Backspace, the key to tap when the check finds a slip.
The big ideaRead it back, compare it with the page, and fix slips before you hand in.
How it works
Checking is a three-step trick: read it back, compare it with the page, and find the slip.
Read it back with a finger under each letter, and say each letter softly, so your eyes slow down.
A slip comes in three kinds: a letter can be missing, extra or swapped.
When you find one, tap backspace, fix it, and read the line again. Your reader sees the page, so a careful look is a gift to them.
Check before you hand it in.
Example 1: Swapped letters
The page says flask.
The line says falsk.
The l and the a changed places, so two letters are swapped.
Tap backspace, type the letters in the right order, and read it again.
Example 2: A missing letter
The page says salad.
The line says slad.
The first a is missing.
Tap backspace back to the slip, put in the a, and read it once more.
Example 3: An extra letter
The page says flask.
The line says fflask.
There is an extra f at the start.
Tap backspace, take it out, and read the line again.
Example 4: Check a whole line
Put a finger under each letter of your line and read it softly.
Look from the page to your line, and check that they all match.
Only when they match do you hand it in.
Words to know
compare
Look from the page to your line and check that the letters match.
slip
A letter that is missing, extra or swapped.
swapped
Two letters that have changed places.
Watch out
Pressing print before you look lets a slip get through.
Saying it looks fine without looking is how a slip hides.
Looking only at your hands cannot show you a slip. The screen can.
A slip is nothing bad. Everyone slips sometimes.
Try it
The page says flask and the line says falsk. What kind of slip is that?
The page says salad and the line says slad. What kind of slip is that?
What are the three steps of the trick?
Why do we check our work?
Answers: 1. Two letters swapped · 2. A letter missing · 3. Read it back, compare it, find the slip · 4. Because the reader sees the page
Try at homeAsk a grown-up to pick a short line from a book, and type it. Slide a finger under your line, compare it with the page, and fix slips with backspace.
For grown-upsAsk your child to read their typing back with a finger under each letter before it goes anywhere; when they spot a slip themselves, say well spotted, and never point it out first.
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