So, whether you're reading a novel, poem, news article, or science textbook, taking notes along the way can give you an advantage in preparing for tests or writing essays. This guide contains resources that explain the benefits of annotating texts, provide annotation tools, and suggest approaches for diverse kinds of texts the last section includes lesson plans and exercises for teachers. Proper annotation allows students to record their own opinions and reactions, which can serve as the inspiration for research questions and theses. Annotation is like a conversation between reader and text. Or, at least (according to education experts), annotation–an umbrella term for underlining, highlighting, circling, and, most importantly, leaving comments in the margins–helps students to remember and comprehend what they read. Braintrust matches students with top educators and tutors across the nation.Writing in your books can make you smarter. While annotating while reading may take a bit longer in the short-term, it’s a worthwhile investment in the long-term!Ī seasoned tutor or learning specialist can help their students to master the process of annotating and teach them key strategies to annotating a text in a way that will benefit their skills and comprehension as a reader. This sort of active reading is what helps our brains make meaning of text. No matter what, it is important to remember that annotating isn’t an extra step but an essential one. Others prefer to simply read and annotate section-by-section. For some this means reading through a text a first time to get an overall sense of the content, then reviewing the reading again to focus on annotation. The most effective way to annotate is in stages. Instead, students should take notes on post-its or a separate piece of paper. This more involved engagement is generally not a good fit for margins. Similarly, students can make connections to other texts they’ve read, experiences they’ve had, or related topics they’ve learned about. Questions can be about the content of the text itself, the author’s point of view, or points of interest for additional research. A great strategy for doing this is asking questions and making connections while reading. Ask questions and make connectionsĪctive reading means engaging more deeply with a text. Then, they should note these using keywords and phrases. In order to know what notes to include in the outline, kids should read each section to identify important details. When making an outline, students should first look at how the text is organized, and create an outline with similar structure if the text uses headings and subheadings, their outline should too. Create an outline while readingĭiagraming the key characters, events, or ideas in a text can help a reader get a better sense of the big picture. Then, they can read and highlight in different colors according to each guiding question or area of focus. When students don’t know what it is they are looking for, they become susceptible to “yellow page syndrome.” It can help for readers to first think of one or a few different questions or ideas they want to focus on as they read. While highlighting is the quickest and most convenient form of annotation, it is also the least engaging. They can use a separate piece of paper, or better yet, post-it notes. Annotations don’t always need to be on the page of text. Paraphrasing information forces students to engage more deeply with the text, thereby making more meaning of it. In order to better understand important points from a text, students should practice noting those points in their own words. Teach kids the following annotation strategies to deepen their understanding of a text: 1. They should also remember that there isn’t one way to annotate correctly. Instead, students should understand that effective annotations can turn a passive reader into an active reader. Alternatively, other children are afraid to annotate at all because they fear they won’t do it “right.” And others still just see it is an annoying extra step, rather than a valuable reading tool. For example, highlighting is one of the most popular ways to annotate, yet so many students fall prey to “yellow page syndrome.” Kids end up highlighting everything because they aren’t sure what is most important. They don’t understand how and what to annotate, or realize how important it is. Annotating while reading text is a powerful way for students to become more active and engaged readers, but many don’t know where to begin.
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