1. ANNOTATION AND CLOSE READING
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Mrs. McAuliffe

2. ANNOTATION VS. NOTE-TAKING
Note – taking: Taking multiple pages of free form notes about a text, separate from the text itself.
Annotating: all info is together and with notes very close to the text for easier understanding, and fewer pieces to keep organized.

3. Disadvantages to Free Form Notes
Incomplete
Too random
Provides little utility when it comes to understanding meaning
Tend to get lost in them forget why we marked something

4. Benefits of Annotating
Improves the depth of your reading
Helps you dissect difficult texts
Extend understanding over long periods of time
Will assist you in the college and business world
You are able to engage the author in conversation and questions (argue, pay a compliment, clarify, question)

5. Tools for Annotating 1. Light colored highlighter(s)
- or a variety of highlighters for color coding
- Highlight whatever seems to be key information (You can use a SOAPStone to help you know what the key information is).
- At first you will probably highlight too little or too heavily
- With experience, you will choose more effectively

6. Tools for Annotating 2. Pencil
- pencil is better than pen because you can make changes.
Create your own system for marking what is important, interesting, quotable, questionable and so forth.
3. Sticky Notes - for when you can’t write directly in or on something

7. Suggested Annotation strategies
1. Circle unknown words
2. Bracket important ideas and/or passages
3. Write questions or comments in the margins – your thoughts or “conversation” with the text
4. Connect ideas with lines or arrows
5. Use numbers in the margin: to indicate the sequence of points the author makes in developing a single argument.
6. Use a star, asterisk, or other doo-dad at the margin (use a consistent symbol).
7. A check mark – I understand
8. ???? - confusing
8. Use !!! When you come across something new, interesting, or surprising

8. Other things to look for…
Don’t worry, if is some of this information seems new or confusing, we will be working out way through it all.
1. The appeals (ethos, logos, pathos)
2. Rhetorical devices + their effect on the audience
3. How the text is organized
4. Shifts in
Tone
Syntax
Diction
Etc…

9. Bad Annotation: I have no way to know what you are thinking, or why you underlined/highlighted something.
Sample
If I have one operating philosophy about life it is this: “Be cool to the pizza delivery dude; it’s good luck.” Four principles guide the pizza dude philosophy Principle 1: Coolness to the pizza delivery dude is a practice in humility and forgiveness. I let him cut me off in traffic, let him safely hit the exit ramp from the left lane, let him forget to use his blinker without extending any of my digits out the window or towards my horn because there should be one moment in my harried life when a car may encroach or cut off or pass and I let it go. Sometimes when I have become so certain of my ownership of my lane, daring anyone to challenge me, the pizza dude speeds by me in his rusted Chevette. His pizza light atop his car glowing like a beacon reminds me to check myself as I flow through the world. After all, the dude is delivering pizza to young and old, families and singletons, gays and straights, blacks, whites and browns, rich and poor, vegetarians and meat lovers alike. As he journeys, I give safe passage, practice restraint, show courtesy, and contain my anger.
Good Annotation: I should be able to follow your “dialogue” with the text and understand your understanding.

10. Using the SOAPstone Responses are NOT - one word answers
- incomplete sentences
- pick and choose
Answer all questions that the strategy prompts you to answer
Responses ARE
- in complete sentences always
- full-bodied (you considered all areas of each portion of the strategy
- thoughtful
Think of the strategy as a baseline for developing an essay response.

11. Good Response
* The photo only features the last page of a 3 page response.
* Additionally, it only features three of the 7 bullet points under the Tone portion of the strategy.
* This student clearly read the text closely (their annotations were shown earlier) and took the time to make thoughtful observations/responses.

12. So….let’s try this again
Homework:
1. Read and annotate the piece.
2. Print the “Annotation Guidelines” handout and put it in your “AP Cheat Sheet” section of your binder. You can refer to it at anytime.
3. Use your thoughtful annotations to help you analyze the text and complete the SOAPSTone.
Remember, in this case, you know exactly what you should be noticing – the SOAPSTone strategy is your guide.