+

+ Close Reading & Annotation Or: Here’s what you’re going to do with the text so you can answer the questions later

+ Phase One: Pre-Reading What assumptions can you make about the text from the title? What does the title suggest to you? What do you think the subject of the text is going to be? What purpose might this text serve? Look at the first paragraph or even just the first few sentences of the text. What does this introduction suggest to you? Are there headings for chapters and/or major sections? Are there images, graphs, or other visual elements? If so, what can you expect to learn from these? Scan the conclusion of the text. What does the author consider most important for the audience to remember, and why is it important?

+ Phase Two: Active Reading THINGS TO LOOK FOR OR WRITE DOWN: Underline words or phrases that seem important. Circle words you do not know or words that pop up more than once. Look up the words you do not know, and write the definition next to them. Write ideas and comments in the margin that come to you as you read. If something in a text reminds you of something, write down what that line reminds you of and why. ! ! If something surprises you or seems funny, put an exclamation point by it. ? ? If something confuses you or does not make sense, put a question mark there so you know where to go back and re- read more closely. Jot down a couple of words that describe the tone. If the tone changes, mark where it happens. Keep track of certain images that seem to stand out or reoccur. You might use stars in the margin for this.

+ Sad Book-No Annotations

+ Happy Books! Lots of Annotations!

+ Phase Two: Active Reading Cont’d QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF: How do you feel about what is happening in the text? Where is the text headed? Why is it headed in that direction? How do certain word choices or images make you feel? What does the text remind you of? What do you think the author’s purpose is at different points in the text, and does it seem to change at any point?

+ Phase Two: Active Reading Cont’d Annotation for Context Context: The circumstances surrounding the creation and reception of a text. For example, the personal associations of readers, the biographical backgrounds of writers, related historical events, and political purposes can all contribute to a text’s context. The best contexts to study are those that illuminate the meanings and uses of the text. Annotation to Understand and Respond to an Argument Argument: The overall claim that an essay makes. An essay’s argument should be summarized in its thesis statement. Arguments must be debatable, meaning that they must make a claim which a reasonable person could object to.

+ Phase Three: Reviewing for Analysis ObservationsInferences

+ Phase Three: What is analysis? The act of explaining how and why a written or visual text does something and whether or not it does so effectively. Analysis goes beyond summary and description; summary/description explains what is happening with a topic, while analysis explains how and why something is happening. Analysis is the act of breaking a text into parts and examining how those parts create a message and affect a reader’s or viewer’s response. Analytical statements reveal careful consideration of the text beyond just its main point and open up a space for a dialogue.

+ Phase Three: Other Ideas for Analysis Sketching, drawing, other visualizations Idea Mapping Section Summaries Look for and/or list patterns or anomalies (things that do not fit the patterns). Try to determine their significance. Do a bit of background research on the author or the topic of the essay. Does this help illuminate any new ideas about the piece?

+ Now, go forth and annotate all the things!

+ Short Answer Questions for Kaffir Boy 1. How does the narrator’s view of education change? 2. How does the narrator’s view of his mother change? 3. Why do the gangs appeal to the narrator? 4. Why does the narrator’s father beat his mother? 5. Why does the narrator’s mother feel so strongly about education? 6. Why does the narrator’s mother make sacrifices for her son?