Intermediate
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+80 XP
Pupils work on their own device

Manual Proofing Techniques

Use manual proofing techniques such as reading aloud, reverse reading and marking up printed pages or PDFs to find errors missed by software. Apply at least three human fixes to improve your newsletter.

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    1 - Introduction ~5 mins

    Today you will

    • try three ways to check a page yourself, without spell-check
    • find mistakes that spell-check missed
    • fix at least three mistakes in your Something Real newsletter

    Warm-up

    Illustration for IntroductionThink of a message you sent and then spotted a mistake in. Was it a wrong word that still looked right, or a missing word?

    2 - Key Concepts ~7 mins

    Key words

    • Read aloud: read it quietly out loud to hear missing words.
    • Reverse reading: read from the end, word by word.
    • Zoomed PDF: a big view of the page shows mistakes clearly.

    Spell-check won't spot "form" instead of "from".

    Correction marks

    • np means a new paragraph.
    • run on means join to the line above.
    • # means add a space.
    • A crossed-out word means delete it.
    • A circled word marked bold means make it bold.
    • A word written above means use it instead.

    3 - Step-by-step Task ~12 mins

    You will practise on a short paragraph that has mistakes in it on purpose. Watch your teacher first, then follow the steps in the box below and tick each one.

    Practice paragraph

    Welcome too our March update. Their are now four drop-off points across Cork city. We except clean boots and jerseys. Its free too drop kit off any Saturday morning form 10am. Thank you for you're support of the Northside Kit Swap.

    4 - Common Issues ~4 mins

    Common problems

    • Spell-check says my page is fine. Look for to and too, their and there, missing little words, and names spelled two ways.
    • I have no printer. That's fine, because read aloud and reverse reading are the two you need.
    • Reading aloud feels awkward. Whisper, or mouth the words and follow them with your finger.

    5 - Independent Practice ~22 mins

    Independent Practice

    Your goal: Fix three mistakes spell-check missed in your newsletter.
    Time: ~25 minutes
    Task:
    1. In {{code:sm1}}, open your newest newsletter file. Its name starts {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter}}.
    2. Whisper-read it, then read it again from the last sentence up.
    3. List the mistakes on scrap paper, then fix at least three in your newsletter.
    4. Type your list of fixes at the bottom of {{code:sm1_manual_proofing_practice}}.
    5. Save the newsletter as {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter_v7}} in {{code:sm1}}.

    If you find fewer than three mistakes, ask your teacher.

    If your newsletter is missing, make a new document called {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter_v7}}. Paste in your fixed practice paragraph, add two club sentences with mix-ups like too for to, then proof it.

    Success criteria:
    • My fix list is at the bottom of {{code:sm1_manual_proofing_practice}}.
    • At least three fixes are made in my newsletter.
    • It sounds smooth when I read it aloud.
    • {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter_v7}} is saved in {{code:sm1}}.
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