Sarah. Check each change before you accept it.
  • Word count: see how long your text is. Use it when a task says write about 300 words or keep it under 50 words.
  • Spell check and grammar check: helpful, but they miss homophones (their/there), names, and words that are spelled right but wrong for the sentence. You are the final editor.
  • Save often, with a clear file name like Moose-Report-Draft2.
Text and lengthFormat choices
Poster title (a few words)Large, bold font that can be read from across the room
Short email (about 50 words)Plain font, a greeting, short paragraphs, a sign-off
Report (about 300 to 500 words)Title, heading style for each section, readable 12- or 14-point font, a sources list
Story (any length)New paragraph for each speaker, indent or space between paragraphs
Matching format to the length and form of a text
The home rowASDFGHJKL;left hand: A S D Fright hand: J K L ;Feel the bumps on F and J. Thumbs on the space bar.Eyes on the screen, not your fingers.
The home row: left fingers rest on A, S, D and F; right fingers rest on J, K, L and the semicolon. The bumps on F and J help you find home without looking.

Building keyboarding skill

  • Home row every time: fingers on A S D F and J K L ;, thumbs on the space bar.
  • Each finger has its own keys. Reach from home and come back.
  • Eyes on the screen. Peeking at your fingers slows you down in the long run.
  • Accuracy first, then speed. Speed grows with practice.
  • Sit tall, feet flat, wrists relaxed, screen at eye level.
  • Practise a little often: about 10 minutes, a few times a week, works better than one long session.

And by hand

When you write by hand, use cursive that flows smoothly and is easy to read. Fluent cursive lets you write drafts and notes quickly, without stopping to think about each letter.

Read it backwards

To proofread spelling, read your text from the last word to the first. Your brain can't guess what's coming next, so you see each word on its own. For grammar and punctuation, read forward and aloud.

Just for fun

Spell check would happily accept this sentence:

Eye no their are know miss steaks hear.

Every word is spelled right... and almost every word is wrong! You are the final editor.

Hands-on activity

Word-processor makeover

You need: a computer or tablet with a word processor, and a piece of your writing (at least 150 words). A grown-up nearby.

  1. Type your writing using home-row fingers. Don't look down! Time yourself, and note it.
  2. Do one CUPS pass at a time, then a style pass (tense and point of view).
  3. Run spell check. For each suggestion, decide if it's right. Find one mistake it missed.
  4. Use find and replace to change one word you used too often (check each change).
  5. Add a title using a heading style, choose a readable font and size, and use a list if it fits.
  6. Check the word count. Is it the length you need?
  7. Save it with a clear file name. Next week, type a new piece and compare your time.

Your turn

1

Edit: me and my sister goes to the library on tuesdays

2

Fix the tense: Yesterday we ride our bikes and then we ate lunch.

3

Which mistake would spell check probably miss: recieve or Its a nice day?

4

Where do your right-hand fingers rest on the home row?

5

Why use only one or two fonts in a report?

6

What tool would help you change colour to color everywhere in a long text? (And should you, in Canada?)

7

A task says Write a 100-word summary. Which tool helps you check?

More practice: warm-up

1

What does CUPS stand for?

2

Which keys have small bumps to help you find the home row?

3

Should you look at your fingers or the screen when keyboarding?

4

Edit: i live in thunder bay ontario

5

Accuracy or speed first?

More practice: on your own

1

Edit for point-of-view consistency: I put on my skates. You have to tie them tight. I stepped onto the ice.

2

Edit: Their going too the park with there dog.

3

A student uses five different fonts and bolds every sentence. What advice would you give?

4

Why should you check each change in find and replace instead of using replace all without looking?

5

Give two tips for building keyboarding speed and accuracy.

Challenge

1

Edit for accuracy and style: On canada day we watches fireworks over the river. the sky light up red and white. you could hear the boom from every street, Everyone cheered

2

Format plan: you're making a one-page how-to guide on building a snow fort. List four format choices and why.

3

Explain why spell check can't be your only editor. Give two examples.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which sentence is edited correctly?

2.

Which word-processing tool helps you change one name all through your story?

3.

Which is the best font choice for the body of a report?

4.

Which mistake might spell check miss?

5.

What is the most helpful keyboarding habit?

6.

Which is a style edit?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 5 writers edit and proofread for accuracy and style, including spelling, punctuation, grammar and format, using a word processor (D2.6). They write in fluent cursive, keyboard with increasing automaticity, and use word-processing skills such as choosing fonts to produce texts of varied length (D2.2). Saving and naming files responsibly is part of digital citizenship (A2.1).

How to help at home:

  • Short, regular keyboarding practice beats long sessions. Free typing practice sites for schools exist; choose one with your child's teacher.
  • When your child types, gently remind them: home row, eyes up.
  • Let your child make the edits; point to the line, not the mistake ("there's a tense slip in this sentence").

Common difficulties:

  • Trusting spell check completely. Hunt for homophones together.
  • Too much formatting (rainbow fonts). Ask: "Does this help your reader?"
  • Hunt-and-peck typing. It's common; keep coaching home-row habits.

Note: Cursive letter formation is practised in the Foundations of Writing unit; this lesson focuses on fluency and keyboarding.