Correcting spellings after drafting protects the flow of ideas. The check–edit–learn routine then turns one recurring error into useful practice.

Follow three stages

Check: After a paragraph or piece of homework is complete, identify words the young person was unsure about. Do not search for every possible error.

Edit: Check the word using the spell-check or dictionary school allows. Read the whole sentence before choosing a correction.

Learn: Select one recurring or important error. Mark its difficult part, write it once from memory and add it to a spelling journal if it is likely to return.

For example, after correcting separate, the young person might mark par in the middle, write the complete word from memory and check it again later in the week.

Keep the edit proportionate

The routine should take a few minutes. It is not a second full assignment. If spelling difficulties are preventing the young person from recording their knowledge, speak to school about suitable writing support.