Close Reading by
Annotating Text
Can Highlighters Really Promote
Reading and Writing?
What is
close reading?
The thoughtful, disciplined reading of text.
Also called active reading, critical reading,
and others.
Sheridan Blau teaches in the departments of English and
education at the University of California, Santa Barbara,
where he also directs the South Coast Writing Project.
His believes that, “Over-instruction or giving predigested
interpretations to students results in a limited conception of
what competent readers go through to produce meanings from
what they read. Most student readers function largely as welfare
recipients in the economy of literary and other academic
interpretation and instruction. We want to give students the
experience of successfully interpreting difficult text, and liberate
students from interpretive welfare.”
“Highlighting for Understanding of Complex Text”
Judy Willis, M.D, M.Ed., Teacher: Santa Barbara Middle School
What is
annotating text?
Annotating text is the act of taking notes directly on
the text you are studying. The notes can be
underlining, circling, adding notes in the margin, or
even adding symbols.
Annotating Supports Writing
Lesson Outline:
O Find an article that is content and reading-level appropriate.
O Define an annotating protocol for the article.
O Have students fill out an anticipation guide.
O Have students read the article and mark it according to the
protocol.
O Have groups design a Collaborative Poster (15 min.).
O Have a Gallery Walk to view posters and write any details that you
missed during the reading (3 min.).
O Begin draft of one-pager.
Your Turn
Time to annotate an article on your own.
http://kellygallagher.org
Works Cited
Zywica, Jolene & Gomez, Kimberley. (2008) Annotating to support
learning in the content areas: teaching and learning science.
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(2), pp. 155-164.
Porter-O’Donnell, Carol. (2004) Beyond the yellow highlighter: teaching
annotation skills to improve reading comprehension. English
Journal, 93(5), pp. 82-89.
Woolston, Chris. (2012) Sports drinks role often overplayed. Los Angeles
Times. Retrieved from
http://kellygallagher.org/resources/articles.html
Willis, Judy. (2005) Highlighting for understanding of complex text.
Retrieved from http://www.radteach.com/page1/styled9/index.html