Although the handwritten word is fast becoming extinct, children in the fifth grade will still be doing a good amount of their writing by putting a pen to the page. They need an arsenal of consistent symbols so that they can edit the work of others without cluttering the page in red ink. As you go over the various basic symbols -- such as the caret for additions and the three lines under a letter for capitalization -- have the students draw themselves a key on a 4-inch-by-8-inch flashcard that they can carry with them and reference later. If computers are available, show the students how to track changes in a Microsoft Word document. They will quickly pick up how to leave notes, cross out and move sections and search for key words.
With they're, their and there, two, to and too, who versus whom, pronouns in a list and hanging conjunctions, students are going to have trouble remembering which word is which and where it properly goes. Go over each term and rule from its base up, so the children understand the root of and reason for the correct word. For example, you can teach them how to replace the term in the sentence to determine which spelling makes sense. If they can replace the term with "they are" in the sentence, it is they're. If they can replace it with "our," it is their. If they can replace it with "here," it is there. Then have them quiz each other by using different forms of the word in sentences.
Give students a silly sentences to work on, making them more fun to proofread. If the words make them laugh, they're more likely to hold the children's interest through the proofreading segment. Boring textbook sentences result in students skimming, shirking and making mistakes. Write jokes that need proofing, each one on its own card. Write the jokes' punchlines, which will also need proofing, on separate cards. Hand out a card to each student. Have the students proofread and edit the joke or punchline, then wander about the classroom until they've found their counterpart. This teaches them not only to proofread the written word but to look for context and content.
Like adults, kids work best when there is a goal in mind. Have the students work on a final writing project, such as a school newspaper issue. Have them each write an article for this paper, then edit someone else's work. Have them type the whole project, proofing it again to make sure no errors made their way into the computerized newspaper. Print it for the students and their parents to enjoy as an official school newsletter.