Transcript Annotating Texts - T&L Cross Discipline

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
• 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
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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
 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.
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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
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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 experience?
What formula will help me solve this problem?
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
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Of course, you should always pay attention to VOCABULARY.
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A strong vocabulary comes from reading, not from memorizing lists.
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.