ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Teaching Without Frills Editing Your Writing For Kids – Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization, Spelling
Editing is like fixing up your writing to make it better! We look for mistakes and fix them. We check for grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Here’s a little story I wrote: “Do you like dogs? I will teach you how to take care of a dog. You can get a dog from a shelter. Next, take the dog to the vet. Then, don’t forget to buy food! Last, get the dog some toys.” Let’s make it even better by editing it!
First, we check the grammar. We ask, “Do my sentences sound right?” and “Did I use nouns and verbs correctly?” Let’s look at the first sentence: “Do you like dogs?” That sounds just right!
Next, we check the spelling. We ask, “Did I spell sight words correctly?” and “Did I stretch out every word?” Let’s try it with this sentence: “You can get a dog from a shelter.” Oops! I spelled “can” wrong. It starts with a C. And “shelter” needs to be stretched out: SH-EL-TER. Much better!
Now, let’s check capitalization. We ask, “Did I capitalize the first letter of every sentence?” and “Did I capitalize names and places?” Let’s look at this sentence: “Next, take the dog to the vet.” The N in “Next” should be capitalized because it’s the first word. And the D in “dog” should be lowercase. Perfect!
Finally, we check punctuation. We ask, “Did I put a punctuation mark at the end of every sentence?” and “Do my punctuation marks match the sentences?” Let’s see: “Then don’t forget to buy food. Last, get the dog some toys.” I need a period at the end of the first sentence. And that question mark? Nope, it should be a period because it’s a statement.
Now my story looks and sounds so much better! Thanks for helping me edit my writing. I hope you learned how to edit your own writing too!
Editing Detective: Become an editing detective! Take a short story or a paragraph from your favorite book or a story you wrote. Look for any mistakes in grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Use a magnifying glass or a pretend detective hat to make it more fun. Can you find and fix all the mistakes?
Sentence Surgery: Pretend you are a doctor for sentences. Take a sentence from your writing or a book and perform “surgery” by cutting out words and rearranging them to make the sentence better. Use scissors and paper strips to physically move the words around. How does your sentence sound now?
Editing Scavenger Hunt: Go on a scavenger hunt around your home or classroom to find examples of writing. Look at signs, labels, or notes. Check if they have correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Can you find any mistakes? How would you fix them?
**Editing Your Writing**
**What is editing?**
Editing is fixing the mistakes in our writing. We can fix grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Here’s an informational piece I’ve been working on. It says, “Do you like dogs? I will teach you how to take care of a dog. You can get a dog from a shelter. Next, take the dog to the vet. Then, don’t forget to buy food! Last, get the dog some toys.” Let’s edit it.
First, we’re going to edit grammar. I have to think to myself, “Do my sentences sound right?” and “Did I use nouns and verbs correctly?” Let’s see. Here’s my first sentence again. It says, “Do you like dogs?” That’s better!
Now we’re going to edit spelling. I have to think, “Did I spell sight words correctly? Did I use word chunks that I know?” and “Did I stretch out every word?” Let’s try it. You can get a dog from a shelter. What sight word did I spell wrong? Can! Can starts with a C. What about the word shelter? I need to try to stretch it out a little bit more. SH-EL-TER. Much better.
Now we’re going to edit capitalization. We’re going to think, “Did I capitalize the first letter of the first word of every sentence? Did I capitalize the names of people and places? Did I capitalize the word I? And did I make all the other letters lowercase?” Alright, let’s try it. Next, take the dog to the vet. What should be capitalized? Oh yeah, the N in Next because it’s the first word in my sentence! What should be lowercase? Oh, the D in dog! Perfect.
Now we’re going to edit punctuation. We’re going to think, “Hmm, did I put a punctuation mark at the end of every single sentence?” and “Do my punctuation marks match the types of sentences that I wrote?” Let’s try it. It says, “Then don’t forget to buy food. Last, get the dog some toys.” Where am I missing a punctuation mark? Yes, at the end of my first sentence. And is that question mark right? No! That’s not a question, that’s a statement. I need a period.
So here is my edited piece. It looks and sounds so much better! Thanks for your help editing my writing. Hopefully, you have learned how to edit your own writing!
