Proofreading isn't just about correcting mistakes. Students must be able to read and interpret correctly what they've read. Give your students short essays or stories that contain common words that may be misinterpreted or that are spelled or pronounced like another word (it's/its, there/their/they're). Have the students read the stories once and then answer a series of questions. Students should be able to interpret the difference between the words and their meanings and be able to identify the errors.
A big part of proofreading is being able to quickly identify misspellings. Many people rely on computer spell check programs, but students starting in the third grade should be able to spell more common words and even some more complex words like "responsibility" or "bicycle." Spelling games can help students practice spelling skills in ways other than just writing the words repeatedly. Cut index cards in half. Write vocabulary words on the cards, creating two cards per word, but have one of the pair misspelled. Place the cards face down on a table. Have the students take turns. Say the word aloud and have the student try to find the correct spelling. This is a variation of the game Memory, which has pictures instead of words.
It's not just words that communicate any language. Punctuation can affect the intended meaning of any sentence. Punctuation is used to indicate sentence endings, address, emphasis and tone. It also indicates places and other proper nouns. Questions are different from exclamations, and third graders are beginning to understand how to express themselves through written works. Create a small essay full of punctuation errors, including capitalization errors. Have the students circle or underline all the errors in the passage. Be sure to include sentences that can be ambiguous such as "It's raining?" and "It's raining." Precede or follow these sentences with contextual hints to the correct punctuation such as "Why are you wet?" (The answer would be the sentence "It's raining."
To create a finished document or written work, a student must combine all of their proofreading skills --- spelling, punctuation and reading comprehension. Many writers create rough drafts that are error-ridden and then reread the work a day or two later, correcting all the mistakes at one time. Have your students write an essay on any topic, in a certain amount of time (one class period works well). Have them set the piece aside until the next day or next week. Next have the students mark in colored pencil or crayon all the mistakes they can find in their work. Next have them switch papers with another student. The second student should mark any other errors with another color crayon. Explain to the students how our eyes and minds can trick us, making us miss mistakes, and that it's always a good idea to reread written projects to find any mistakes we may have missed.