![]() ![]() Create an outline while readingĭiagraming the key characters, events, or ideas in a text can help a reader get a better sense of the big picture. Then, they can read and highlight in different colors according to each guiding question or area of focus. When students don’t know what it is they are looking for, they become susceptible to “yellow page syndrome.” It can help for readers to first think of one or a few different questions or ideas they want to focus on as they read. While highlighting is the quickest and most convenient form of annotation, it is also the least engaging. They can use a separate piece of paper, or better yet, post-it notes. Annotations don’t always need to be on the page of text. Paraphrasing information forces students to engage more deeply with the text, thereby making more meaning of it. In order to better understand important points from a text, students should practice noting those points in their own words. Teach kids the following annotation strategies to deepen their understanding of a text: 1. They should also remember that there isn’t one way to annotate correctly. Instead, students should understand that effective annotations can turn a passive reader into an active reader. Alternatively, other children are afraid to annotate at all because they fear they won’t do it “right.” And others still just see it is an annoying extra step, rather than a valuable reading tool. For example, highlighting is one of the most popular ways to annotate, yet so many students fall prey to “yellow page syndrome.” Kids end up highlighting everything because they aren’t sure what is most important. They don’t understand how and what to annotate, or realize how important it is. And, once again, as we link student’s visual experience into their ever growing language arts skills we strengthen their ways of interacting and communicating with the world.Annotating while reading text is a powerful way for students to become more active and engaged readers, but many don’t know where to begin. Considering annotation as a critical and creative activity, we can design and practice this skill in a multitude of ways. Strong readers often mark texts and this visual work is deeply linked to the reading experience. When we have a text and the text is ours, annotating becomes our visual record of the reading experience. Once the text was theirs, they were free to ‘mark’ the text, to visually interact with the text, to tell the text what they see, feel, think, and/or remember. When I taught our ESOL transitional class I secured the funds to buy students a copy of one of the books we read. Defined in this manner, what a person, a teacher, a student, a reader chooses to annotate and how is open ended. The key is the framework and to think of annotation as a visual record of the reading experience. Even with similar instructions the annotations above are different. I don’t think the exact assignment or annotative directive is always the key. I can’t tell you how many texts I’ve seen highlighted in yellow with little or no explanation.Īnnotative student work on Henry Petroski’s The Evolution of Useful Things As you can see below, the text/ the essay becomes it’s own visual record. ![]() ![]() So, for example, if I were to ask students to annotate parts of the text that seemed difficult I would request highlighting in a particular color with some comment. From this delightful conversation, I began to experiment with colors as a way of marking texts. Years ago in conversation with a friend during a seminar on reading and writing, we discussed a method of annotating texts. Easily accessible, all these words and images can seem distant from any kind of classroom practice. Seus, Simms Taback, Rosemary Wells or Chris Ware, Marjane Satrapi or even Tom Phillips. We have such a wonderful history of visual texts and the contemporary examples for readers of all ages abounds - think Dr. If we have happened upon an exhibit on or offline, we might recall illuminated manuscripts. When we think of visual design and books, we might consider children’s picture books, or comics. ![]()
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