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.
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Adapted from The Bedford Reader and The Little, Brown Reader
Adaptation by Laura Hayes
What does it mean to ANNOTATE a
piece of text?
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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
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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
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Adapted from The Bedford Reader and The Little, Brown Reader
Adaptation by Laura Hayes
Previewing: Before You Annotate
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In what was it published?
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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?
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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.
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Helps you focus and stay alert.
Create your own code / symbols & be CONSISTENT with your system.
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Abbreviate using things such as brackets, stars, exclamation points
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Keep a list of characters & their key traits
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A good place: inside cover of the book
Add brief notes to your lists as you read
Look for patterns
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What ideas do you see repeated?
What connections can you draw between different concepts?
Annotation Guidelines
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Create your own code / symbols, cont.
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When you ANNOTATE mark:
main idea
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supporting details
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key terms
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cause and effect
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Explanations
Underline/highlight – CAUTION: Use this sparingly.
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Underline/highlight only a few words.
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Never underline an entire passage.
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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.
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Take your time as you begin a new text.
Ask yourself many questions as you begin:
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Try to make a quick note on the top of each page indicating the most
important point there.
Ask questions (essential to active reading).
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Are there any fallacies in the text?
How does this relate to your everyday or life experiences?
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.
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A strong vocabulary comes from reading, not from memorizing lists.
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Your text includes many words that will be new to you.
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Mark these words.
Try to determine meaning from the context.
If you are really puzzled by a word, look it up.
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Dictionary.com has an app that is free.
When will you need to annotate a text
for this class?
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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!
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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.