Welcome, Writing Detectives!
Have you ever built a giant tower out of blocks? Before you start, you usually have an idea of how tall it will be. While you build, you look to see if it’s leaning over. When you finish, you check to make sure all the pieces are in the right place.
Writing a story or a report is just like building that tower! In this chapter, we are going to learn how to be Writing Detectives. We will learn how to plan our ideas, evaluate (check) how they sound, and proof-read to fix any little mistakes.
Step 1: Planning (Thinking Before You Write)
Planning is like drawing a map before you go on an adventure. It helps you know where your story is going!
Saying it Out Loud
If you are in Year 1, the best way to plan is to say your sentence out loud before you pick up your pencil. This helps you hear if the words make sense together. Try saying your sentence three times to "lock it in" your brain!
Notes and Key Words
If you are in Year 2, you might start writing down key words or ideas. You don’t need to write full sentences yet. If you are writing about a trip to the zoo, your plan might look like this:
- Tall giraffes
- Eating lunch
- Loud lions
- Happy day
Quick Review: Planning helps you remember your best ideas so you don't forget them while you are busy writing!
Step 2: Evaluating (Does it Make Sense?)
Once you have written some sentences, it is time to be a detective and evaluate them. This means checking to see if your writing is doing its job.
Re-reading Your Work
The best trick is to read your work back to yourself. Don’t worry if this seems tricky at first! Many famous authors read their stories out loud to make sure they sound right.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Did I miss any words?
- Does the story follow the right order? (We call this sequencing).
- Will my reader understand what I am saying?
Checking Your "Time" Words (Verbs)
In Year 2, a big part of evaluating is checking your tenses. Tense tells us when something happened. You need to make sure your verbs stay the same throughout your writing.
Example Mistake: "Yesterday I go to the park and I played on the swing." (The word "go" should be "went" because it happened in the past).
Key Takeaway: Always check that your verbs are consistent. If you start writing in the past, stay in the past!
Step 3: Proof-reading (The Final Polish)
Proof-reading is looking for the "secret" mistakes that hide in our writing. We look for three main things: Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation.
The Punctuation Check
Check your sentence demarcation. This is a fancy way of saying: "Does every sentence start and end correctly?"
- Does it start with a Capital Letter?
- Does it end with a Full Stop \(.\), a Question Mark \(?\), or an Exclamation Mark \(!\)?
The Spelling Check
Look closely at your words. Did you use your phonics sounds? Did you check your common exception words (like the, said, school, or because)? If a word looks a bit "wonky," try writing it a different way on a scrap of paper to see which one looks right.
The Grammar Check
Make sure you have used your apostrophes correctly for shortened words (like don't or can't) and that you haven't forgotten commas if you are writing a list of things!
Did you know? Even grown-ups make mistakes when they write fast! Proof-reading is how we make our writing look professional and neat.
Writing Detective Checklist
You can use this simple trick to help you proof-read. Just remember the word CUPS:
C – Capitals: For names, the word "I", and the start of sentences.
U – Understanding: Read it out loud. Does it make sense?
P – Punctuation: Check your full stops and question marks.
S – Spelling: Check your sounds and tricky words.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- The Disappearing Full Stop: Sometimes we get so excited about our story that we forget to stop the sentence. Remember to give your reader a breath!
- Capital Letters in the Middle: Only use capital letters for names, the day of the week, the pronoun "I", or the start of a sentence.
- Mixed-up Tenses: Make sure you don't jump from "I am running" to "I ran" in the same sentence unless you mean to!
Note: To learn more about how to put your sentences in order, check out the chapter on "Writing sentences and sequencing short narratives".
Key Summary for Your Brain:
1. Plan: Say it out loud or jot down key words.
2. Evaluate: Read it back to check it makes sense and the verbs are correct.
3. Proof-read: Use your detective eyes to fix spelling, capital letters, and punctuation.