COPS Writing Checklist - Student Self-Editing Cards

Self-Editing COPS Cards - An Effective Tool for Student Proofreading

These COPS cards are an easy way to help teach your elementary students a simple mnemonic for proofreading or editing their written work. You could teach a mini lesson for each letter of COPS: capitalization rules one day, organization another, then punctuation, and finally spelling. For each letter there are a couple of key ideas that students need to practice.

What does COPS stand for?

COPS is an acronym addressing the critical elements of good writing that every student should check upon completing an assignment:

Capitals

• At the start of every sentence

• For people’s names (proper nouns) and “I”

• Other proper nouns: days, months, place names, etc.

Organization

• Different paragraphs for each different idea

• Include a topic sentence at the start

• Verb tenses are consistent throughout

Punctuation

• Use a period, question mark, or exclamation mark for every sentence

• Use commas for dates, lists, and joining sentences together with a conjunction

• Use quotation marks if a character is speaking

Spelling

• Check in a dictionary

• Ask your teacher or a friend

• Think of related words to find a pattern

How to Use:

Print these cards 4 or 6 to a page. You can cut them out and laminate them so students can place them on their desks or in their writing folder. You could print a larger version to hang on your wall as a poster, or you could project the PDF on an interactive whiteboard.

Grades to Use With:

These COPS cards are appropriate for students in elementary grades (2-6) who are learning how to proofread their own written work for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and organization.

What's Included:

1 Page PDF- ready to print!

If you enjoy this writing tool, check out others in my store:

Primary Writing Scale: Checklist Assessment for Grammar, Spelling and Ideas

Types of Paragraphs: Make a Magazine Project