Text Annotation A Close Reading Strategy for Better

Text Annotation A Close Reading Strategy for Better Comprehension

What is Text Annotation? While reading, students mark the pages for Important information Text meaning or key details Ideas and questions

What is Text Annotation? • Connection between language and ideas. • Noting words that strike you, phrases that confuse you or thrill you, or places where you want to talk back to the speaker, a character, or even the author. • It is your running commentary as a reader. • It is your observations. • Your questions.

Purpose Why bother to do this? In their best-selling book, How to Read a Book, scholars and avid readers Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren sum it up: Why is marking a book indispensable to reading it? First, it keeps you awake—not merely conscious, but wide awake. Second, reading, if it is active, is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words, spoken or written. The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks. Third, writing your reactions down helps you to remember the thoughts of the author.

What About Highlighters? Students often think text annotation simply involves highlighting almost every word in a text.

What About Highlighting? Harvard University puts incoming students on notice about the effectiveness of highlighting…

Highlighting Dilutes Comprehension “First of all, throw away the highlighter in favor of a pen or pencil. Highlighting can actually distract you from the business of learning and dilute your comprehension”(2005).

Improves Comprehension Note-taking activities have a positive impact on reading comprehension Twenty-one of twenty-three studies (91%) showed a positive outcome

Learning different annotation styles helps you discover what works for you. It’s important to be exposed to different ways to annotate texts while you read. Over time, you will gravitate to those that fit your individual needs best. However, you need to learn that there are MANY styles and strategies.

Annotation Styles and Strategies Bracket [important] passages

Annotation Styles and Strategies Connect related ideas with lines Underline important ideas/details

Annotation Styles and Strategies Outline main ideas in margin and/or Write margin notes (comments and questions)

Annotation Styles and Strategies Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis Circle unfamiliar vocabulary

Annotation Styles and Strategies * * Place asterisks or exclamation points next to unusual or surprising details

Annotation Styles and Strategies Use symbols, drawings, and small drawings(text coding) to highlight important details When using text coding, consistency is important. Students need to understand the key.

Annotation Styles and Strategies Can’t write in books? Label with sticky notes— Students can use all the same strategies by placing their annotations on sticky notes on the pages of their books. Copy important sections from text (doesn’t break copyright if used for educational purposes)

Challenges and Tips Annotation slows down reading but increases comprehension. Some readers don’t believe it works or don’t think it’s necessary but their AP scores are generally lower than those who do annotate.

Challenges and Tips Annotation is best for poems or prose excerpts like those on the AP English exams. Annotation for longer works is difficult. Focus your annotation on only the most meaningful chunks of text.

Objective & Purpose Read the short story, “The Rememberer” by Amy Bender and annotate the text. Practice annotation, but also to continue our exploration of the contemporary short story. What can the short story achieve?

Intermittent Closure Write a paragraph summing up your observations.

Intermittent Closure Share annotations with peer. What did you annotate and why? Look at Mr. Mirano’s annotations.

Intermittent Closure Share your summary of observations with your peer. What did you gain from this discussion with your peer? How did annotating help you in performing in the discussion? Listen to Mr. Mirano’s summary.

Bellwork 4 October 2018 Read the introduction to “The Rememberer”. Annotate the text. Continue to practice annotation. What does this introduction add to your understanding of the short story?

Intermittent Closure Write a paragraph summing up your observations.

Intermittent Closure Share annotations with peer. What did you annotate and why? Look at Mr. Mirano’s annotations.

Intermittent Closure Share your summary of observations with your peer. What did you gain from this discussion with your peer? How did annotating help you in performing in the discussion? Listen to Mr. Mirano’s summary.

Homework Read chapters 10 -13 of Jane Eyre. Quiz after break. Find one passage approximately the same length as a prose passage response on the AP Exam. Print this passage or copy it onto a separate sheet of paper. Annotate the passage. Write a summary of your observations. Next quiz on 14 -20. Terms Final…

Have out your annotations to “The Rememberer” Have out your notebook and a separate sheet of paper.

Share annotations page by page with the people in your group.

Intermittent Closure What annotations did your peers make (or Mr. Mirano) that you did not, that you can apply to your annotation repertoire? Why do you think that summarizing your observations is a helpful and key part of the annotation process?

Homework Read chapters 10 -13 of Jane Eyre. Quiz after break. Find one passage approximately the same length as a prose passage response on the AP Exam. Print this passage or copy it onto a separate sheet of paper. Annotate the passage (Refer to the Annotation Rubric on the Website). Write a summary of your observations **. (Next quiz on 14 -20) (Begin prepping for terms final) EXTRA CREDIT—Complete one of the writing prompts to “The Rememberer”; minimum 650 words. +10 to Major Writing Assignments Category if it demonstrates command of college level composition and is done with care and effort.