Name:______________________________________
Period: ___________
8th Grade Notice and Note Reading Project
Look through the Notice and Note Guidelines to see what kinds of things to annotate or note take as you engage with the
book. As you read and mark up your text, document one note for each of the following “Signposts.”
ASSIGNMENT: You will complete one annotation sheet for each half of your book.
Be sure to note the location in the book that corresponds to the note.
Remember, use the Annotation Guidelines on the next page and the bookmark we gave you to guide the completion of this
assignment.
*****This is MAJOR GRADE WORTH 60%.******
Due Date: Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
Title of Book:______________________________________________
Author: __________________________________________________
Number of Pages in the book: ________________________________
NOTICE AND NOTE ANNOTATION GUIDELINES – Use this to help you complete the assignment on the following pages.
Signposts & Definitions
Clues to the Signposts (found in text)
Reflections on the Text
Contrasts & Contradictions
A sharp contrast between what we would expect
and what we observe the character doing; behavior
contradicts previous behavior or well-established
patterns. Also contrasts between characters or
situations.
A character behaves or thinks in a way we don’t
expect, or an element of a setting is something we
would not expect.
-Why would the character act or feel this way?
-How do the contrasts between characters help us
understand them?
-How might contrasts between situations help us
predict plot or conflict?
AHA Moment
A character’s realization of something that shifts his
actions or understanding of himself, others, or the
world around him.
Phrases usually expressing suddenness, like:
“Suddenly I understand…”
“It came to me in a flash that…”
“The realization hit me like a lightning bolt…”
“In an instant I knew…”
-How might this knowledge impact the theme?
-How does it change the conflict?
-How does this impact your view of the character, or
characters?
Phrases expressing serious doubt or confusion:
“What could I possibly do to…?”
“I couldn’t imagine how I could cope with…”
“How could I ever understand why she…”
“Never had I been so confused about…”
-What detail/s does this add to your understanding
of the character?
-What does this question make me wonder about?
-What might happen later in the story?
Words of the Wiser
The advice or insight a wiser character – usually
older – offers about life to the main character.
The main character and another are usually off by
themselves in a quiet serious moment, and the
wiser figure shares his wisdom or advice in an effort
to help the main character with a problem or a
decision.
-How might you characterize the wiser character?
-Why should they be trusted?
-What is the life lesson shared at this moment?
-How might the lesson affect the character?
Again & Again
Events, images, or particular words that recur over
a portion of the novel.
A word is repeated, sometimes used in an odd way,
over and over in the story. An image reappears
several times during the course of the book.
Memory Moment
A recollection by a character that interrupts the
forward progress of the story.
The ongoing flow of the narrative is interrupted by a
memory that comes to the character, often taking
several paragraphs to recount before we are
returned to events of the present moment.
-What pattern/s do you notice in the text?
-In what context (who? & what?) is the pattern
appearing?
-Why might the author bring this up again and
again?
-To what big idea might this repeated event, image,
or word be related?
-What does this memory help us understand about
the character?
-How might this memory be important?
Tough Questions
Questions a character raises that reveal his or her
inner struggles.
Directions: As you read and mark up your text, document one note for each of the following “Signposts.” Be sure to note the location in the book that
corresponds to the note. Be prepared to present these annotations and discuss with your peers. Use the Annotation Guidelines handout to guide the
completion of this handout. ASSIGNMENT ANNOTATIONS – FIRST HALF OF BOOK
Directions: As you read and mark up your text, document one note for each of the following “Signposts.”
Signposts
Provide textual evidence
Your reflections (your thinking, not
with page # from text
summary). Use the “Reflections on the
Text” portion of the Annotations
Guidelines handout.
Contrasts &
Contradictions
AHA Moment
Tough Questions
Words of the Wiser
Again & Again
Memory Moment
Directions: As you read and mark up your text, document one note for each of the following “Signposts.” Be sure to note the location in the book that
corresponds to the note. Be prepared to present these annotations and discuss with your peers. Use the Annotation Guidelines handout to guide the
completion of this handout.
READING ANNOTATIONS – SECOND HALF OF BOOK
Signposts
Contrasts &
Contradictions
AHA Moment
Tough Questions
Words of the Wiser
Again & Again
Memory Moment
Provide textual evidence
with page # from text
Your reflections (your thinking, not
summary). Use the “Reflections on the
Text” portion of the Annotations
Guidelines handout.