How not to write handout

1.     How not to write by William Safire focuses on writing grammar by showcasing common mistakes rather than what rules should be followed. This allows the reader to not only quickly identify problems but why they are problems. This book is short which makes it the perfect reference text for this reason. This book does contain 50 chapters, but they are all two pages maximum. This book not only shows the problems but how to fix them in such a short and concise manner. 

2.     I chose this text because of how short it was. I liked the idea of having a pocket-sized guide to grammar mistakes. It seemed a great way to quickly identify and understand grammar problems. This would allow me to better help my students fix their, and my mistakes. I liked that I could also find solutions and explanations as to why certain grammar mistakes happen and work. I thought it would be a great reference for me when I edited papers and for my students when they wrote them. 

3.     I saw a few potential ideas for lessons in this text even though it does not contain lesson plans.

1. students could be split up into groups to create posters on a grammar rule from one of the chapters. This would be posted in the room and would be a great reference for the students. It would also give them the opportunity to discuss what problems they have with writing with their peers. I would personally do this after I’d have my class for a while and could pinpoint what parts of grammar the majority of the class needed to be helped with.

2. I would assign students to do peer editing along with this book. The chapters are short enough to allow them to quickly identify grammar mistakes and help their peers streamline their papers. This would also potentially help them catch their own mistakes.

3. I would have students write what they felt they struggled with the most when it came to the structure of their writing. I would then have them read the chapter that best corresponded to what they struggled with. I would then have them make a personal reference sheet that they could look over when they were writing papers.

4.     The one issue I have with this book is that the author is overly fond of using unnecessarily large words where a small word will do. Which is really ironic seeing as that problem is addressed in chapter 27. I only mention it because it slightly convolutes the point of making his instructions easy and concise. I just found it mildly distracting and I’m afraid my students would too.