Editing and Proofreading

The following piece is taken from PETAA book Strategies for Writing Success written by Marcelle Holliday.

Editing

It is important for students to understand that editing is something that ‘real writers’ do. By this stage they would have produced a complete, but unpolished, text. The focus here should be on helping them to refine their text structure and language choices. Spelling and punctuation can be handled at the later, proofreading stage.

This step might not be suitable for very early writers, who will probably want to leave their text as is after its first draft. Using a keyboard can sometimes encourage these students to begin to make some changes to their texts.
The following examples show how you can help students refine their text.

• Revisit the model text and point out the key features of the text structure and language features that were explored in earlier lessons.
• Present a model first draft to the class and demonstrate how to make changes. This can be linked to the key language features you introduced earlier such as text structure or extended noun groups.
• Provide an editing checklist for students to use. Focus on elements you are currently teaching.
• Work closely with groups of students or individuals to suggest changes.
  
• Ask students to form pairs, and to read and react to each other’s text. Each student of the pair should be at about the same level of writing proficiency as their partner. Give students specific guidance about what to look for, and ask them to use their editing checklist. Ask students to find features done well in their partner’s text and one feature that needs improving. Individuals then use this feedback to rework their own text. 

Strategies for Proofreading

This process sometimes takes nearly as long as the drafting step because students are essentially rewriting some if not most of their text. The original draft can be:

• annotated in colour
  
• cut-up and rearranged
  
• added to with sticky notes.
  

 This is where a word processor program is really useful. Not only does it make the process of editing so much easier, it allows changes to be made and un-made quickly. Options can be tried then discarded if they don’t work. Students can work in pairs to edit each other’s texts.

Some useful editing strategies

 This is the process of correcting any spelling, grammar or punctuation errors that might have crept into the text. Often students can do this while they are editing, but sometimes a final check is required, especially if the text is to be published beyond the classroom.

• Use a specially constructed model text (with errors inserted) to demonstrate how to correct spelling and punctuation.
• Give dictionary practice.
• Ask students to reread their own text and to circle any words they think might not be spelt correctly. Then check these using a dictionary.
• Ask students to read their text aloud, either to themselves or another student, and to listen for sentence endings, questions etc. They can then insert the correct punctuation.
• Ask some students to act as ‘proofreaders’ for others, and to identify any errors they can see.
• Read each student’s text with them and identify any errors that need correcting, ask students to check using a dictionary or provide the correct version yourself.

At the end of this process the text is ready to be used for its initial audience and purpose.