9th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 11 of 12
Proofreading
Spelling and word choice in final drafts
What your child practices
Students practice proofreading in US spelling: commonly misspelled words and confusing pairs such as affect and effect, accept and except, principle and principal.
Alaska content standards learning standard: L.9-10.2; W.9-10.5 · editing writing for correct spelling and word choice
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Principle is a rule or belief. Principal is a school leader, or means main.
- Affect is usually a verb, effect usually a noun. Accept means receive, except means leaving out.
- Learn tricky words in parts: ex-is-tence, li-ai-son, en-tre-pre-neur.
Example: “The decision was based on a ___ of fairness.” principle or principal? The blank means a rule or belief. Principle is the rule or belief. Answer: principle
Proofreading in Alaska
In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 11 of 12 in 9th grade English Language Arts, after Research & Credibility and before Media Analysis.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
- 9th grade guide for Alaska parents
- Printable 9th grade English Language Arts sheet
- Alaska report cards explained
Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which word is spelled correctly?
- haress
- harras
- harass
- harrass
harass
Hint: One r, two s's.
Question 2
Which word is spelled correctly?
- questionaire
- questionairre
- questionnaire
- questionnair
questionnaire
Hint: Two n's, one r.
Question 3
Which word is spelled correctly?
- millennium
- millenium
- millenniumm
- milennium
millennium
Hint: Two l's and two n's.
Question 4
Which word is spelled correctly?
- parallel
- paralel
- parralel
- paralell
parallel
Hint: The two l's in the middle stand parallel.
Question 5
Which word is spelled correctly?
- conscience
- conscence
- consciense
- concience
conscience
Hint: Con + science.
Question 6
Which word is spelled correctly?
- indespensable
- indispensabel
- indispensable
- indispensible
indispensable
Hint: In + dispense + able.