Bring your class together to develop a classroom editing checklist. Discuss specific items students should look for when editing their work. Ideas include spelling, grammar and punctuation. Write these on a large posterboard, and add to this list throughout the school year as students think of general editing requirements. Post this in your classroom in a visible location, and ask students to use this as an editing guide before turning in all final products.
Write a paragraph related to themes you are currently teaching on a large, lined sheet of paper. Choose a few editing techniques to focus this on during this mini-lesson, and write your paragraph accordingly. Intentionally make mistakes when transcribing the paragraph. You might misspell a word or leave out appropriate punctuation. Laminate the poster so students can write on it. Divide students into groups, and give them the paragraph. Allow them to use washable makers to edit it. Check their work, and use a tissue to clean the poster. Present this to another group in the classroom, and allow them to edit the same paragraph.
Make copies of the 100 most commonly misspelled words, and distribute them to your students. Discuss the importance of checking the spelling of words during the editing process. Ask students to create their own personal dictionary for future use. Use a plain binder, and fill it with blank notebook paper. The students should add any words from the 100 most commonly misspelled words they would like to include and other words they may have missed during spelling lessons. Throughout the year, students should add additional words to their books and use this for reference during editing activities.
Assign students a peer editor for the year. Choose their partners based on similar reading and writing abilities so their topics and level of writing are well-matched. Have students create a first draft of a writing piece and then give it to their peer-editing partner. The partners should practice their editing skills and make a list of editing suggestions. You can adapt this peer review technique to include any piece of writing.