In this final section of our ParaPro Study Guide, we will use what we learned in the previous Writing units to tune up our editing skills. By practicing and mastering earlier questions about grammar, word usage, punctuation, and spelling, you can now synthesize your skills for editing-type questions on the official ParaPro exam.
Editing a Student’s Writing
The most important editing tool for your toolbox is knowing the principles of grammar, punctuation, word usage, and sentence structure like the back of your hand. You can’t get around memorizing the rules of writing. If any of the concepts from the previous unit confused you, go back and reexamine them. It is only by repetition and practice that you will become comfortable with the rules of English.
As a paraprofessional, you will be responsible for editing students’ work to help their own writing get better. You must be able to pick up patterns in a student’s work; consistent mistakes can give clues as to a grammatical rule that a student doesn’t have a firm grip on.
Applying Editing Knowledge to the Exam
The ParaPro exam will test your ability to locate errors in a passage and pick up on patterns in a student’s mistakes. When reading each passage, mark mistakes as you come across them. Then, read the question thoroughly to be sure you are answering what it is asking. Sometimes a question wants you to find a mistake; other times, a question wants you to put on your paraprofessional hat and determine what guidance you would give to a student. This may be about a consistent mistake in a paragraph, ways to improve the passage by combining or splitting sentences, or additions a student can make for clarity.
The following examples are modeled after questions on the official exam.
Example 1
The following paragraph is written by a student:
Druids were an influential group in Europe, between the second century BC and the second century AD. They acted in the following capacities, as judges priests and philosophers. However, after being driven out of their country they retreated to their home island where they were eventually executed and became extinct.
The student writer would most benefit from tutoring in how to correct
- verb tense errors
- incorrect comma placement
- spelling errors
- lapses in parallel structure
The correct answer is (B). There are several missing and misplaced commas throughout this paragraph, resulting in run-ons and confusion. The student would benefit from further instruction on proper punctuation.
Example 2
The following paragraph is written by a student:
The summer is one of the best times of the year. It is the best time to go to the beach, hang out with friends, or go on vacation. It is also the best time to enjoy the best weather when cold weather isn’t anywhere around. Summer is also the best time to play sports like golf, baseball, tennis, and track.
The student writer would most benefit from tutoring in how to correct
- punctuation errors
- spelling errors
- lapses in clarity
- ineffective word usage
The correct answer is (D). The word “best” is used repeatedly throughout this paragraph. Varying diction throughout a piece can make the passage more interesting and provide better specificity. Paraprofessionals should advise students to try things like using a thesaurus to find synonyms for repeated words.
Editing Review Test
ParaPro Practice Tests
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