20 free levels
English · Story Woods
Editor's Desk
Grab the red pen: find every mistake, then fix it.
- Grades
- 3–8
- Levels
- 48 in 2 tracks
- Free
- 20 levels
- Session
- 5–12 minutes
What it is
Short original passages land on your desk with a few deliberate mistakes: a missing capital, a wrong end mark, a misspelled word, a sound-alike mix-up, a verb that doesn't agree, a run-on. Tap each mistake you find, then choose or type the fix. Older editors get a calmer newsroom style, longer pieces and typed corrections.
What children learn
Builds proofreading habits and the conventions of standard English: capitalization, punctuation and apostrophes, spelling, commonly confused words, subject–verb agreement and run-on sentences. Finding an error and fixing it are scored as separate steps.
What it teaches
- Commonly confused words
- Subject–verb agreement
- Fix run-on sentences
- Editing and conventions
How to play
Tap or click a word or punctuation mark to mark it; tap again to unmark. Keyboard: Tab into the passage, use the arrow keys to move word by word, Space or Enter to mark, then press Done marking. Fixes are chosen from buttons or typed into a box.
Plays with: Touch Mouse Keyboard
Accessibility
- Read-aloud on request
- Fully playable with a keyboard
- Calm mode with reduced motion
- No timers or time pressure
- Never relies on color alone
- Quiet mode turns off sound effects
Level maps
Tracks and levels
Each track is made for a grade range. Start anywhere that fits — you don't have to play the younger tracks first. As a guest, your stars are saved on this device.
Proofreading Pals
Capitals, end marks, spelling, sound-alikes and agreement.
3–5
24 levels · 10 free
Proofreading Pals
Capitals, end marks, spelling, sound-alikes and agreement. · 3–5
- 1 Pencil Box 1 ☆☆☆
- 2 Pencil Box 2 ☆☆☆
- 3 Pencil Box 3 ☆☆☆
- 4 Pencil Box 4 ☆☆☆
- 5 Pencil Box 5 ☆☆☆
- 6 Pencil Box 6 ☆☆☆
- 7 Red Pen 1 ☆☆☆
- 8 Red Pen 2 ☆☆☆
- 9 Red Pen 3 ☆☆☆
- 10 Red Pen 4 ☆☆☆
- 11 Red Pen 5 Plan level
- 12 Red Pen 6 Plan level
- 13 Proof Patrol 1 Plan level
- 14 Proof Patrol 2 Plan level
- 15 Proof Patrol 3 Plan level
- 16 Proof Patrol 4 Plan level
- 17 Proof Patrol 5 Plan level
- 18 Proof Patrol 6 Plan level
- 19 Sharp Eyes 1 Plan level
- 20 Sharp Eyes 2 Plan level
- 21 Sharp Eyes 3 Plan level
- 22 Sharp Eyes 4 Plan level
- 23 Sharp Eyes 5 Plan level
- 24 Sharp Eyes 6 Plan level
Levels after 10 are part of a PlayOwl plan. Free levels, saving and basic reports stay free.
Copy Desk
Confused words, agreement, run-ons, possessives and spelling, with typed fixes.
6–8
24 levels · 10 free
Copy Desk
Confused words, agreement, run-ons, possessives and spelling, with typed fixes. · 6–8
- 1 Copy Desk 1 ☆☆☆
- 2 Copy Desk 2 ☆☆☆
- 3 Copy Desk 3 ☆☆☆
- 4 Copy Desk 4 ☆☆☆
- 5 Copy Desk 5 ☆☆☆
- 6 Copy Desk 6 ☆☆☆
- 7 Style Guide 1 ☆☆☆
- 8 Style Guide 2 ☆☆☆
- 9 Style Guide 3 ☆☆☆
- 10 Style Guide 4 ☆☆☆
- 11 Style Guide 5 Plan level
- 12 Style Guide 6 Plan level
- 13 Final Proof 1 Plan level
- 14 Final Proof 2 Plan level
- 15 Final Proof 3 Plan level
- 16 Final Proof 4 Plan level
- 17 Final Proof 5 Plan level
- 18 Final Proof 6 Plan level
- 19 Press Deadline 1 Plan level
- 20 Press Deadline 2 Plan level
- 21 Press Deadline 3 Plan level
- 22 Press Deadline 4 Plan level
- 23 Press Deadline 5 Plan level
- 24 Press Deadline 6 Plan level
Levels after 10 are part of a PlayOwl plan. Free levels, saving and basic reports stay free.
Off screen
Print & play
Paper activities that go with this game.
Punctuation and capital letters comic strip: 4 panels
English · Grade 4 · Worksheet · 1 page
The bell that would not ring: stretch
English · Grade 4 · Reading · 2 pages
The bell that would not ring: warm-up
English · Grade 5 · Reading · 2 pages
Clauses, phrases and sentence types comic strip: 5 panels
English · Grade 6 · Worksheet · 1 page
Commonly confused words crossword
English · Grade 6 · Puzzle · 1 page
Punctuation power: semicolons to ellipses: fill in the blanks
English · Grade 6 · Reading · 1 page
Verb tenses and tense shifts: fill in the blanks
English · Grade 6 · Reading · 1 page
Commonly confused words match-up
English · Grade 7 · Worksheet · 1 page
Verb tenses and tense shifts: fill in the blanks
English · Grade 7 · Reading · 1 page
Commonly confused words: fill in the blanks
English · Grade 8 · Reading · 1 page
Cryptogram: punctuation power
English · Grade 8 · Puzzle · 1 page
Verbals, active and passive voice, and mood word scramble
English · Grade 8 · Puzzle · 1 page
Keep exploring
Part of these collections
Guide for grown-ups
- Phonics for kids: what it is and how to practice it at homeA guide for parents · 7 min read
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