“How to Mark a Book” Adler’s Strategies

Adler’s Key Points: Soul of book vs. body Ownership of book – Three kinds of book owners Soul of book vs. body Why mark? 1. Stay awake 2. Thinking shown through writing 3. Remember ideas Active reading Why writing is important – “you don’t really know something until you write it down” Where to write Purpose – develop a “conversation” with author

Front and back end papers Different speeds of reading Adler lists 7 methods Front and back end papers Different speeds of reading Lending books to others

1. Underlining Major points Forceful statements Label these

2. Vertical Lines in Margin To emphasize a statement. I usually comment on these. Commentary is the most important aspect of annotation. It demonstrates YOUR INTERACTION with the text.

3. Star or other doo-dad Used sparingly. Code system To emphasize the ten or twenty important statements in a book Or 2-3 important statements in an article (depends on article length)

4. Numbers in the Margin To indicate sequence of points the author makes in developing a single argument. Helpful for AP Test! There are some sequencing questions.

5. Numbers of other pages in margin To indicate where else in the book or article the author makes relevant points. This ability to cross-reference is an important critical reading skill. Helpful for AP Test! Questions may ask you to distinguish examples made of previous points.

6. Circling of key words or phrases I use this to help me determine the tone, the subject, and any shifts in thought or tone…to name a few. Again, commentary makes these markings more significant and useful.

7. Writing in the margin, top, or bottom Used to record questions or answers Reduce a complicated passage to a simple statement Record author’s points I use this to note the tone of the passage.