ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES

ANNOTATING A TEXT

Planning Points

Approximate Time Needed: 1 day
Correlation to English I SCS: 1.02, 2.01, 4.02, 5.01, 6.01
Correlation to NC High School Exit Exam Competencies: C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, PI9,

Lesson Objectives:

Students will learn how to "mark up" a text to increase their reading comprehension and understanding of literary techniques.

Materials Needed:

"Ideas for Annotating A Text" Handout

Description:

To introduce the idea of annotating, the teacher should choose a short passage from a work the students are reading. A passage can be defined as 1 to 2 paragraphs or roughly a half page to one page of text.

• The teacher should type the passage on a piece of paper, using 14 pt or higher and leaving ample margin space.
• Give each student a copy of the passage.
• Make an overhead transparency of the passage. Have the overhead on as you finish the rest of the activity.
• Ask one student to read the passage aloud, to "honor the text."
• Ask the class to identify the context of the passage that was just read"what was happening before or after it in the story.
• Ask another student to read the passage again. This time, as the passage is read, students should "mark it up."
• Guidelines for what and how to mark can be found on the handout, "Ideas for Annotating A Text." Verbally, give students examples of how you might mark a text. Circle words you don"t know and jot ideas that come to mind in the margins. Some of these ideas are literary, like theme and characterization, but many are simply reactions to what is going on or a summary of the action.
• Ask students to share an example of what and how they annotated. The teacher should be prepared to ask follow up questions, such as, "Why did you underline that part? Why was that particular section meaningful to you? Does anyone know the definition of that word?"
• As students share, write their examples of annotation on the passage that is on the overhead. This way the whole class can see that there is no one way to annotate. They will also see that it can be quite messy and that many students had the same questions about the text as they did. This oral sharing and writing in the sample annotations is critical to the success of the activity. Even the most reluctant student can "get something" out of the passage because the class is honoring the need to ask questions and acknowledging when they don"t know what a word means.
• Important: At this stage the teacher should be careful not to censor what a student shares. Write all examples on the overhead. If a student gives a response that is questionable, push him towards clarification.
• Depending on the skill level of your class, you may want to read the passage a third time looking only for literary techniques. Some classes will naturally begin to identify these when they begin to annotate. Others, however, may need more time to focus on comprehension and may be overwhelmed and shut down if asked to do too much too quickly.

Follow-up Activities:

• If this is the first time the group has tried annotation, you may want to practice it again the next day, perhaps in small groups. Give each group a different passage and ask them to follow the directions outlined above. You could also give a new passage as homework and the class could discuss their annotations the following day.
• Once students are comfortable with the concept of marking a text, you can use it throughout the school year. Before starting a new book, you could select a passage to "hook" the students. Have them annotate and discuss it as a way of predicting and introducing the concepts in the text. After assigning a set of chapters or whole book, use it as a way of starting a class discussion. Select passages that "get at" the core concepts in the text.
• Annotating works well with students who are reluctant readers and participators. Even if a student has not read the novel you assigned, he can at least read one page of text and comment on it. Also, the process of annotating values reading as a constructive tas

Assessment:

When assessing annotation, look to see how much students interacted with the text. Did they use a combination of annotation techniques, such as summarizing, theme identification, and observation? Did they attempt to look up words? Did they have personal response?

Teacher's Notes:

Ideas for Annotating A Text

Underline, star, highlight, box, circle whatever words, phrases, or sentences that catch your attention.
Write brief comments in the margins

• observations about what is being said or done
• what you are reminded of (people, feelings, places, moods)
• questions you have
• ideas that occur to you
• things that you agree or disagree with
• any connections you are making
• summary comments
• identify themes being developed
• any literary devices being used

Example:

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