Sometimes the purpose of editing is not to correct grammar, spelling, or punctuation, but to comment on a document's contents.

Provide students with the following directions for using the Comment tool when editing a Word document:

• Click the word, phrase, or section of a document where you want to add a comment.
• Click Insert>Comment.
• In the comment window that opens, type the comment. ("I don't understand this paragraph" or "Did you use this word correctly?," for example.)
  

  Note: The comment window will look different depending on the version of Word you're using. In Word 2004 for Mac, for example, the comment window looks like this:
  
  In Word XP, however, a red circle appears in the right margin, and a dotted line leads from the circle to the place where the comment will be inserted. Type your comment in the circle and click the Close button or the Reviewing Pane icon.

• Type your name or initials after your comment.(See the note below if another person's name appears in the comment window.)
• Close the comment window.

Note: Different versions of Word display comments differently. For example, in Word 98, the area of a document where a comment is located turns yellow. Drag the mouse over the yellow text to see the comment. In Word 2004 for Mac, a small red I-bar icon marks the spot where a comment is located. In Word XP, a red circle with a dotted line marks a comment.

If you are one of several editors of a document, the color of the ink you use to type a comment will make it easy to see which editor added a particular comment.

Finally, when you insert a comment in any version of Word, you might see your name or the name of another user (such as a previous teacher) at the top of the comment field. On some versions of Word, you can delete the name inside the comment. To permanently change the name, however, go to Word>Preferences>User Information (on Mac versions); or Tools>Option and click the User tab (on Word XP).

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