How to have a conversation with a text Annotation How to have a conversation with a text

What is your purpose in reading? What are you looking for? A: Literary Elements, common themes, rhetorical devices, an answer to a question, support a claim, to make a connection.

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How do I know what to highlight? A: If it’s confusing, if it’s interesting, if there is a relationship or connection to something else, if I have a question I want answered, if I find text that supports a claim I want to make, etc.

A: Find a system that works for you and use it. What do I highlight? What do I circle? What do I underline? A: Find a system that works for you and use it.

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When do I write in the margins, and what do I write? A: Annotation is a conversation with the text. So, write a question you would ask your teacher to gain clarity. Ask a question that would be worth further discussion/analysis in a small group. Summarize what you have just read. Write down connections you are making

What do I do with my annotations when I am done? A: You can use them to study so you don’t have to go back though the entire text again. You are simply looking at the notes you made and the lines you highlighted, underlined and/or circled. You can used your annotations to aid you in class/small group discussion. You can remember to ask questions you want answered. You can easily find textual evidence you need when writing a paper (making a claim).

Crash Course on How and Why We Read