How to Annotate a Text

Good Reading
Background
 Most reading is skimmed.
 When you need to learn, reading requires close
attention.
 Good reading is hard work.

 Good reading makes good writing.

Adapted from The Bedford Reader and The Little, Brown Reader
Adaptation by Laura Hayes
What does it mean to ANNOTATE a
piece of text?
 Annotation (creating meaningful notes) ensures
that we actively read a text rather than passively
allowing words to bounce off of our faces.
 Read with a pen, pencil, and/or sticky notes in hand,
marking important passages. Make notes in the
margins.
 Communicate with the text; bring its ideas to life.
Annotation allows us to mark important passages
and reminds us of our reactions to the texts.
There is no one right way to annotate a text.
Why should we annotate a text as we
read?
 Helps us to capture main ideas / key
concepts / details of a reading
 Target and reduce the needed information
from a text
 Cut down on study and review time when you
return to the material increasing your
effective and efficient use of time and effort
 Strengthen your reading comprehension
 Previewing: Before You Annotate
 Find a quiet place with no distractions (you
really want to limit your exposure to music,
cell phones, and/or TV)
 Look at the title
 Usually includes author’s subject or method
 Who is the author?
 What you already know helps you guess
something about the writing
 If biographical sketch is provided, read it
Adapted from The Bedford Reader and The Little, Brown Reader
Adaptation by Laura Hayes
 Previewing: Before You Annotate
 In what was it published?
 Would you be more likely to believe “Living Mermaids:
An Amazing Discovery” if it were published in Scientific
American or The National Enquirer?
 Indicates for whom it was written
 When was it published?
 If it’s about mermaids, will you find it more reliable if
written in 1988 or 1788?

Adapted from The Bedford Reader and The Little, Brown Reader
Adaptation by Laura Hayes
Annotation Guidelines
 Read with a pen or pencil in hand.
 Helps you focus and stay alert.

 Create your own code / symbols & be CONSISTENT with your system.
 Abbreviate using things such as brackets, stars, exclamation points

 Keep a list of characters & their key traits

 A good place: inside cover of the book
 Add brief notes to your lists as you read

 Look for patterns

 What ideas do you see repeated?
 What connections can you draw between different concepts?
Common ELA
abbreviations
Annotation Guidelines
 Create your own code / symbols, cont.
 When you ANNOTATE mark:
 main idea
 supporting details
 key terms
 cause and effect
 Explanations
Underline/highlight – CAUTION: Use this sparingly.
 Underline/highlight only a few words.
 Never underline an entire passage.

 At the end of each chapter, bullet-point the key events as

a summary or write a short summary.
Annotation Guidelines
 Have a CONVERSATION with the text. Talk back to it.
 Take your time as you begin a new text.
 Ask yourself many questions as you begin:
 Are there any fallacies in the text?
 How does this relate to your everyday or life experiences?
 Try to make a quick note on the top of each page indicating the most
important point there.
 Ask questions (essential to active reading).
 Use question marks.
 Be alert to what puzzles you.
 Good readers do not zip along without stopping to monitor their
comprehension. They stop to think and to note what they don’t
understand.
 Write down questions you would like to discuss.
 Your annotations must include comments as evidence of thinking.
Annotation Guidelines
 Of course, you should always pay attention to VOCABULARY.
 A strong vocabulary comes from reading, not from memorizing lists.

 Your text includes many words that will be new to you.

 Mark these words.
 Try to determine meaning from the context.
 If you are really puzzled by a word, look it up.
 Dictionary.com has an app that is free.
When will you need to annotate a text
for this class?
 You will annotate ALL pieces we read this
year.
 You will also annotate, albeit limited, each
week on the Article of the Week.
Let’s Practice now!
 Use the highlighters to annotate your AoW.
 Remember Stoner’s Star Rule: each time you
highlight something, you must add a marginal
note to explain why you highlighted the text.
 Read carefully.
 Read to understand!
 Be sure you write notes that you understand.