Unit 4A: Writing for different audiences Section 5: SHORT FOCUSED TASKS
Objectives
Children should learn:
key idea: that ICT can be used to correct mistakes
technique: to use spellcheck
Activities
Outcomes
Children:
Enter an extract from an information book, eg an encyclopedia, but include a number of spelling mistakes. Discuss why correct spelling is important and explain that before a book is printed editors and proof-readers correct spelling mistakes.
Show the class how to use spellcheck and explain that it sometimes makes a number of suggestions for one word, eg 'wry', 'word', and 'wad' for 'wrd'. Explain that the first suggestion is not always the right one and that spellcheck does not recognise mistakes where a real word is used, eg it will not recognise 'set' in the sentence 'the cat set on the mat'. Divide the children into pairs and ask them to use spellcheck to correct the extract.
use spellcheck but recognise that spellcheck is an aid, rather than a substitute for being able to spell
Points to note
Children should work on a copy of the teacher's pre-prepared file.
Mistakes should include ones where the error is obvious as well as more demanding errors, eg typing 'then' instead of 'the'.
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