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Annotating Texts. How To Take Notes in Your Book. Adaptation by Sharon Fulmer, Tiffany Holmes, & Laura Hayes The Academy of Irving, Texas, 2008. Good Reading Background. Most reading is skimmed When you need to learn, reading requires close attention Good reading is hard work
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Annotating Texts How To Take Notes in Your Book Adaptation by Sharon Fulmer, Tiffany Holmes, & Laura Hayes The Academy of Irving, Texas, 2008
Good ReadingBackground • 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
Annotations: An Overview • No one “right” way to annotate (take notes) as you read • General principles for good annotating to keep in mind • Write marginal notes in the text • Taking Notes is not just summarizing. Ask questions and write and comments • Close reading takes time • Taking time as you read will save you time and anxiety later as you discuss & write about the text
Previewing: Before You Annotate • Find a quiet place with no distractions (this means no music, cell phone, 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?
Annotation Guidelines • Create your own code / symbols, cont. • Mark • main idea • supporting details • key terms • cause and effect • explanations (Now brainstorm key concepts with your table) • 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 experience? • What formula will help me solve this problem? • 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. slope hypothesis socioeconomic ramifications