Considers how spelling instruction tends to become much more focused on correcting and rewriting text. Explores how educators can develop students' spelling ability in the middle grades, conceptualizing spelling more broadly than the traditional focus on spelling as part of the editing/proofreading phase of writing. (SG)

Finds that subjects were less able to detect errors in self-generated essays than in unfamiliar other-generated essays but were better able to detect errors in familiar other-generated essays than in unfamiliar ones. Finds also that the disadvantage for proofreading self-generated text is a by-product of extreme familiarity. (RS)

Discusses the topic of reading typographical errors as an example of archival work. Suggests that reading typos is a practice within textual scholarship which is a rather venerable if now somewhat overshadowed tradition of humanistic research and pedagogy. Begins with two examples of typo reading and then presents some general claims about editing…

This article describes two strategies for grounding grammar instruction in students' lifelong experience as users of language. Students develop their ability to analyze language in the proofreading activity. In both cases, students participate as active decision-makers in the process of analyzing conventions of language use. (Contains 1 note.)

In a study conducted to see which method of error treatment was more effective in EFL writing classes, 288 Iranian EFL learners took the TOEFL test to be grouped in two homogeneous classes. Each student in each group wrote a paragraph on a general topic which was proofread for mistakes/errors by three experienced EFL writing teachers (i.e.,…

Proofreading can be tedious and boring, especially if it is approached as correcting errors. But proofreading is not correcting errors so much as reviewing the paper for ideas and for readability. Sometimes classmates can help a student proofread--they can help assess the draft, propose some alternative solutions, and make some choices. This paper…

Finds that (1) exposure to correctly spelled words improved spelling accuracy for immediate and delayed posttests; (2) exposure to misspelled words did not significantly affect the spelling accuracy of the sample as a whole; and (3) no interaction was found between spelling ability and spelling accuracy improvement as the result of proofreading…

Provide guidelines for (1) using storytelling to empower students; (2) drawing on students'"family storyteller"; (3) bridging the gap between today's students and teachers; (4) using the television show "Seinfeld" to enhance vocabulary development; and (5) using quizzes to teach proofreading skills. Presents a poetic response…

Proofreading a text for misspellings involves detecting spelling errors and then correcting those errors. We examined differences in spelling error detection and correction in adults as a function of type of spelling error. We modified student essays to include phonological (e.g., incredibul), orthographic (e.g., decisian), and morphological…

The word "service" certainly conjures some undesirable connotations, and theorists such as Nancy Grimm propose that writing centers need to shed their service labels to attain respectability. In this paper, the writing center director of a small liberal arts college shares her perspective and juxtaposes that with Grimm's position that…

Presents an analysis of 500 submorphemic slips of the typewriter key that escaped the notice of authors and other proofreaders and thereby made their way into the published records of scientific research. (Author/VWL)

Nine activities are suggested that are designed to help students develop skills in utilizing proofreading as an aid to good spelling. Included is a suggested list of word processing and other software which has spelling check features. (IAH)

Today's elementary school students have been exposed to computers since birth, so it is not surprising that they are so proficient at using them. As a result, they are ready to search databases that include topics and information appropriate for their age level. Subscription databases are digital copies of magazines, newspapers, journals,…

Taking the mystery out of how skilled writers think, this book shares some practical tips on how to make prose more readable. It also examines some common questions about punctuation, quoting, usage issues, and stylistic taboos. The book is geared to those writers who have already been through the "textbook mill and who now hunger for helpful…

Summarizes research in perception dealing with error detection as it pertains to proofreading skills in communication. Focuses on several causes for the lack of perceptual proficiency in error detection, including feature redundancy, context, and phonological encoding. Notes that these causes may interrelate to form a Gestalt response to error…