Year 1 English: Reading my writing back to check
Part of the Year 1 English writing your own sentences and stories chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Reading my writing back to check
Good writers read their writing back. Read it aloud, slowly. Ask yourself: Does it make sense? If a sentence sounds strange, or a word is missing, change it.
Check the start and the end of each sentence too. Does it begin with a capital letter? Does it end with a full stop? Are there spaces between the words?
Key ideas
- Read your writing out loud, slowly.
- Ask: does it make sense?
- Check each sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.
- Check that a word has not been left out, and that the words are in the right order.
Method. Check the first letter and the end of the sentence.
- Read the sentence out loud. Listen for the places that do not sound finished.the dog ran to the park
- Fix what is wrong. The first word needs a capital letter, and the sentence needs a full stop.The dog ran to the park.
- Write the sentence correctly. The dog ran to the park.
Check. Read the new sentence aloud. It starts with a capital and ends with a full stop. ✓
Watch out. Change only the letters or marks that are wrong. Check the start and the end.
Method. Read the sentence with the gap. Try each word in the gap.
- Read the sentence with the gap. Think about what Sam did.Sam went ___ the park.
- Try the words in the gap. Went to is the way we say where someone is going. Go and on do not make sense here.went to the park
- Write the word that makes sense. to
Check. Read the sentence with to in it: Sam went to the park. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence with each word in the gap. Only one makes sense.
Method. Read each sentence. Look for the one that does not make sense.
- Read sentence 1. Sam has a red ball. This makes sense.Sam has a red ball.
- Read sentence 2 and 3. Sam kicks the ball. That makes sense too. A ball cannot be a bus.The ball is a bus.
- Write the answer. The sentence that does not make sense is the one about the bus.The ball is a bus.
Check. Read the story without the last sentence. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. A sentence can have correct words and still not make sense.
Watch out
Watch out: a full stop or a capital letter can be missing and you may not notice when you read it in your head. Reading it aloud helps you hear where the sentence should stop, and where a word is missing.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Read your child’s writing back in a sensible voice, and ask: “Does that make sense?” Let your child find the mistake first. Practise on paper: write a short sentence with one mistake, and ask your child to find and fix it.
Exercise 11D Reading back and fixing mistakes
Method. Check the first letter and the end of the sentence.
- Read the sentence out loud. Listen for the places that do not sound finished.the cat sat on the mat
- Fix what is wrong. The first word needs a capital letter, and the sentence needs a full stop.The cat sat on the mat.
- Write the sentence correctly. The cat sat on the mat.
Check. Read the new sentence aloud. It starts with a capital and ends with a full stop. ✓
Watch out. Change only the letters or marks that are wrong. Check the start and the end.
Method. Check the first letter and the end of the sentence.
- Read the sentence out loud. Listen for the places that do not sound finished.Leo has a big dog
- Fix what is wrong. The sentence needs a full stop at the end.Leo has a big dog.
- Write the sentence correctly. Leo has a big dog.
Check. Read the new sentence aloud. It starts with a capital and ends with a full stop. ✓
Watch out. Change only the letters or marks that are wrong. Check the start and the end.
Method. Read the sentence with the gap. Try the word in the gap, and check it makes sense.
- Read the sentence with the gap. Think about what the sentence is saying.Mia ___ a red bag.
- Try the word in the gap. The gap needs a word that tells us what Mia owns. Has makes sense.Mia has a red bag.
- Write the word. has
Check. Read the whole sentence again. It makes sense with has. ✓
Watch out. Try each choice in the gap. Only one choice makes the sentence sensible.
Method. Read the sentence with the gap. Try the word in the gap, and check it makes sense.
- Read the sentence with the gap. Think about what the sentence is saying.The cat ___ on the mat.
- Try the word in the gap. Sat is a word for what the cat did. Sun and sock do not make sense.The cat sat on the mat.
- Write the word. sat
Check. Read the whole sentence again. It makes sense with sat. ✓
Watch out. Try each choice in the gap. Only one choice makes the sentence sensible.
Method. A sentence makes sense on its own and tells a whole idea.
- Read it out loud. Does it make sense on its own?Ben can run fast.
- Check what it tells us. It tells us who (Ben) and what he can do (run fast).a whole idea
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Read it again. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. A sentence can be short. Check that it tells a whole idea, not just a place or a thing.
Method. Check the first letter and the end of the sentence.
- Read the sentence out loud. Listen for the places that do not sound finished.I like to play in the sun
- Fix what is wrong. The sentence needs a full stop at the end.I like to play in the sun.
- Write the sentence correctly. I like to play in the sun.
Check. Read the new sentence aloud. It starts with a capital and ends with a full stop. ✓
Watch out. Change only the letters or marks that are wrong. Check the start and the end.
Method. Read the sentence with the gap. Try the word in the gap, and check it makes sense.
- Read the sentence with the gap. Think about what the sentence is saying.Sam went ___ the park.
- Try the word in the gap. Went to is how we say where someone is going.Sam went to the park.
- Write the word. to
Check. Read the whole sentence again. It makes sense with to. ✓
Watch out. Try each choice in the gap. Only one choice makes the sentence sensible.
Method. Read each sentence and find the one that does not make sense.
- Read the first sentence. The dog ran fast, which makes sense.The dog ran fast.
- Read the second sentence. A bus is not a cat, so this does not make sense.The bus is a cat.
- Write the answer. The bus is a cat.
Check. Read the first sentence again. It makes sense on its own. ✓
Watch out. Look for the sentence with words that do not match.
Method. Check the capital letter at the start. Leo is a name, so it needs a capital.
- Read the first word. The first word is Leo. It is a name.leo
- Check the first letter. The first letter of a sentence needs a capital, and so does a name.Leo
- Write the answer. Mia is not right. The first word must start with a capital letter.No. The first word needs a capital letter, because Leo is a name.
Check. Read the corrected sentence: Leo has a red hat. ✓
Watch out. Look at the first letter of the sentence. It needs a capital letter, not a small one.
Method. Think about the start and the end of the sentence.
- Look at the first letter. It is a small letter, but it should be a capital.we
- Look at the end. The sentence has no full stop at the end.the shop
- Write the answer. A capital letter at the start (We), and a full stop at the end.
Check. Read it again: We went to the shop. ✓
Watch out. Check the first letter and the last mark every time.
Method. Think about what happens when you say your writing out loud.
- Say the writing aloud. You can hear if a word is missing or in the wrong place.the ear hears a gap
- Listen for mistakes. A sentence that does not sound right does not make sense.it sounds wrong
- Write the answer. Reading aloud helps you hear mistakes, such as missing words or sentences that do not make sense.
Check. Read your answer aloud. It explains the reason. ✓
Watch out. Your ears can find a mistake that your eyes can miss.