Parents can go over this checklist with their child to correct simple mistakes in order to create a polished final piece of writing.

1. The student should read over their whole paper with their own eyes first, to catch initial mistakes.

2. Have your child read their work out loud to you. This can also help them catch anything mismatched words, typos, or sentences that just don’t sound right. 

Check together for the following common mistakes:

• Are there any misspelled words? If work is typed on a document, are there any squiggly lines? Address those errors together. Look up words you don’t know for sure how to spell.

• Does every sentence end with punctuation? Every statement has a period? Every question has a question mark? Every exclamation has an exclamation point? 

• If using quotes, are they cited correctly? (Quotation marks, Title and page number after quote?)

• Are commas used appropriately?

• Check for run-on sentences and fragments

• Capitalize beginnings of sentences and proper nouns

• Is writing descriptive and thorough?

• Go over assignment-specific rubrics as needed