Proofreading Detectives

Overview

Students develop a reliable proofreading routine for editing a multi-paragraph text. They revise for spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence boundaries and layout conventions, using the Proofreading Detectives Worksheet for independent practice and applying a staged check rather than trying to find every error at once.

Learning intentions

• WALT proofread and edit writing for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• WALT check sentence boundaries and known layout conventions.
• WALT read continuously to notice errors in meaning and make corrections.
• WALT explain and apply editing choices independently and with a peer.

Success criteria

• I can read each sentence carefully and correct spelling and grammar errors.
• I can check capitals, full stops, commas and other known punctuation.
• I can identify run-on sentences, fragments and missing sentence boundaries.
• I can check paragraphs, headings, spacing and neat, readable layout.

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho English Phase 2 / Years 4–6 Writing Processes: Revising and editing — checking spelling.
• Revising and editing — checking that known punctuation and layout conventions are used correctly.
• Revising and editing — noticing errors in grammar and meaning and making corrections while writing.
• Revising and editing — making edits to draft multi-paragraph texts and reading continuously while writing.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up: Spot the errors. Display the proofreading hook slide showing a short, humorous paragraph with several errors, such as missing capitals, a run-on sentence and incorrect spelling; students silently identify one error, then compare with a partner. Ask: “What makes this writing difficult to read?” Collect responses without correcting every error yet.

2. 5–13 min · Explicit teaching: The detective routine. Use the proofreading routine slides to introduce the routine: read for meaning, check sentence boundaries and punctuation, check spelling and grammar, then check layout. Model thinking aloud while editing a short paragraph, reading each sentence aloud and marking one type of error at a time. Emphasise that proofreading is not guessing: reread, use known spelling patterns or a dictionary, and check whether the correction makes sense. Model paragraph indentation or spacing, a heading, capitals and consistent line layout.

3. 13–22 min · Guided practice: Edit together. Reveal the guided editing paragraph with a Year 5-appropriate multi-paragraph text containing purposeful errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence boundaries and layout. Students use fingers or a ruler to track one sentence at a time while the class edits it collaboratively. Prompt with: “Where does this sentence finish?”, “Does this word look right and make sense here?”, “What is the subject doing?”, and “How could the reader tell this is a new paragraph?” Record corrections and reasons, distinguishing a correction from a personal writing preference.

4. 22–36 min · Independent practice: Proofreading Detectives Worksheet. Distribute the Proofreading Detectives Worksheet and direct students to work independently, completing the proofreading tasks in order. Students should read each passage more than once, circle or mark errors, write corrections clearly, and check the whole text for layout conventions. Circulate and confer, asking students to explain the error category before supplying help. Pause halfway for a 30-second reminder: “Read it again for meaning; do not only hunt for spelling mistakes.” Students who finish reread their corrected version to check that it makes sense.

5. 36–44 min · Peer and self-check. Display the peer-check instructions and checklist. Students swap worksheets with a partner, read the corrected text carefully and identify one strength and one question or possible missed edit; they do not rewrite their partner’s work. Students return worksheets, discuss disagreements respectfully, and complete a final self-check against the five categories: spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence boundaries and layout. Remind students that the writer makes the final decision after considering feedback.

6. 44–50 min · Plenary and exit response. Show the plenary questions and invite students to share which proofreading pass helped most and why. Students complete an oral or written exit response: “One proofreading check I will use in my own writing is ___ because ___.” Collect worksheets and listen for accurate use of terms such as run-on sentence, capital letter, paragraph and spelling pattern.

Resources

• the complete proofreading slide deck
• the Proofreading Detectives Worksheet
• Pens or pencils and highlighters
• Rulers or reading trackers
• Dictionaries or approved classroom spelling tools
• Board and markers
• Optional coloured editing pens

Assessment

• During modelling and guided practice, check whether students can name the error category and justify a correction.
• During worksheet conferences, record students who overlook sentence boundaries, edit for meaning, or rely on guessing spellings.
• Use the peer/self-check and exit response to identify whether students can apply a proofreading routine independently and transfer it to their own writing.

Differentiation

• Provide a dyslexia-friendly copy of the worksheet: clear sans-serif font, larger spacing, uncluttered pages, left-aligned text, short instructions and no unnecessary italics. Allow coloured overlays, a ruler or reading tracker, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, or an adult to read instructions aloud.
• Support learners with a five-step checklist, enlarged model text, oral rehearsal and a reduced number of sentences. Work with a teacher-led group during independent practice and highlight one error category at a time.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach sentence, paragraph, capital, full stop, meaning and layout with examples. Accept oral explanations, provide sentence stems such as “I changed ___ because ___”, and pair students thoughtfully.
• For learners needing challenge, ask them to explain why an edit improves meaning or readability, identify an alternative valid correction, or apply the same five checks to a paragraph from their own writing.

Likely misconceptions and teacher prompts

• “Proofreading only means checking spelling.” Ask, “What else might make this text hard to read?”
• “Every pause needs a comma.” Ask, “What is the sentence structure, and is this comma needed for a known reason?”
• “A long sentence is always wrong.” Ask, “Does it contain more than one complete idea joined correctly, or is it a run-on?”
• “A new line always means a new paragraph.” Ask, “Has the topic, time, place or main idea changed?”
• “The first correction I think of must be right.” Ask, “Have you reread the whole sentence to check grammar and meaning?”

Extension

• Students proofread a paragraph from their own writing using five different coloured marks, then write a brief explanation of their most important edit.
• Students create a deliberately flawed two-paragraph “case file” for a partner to solve, including at least one error in each proofreading category.