How to Annotate A Text Elizabeth van der

How to Annotate A Text Elizabeth van der Velde August 2015

Video Lesson Objectives By the end of the lesson, you should be able to explain why annotating a text is a way to self-evaluate your comprehension. At the end of the lesson you should be able to describe the four key annotation strategies.

Why does annotation help your comprehension? �Engages you in a conversation with a text. �Records your thoughts so you can participate actively in class. �Records your questions to be answered later.

What are the four key strategies used in annotation? �Clarify �Question �Connect �Predict

Clarify �Define words or slang �Summarize difficult passages �Study or jot down important historical context or social customs of the time period.

Question �Jot down questions that come to your mind as you read

Connect �Make meaningful connections to your life experiences �Make connections to other parts of the text �Make connections to other texts �Point out literary techniques and/or symbolism in the text

Predict �What do you think will happen next? �If a character has a hard choice to make, what is your predicition for their decision? Why? �How will the story end? �How will character’s relationships change and develop? �Why do you think the author chose to end the story this way?

What NOT to do �Highlight everything �Be inconsistent �Sweat the small stuff

Tricks for annotating a text well �Develop a code for your annotations and make a legend �Sketch or doodle in response to your reading to represent main ideas or themes �Keep practicing