Annotating Text

1. Annotating Text Short Stories The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Tangerine by Edward Bloor

2. What is annotating? It is writing in a book to show your interaction with the text. It is ACTIVE reading. It makes the invisible visible. It supports understanding of text and critical thinking.

3. What is annotating? It’s having a conversation with the text. It’s questions, comments, opinions, and ideas inspired by the text. It represents your personal interaction with the story. It helps you focus on required aspects of the story such as Author’s Craft.

4. Annotating Techniques: COMMENTS Writing comments in the margins—use any white space available. Writing comments in between or within lines of the text. Writing questions or wonderings. Writing predictions as you read. Recording personal connections with the story.

5. Annotating Techniques: COMMENTS Expressing agreement or disagreement with text. Commenting on the actions or development of a character. Noting a realization or epiphany. Recording discussion points to clarify with others.

6. Annotating Techniques:SYMBOLS • Putting circles, boxes, triangles, or clouds around words or phrases. • Connecting ideas with lines and/or arrows. • Using abbreviations or symbols. • Exclamation points • Stars • Asterisks • Question marks • Numbers

7. Annotating Techniques:HIGHLIGHTING Use this method sparingly (not a lot!) Highlight only a few words or short phrases. Always combine with another technique such as a comment or symbol.

8. Annotating Techniques:UNDERLINING Use this method sparingly (not a lot!) Underline only a few words or short phrases. Always combine with another technique such as a comment or symbol.

9. WARNING! Remember that highlighting or underlining full passages or pages is the same as highlighting or underlining NOTHING because you can’t tell what’s important. Instead use [brackets] to encapsulate important passages AND combine with comments or symbols.

10. Annotating Write your name, class period, and teacher on the inside cover. Use a RED pen to annotate for author’s craft. Use a differentcolor to annotate your questions, COMMENTS (see earlier slide), connections, and clever thoughts. You should make a KEY on the inside cover if you use symbols to annotate.

11. Annotating Annotate multiple times while you read and be prepared to share and discuss your annotations in class. Focus specifically on the elements of Author’s Craft to which you have been introduced. Be aware of how author’s craft affects mood, characterization, and theme.

12. TERMS REVIEW Author’s Craft - Language and techniques the author purposely uses to craft (or create) and enhance a story Mood – A feeling created by the author through his/her use of words Mood can vary from scene to scene, but often longer works (like a novel) have an overall mood as well

13. TERMS REVIEW Characterization – how the author develops a character’s personality through actions, thoughts, words, and physical description Theme – a message about life or human nature that can be inferred by analyzing the events, characters, and outcomes in a novel or literary work

14. Annotation Expectations • Annotation should ADD to the reading experience; it requires time and thought, but should not be too disruptive. • “A” Level Annotation • Annotative markings and comments apparent in every chapter on many pages (appx. 80% of pages or more) • Clear focus on Author’s Craft and mood, characterization, and theme

15. Annotation Expectations • “C” Level Annotation • Annotative markings and comments are sparse and simple (appx. 60% of pages) • Overuse of highlighting/underlining without comment • No clear focus on Author’s Craft • “F” Level Annotation • Incomplete/missing annotation • Pointless and/or random annotation • Little/no written comments

16. Citations http://www.spx.org/departments/english/summerreading/documents/SummerReading-Annotating.pdf http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/annotate.htm http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/reading/critread/pop5b.cfm