What it Takes to be a Great Reader Annotating Text-Using Symbols to Close Read

Annotation/or Annotating text is when a reader takes short notes to record their thinking as they read through a text. GOOD READERS… *Identify important information *Make connections to the text as they read from their own life *Make predictions *Question the text *Ask questions *Identify words that s/he does not know *Make notes while they read In the margin, write brief comments. If the margins are narrow, you may want to use post-it notes.

When writing comments, you may want to: *Underline unfamiliar words *Identify a theme that is being developed *Identify a literary technique *Infer *Ask a thoughtful question or predict an outcome

At 15, she faced a violent mob, death threats, and relentless bullying- just for going to school It's the morning of September 4, Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Eckford is wearing a brand-new dress. Her shoes are polished, and her hair is carefully styled. She is ready for her first day at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. But when she arrives, hundreds of roaring people block the school entrance. "Don't let her in!" they yell. "Go back to where you came from!" Some scream insults. Others spit at her. People shout that she should be killed on the spot. “The Courage to Go to School” So sad! Like any other student Text-to-Self- This would be absolutely awful How can people be so cruel?!?! What is going on? Up until the mid- 190Os, African-Americans living in the South faced unthinkable injustices. Laws kept them from using the same bathrooms, drinking fountains, and public places as white people. African-American children were forced to attend separate schools, which were often overcrowded and run-down. What does this mean? I really cannot believe people could separate others because of skin color

By the time Elizabeth went to Central High, things were starting to change. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that African- Americans must be permitted to attend the same schools as whites. Many, however, fiercely opposed this - and some would stop at nothing to prevent it. Elizabeth was one of the first nine black students to attend the previously all-white Central High. She never made it into school on September 4 - indeed, she was lucky to escape with her life. But she did not give up. On September 25, she and the rest of the "Little Rock Nine" returned to school, escorted by 1,000 soldiers President Dwight D. Eisenhower had sent to protect them. Sadly, Elizabeth's torment did not end there. Inside Central High, students terrorized her. She was hit, kicked, and punched. Yet she didn’t tell her parents how bad it was, afraid they would pull her out. She knew the education at Central High was better than what she could get elsewhere. So day after day, she went to class. The world noticed. Reporters wrote stories about her. She received endless phone calls, letters, and gifts. Today, Elizabeth lives an ordinarily life. But the extraordinary courage she showed more than 50 years ago continues to inspire the world. This really shows how people can be so prejudice toward others Imagine having to worry about attending school!!! WHAT!!! The American school system is a privilege and a right. It is amazing that Elizabeth recognized this. Elizabeth’s courageous acts made her historical and a legend. History books will speak about her forever.