Tip #159 from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents (McKinley, Trombly): Silly Sentences (Editing)

Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.

#159

Silly Sentences (Editing)

I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it

and then tear it to shreds.

~ Don Roff

A super fun way to practice editing and grammar is something we like to call “Silly Sentences.” It is easy and a fun way to sit and work with your child.

To do this:

1. Figure out a skill your child needs to work on. (For a young child, this might be capitalizing and high-frequency spelling words. For an older child, it might be proper punctuation and tougher spelling patterns.)

2. Now, write a few sentences, making sure to make plenty of mistakes along the way, specifically in the areas you want your child to practice. (This may take a little planning on your part!) It can be serious, funny, any way you want. For young children just trying this out, aim for maybe 5-10 errors. Older kids like to be challenged to find up to 30!

3. Tally up the number of errors you made and record the number at the top.

4. Give these “Silly Sentences” to your child, tell him you wrote something in which you think you made a bunch of mistakes and you would like him to be the teacher and fix them. Kids love when grown-ups make mistakes! And so many, all in one place, they feel like they’ve hit the jackpot and suddenly love to edit!

5. Sit with your child and read it to him the way it “should be.” Chances are he will see several mistakes right away. Each time he fixes something, make a tally mark so he can see his progress and see how many more mistakes he still has to find. Let him use a special colored editing pen, too, for added “professionalism” in editing.

PS. Have fun with it! Don’t forget the “silly” in “Silly Sentences”! Throw in some “What is wrong with spelling ’what’ ‘w-u-t-t’?” or “We don’t really need any periods in this paragraph. do we?” Talking about the errors and how to fix them will help him to not make them himself in the future.

See also Chapter 10, which is full of specific spelling help.

See our website for an example of some “Silly Sentences.”

Cindy McKinley Alder                          Patti Trombly

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