1. Annotating Texts and Taking Notes
Group Tutorial

2. What is annotating? Highlighting Underlining Circling
Making notes in the margin of the text

3. How do I begin? Start with some pre-reading strategies.
Identify the titles, subheadings, and important text features
Skim the text
Predict what it is about
Try to identify some key vocabulary words

4. Strategies Create some questions about the text
Examples:
Who is ____ ?
What is ____ ?
When did ____ ?
Why do ____?
How does ____?
Write these in the margin of your text, on a separate paper, or post-it.
Your goal while reading is to find the answers to your questions.

5. Strategies Highlighting
The biggest mistake students make when annotating is highlighting too much.
Focus on only topic sentences and really important ideas.

6. Highlighting
You may want to use different colors for different purposes.
Examples:
Green– Main ideas
Yellow– Important details

7. Strategies Underlining
This strategy can be a way to remind yourself of things you still need to review or look up.
As your read, when you come across something that you still don’t understand, underline the sentence.

8. Strategies
As you read, try circling words you know are important and word you need to look up or study.
This can help you do a quick review later on by quizzing yourself on the circled words.

9. Strategies Making notes in the margins
Use the space around the edge of the page to keep notes for yourself, point out connections between ideas, and ask or answer questions.
If your text does not have enough room, use paper or a post-it note.

10. Review Now review everything you highlighted by reading it again.
Discuss what you selected with your group.

11. Review
Look at all the underlined sections and circled words. Can you figure them out by discussing them with your group?
Use additional resources such as your glossary, index, dictionaries, or the internet to figure out these difficult words and phrases.

12. Review
Reread your notes in the margins. Discuss what you wrote down with your group.
Reread the questions you wrote about the text before you began.
Are they relevant questions?
If so, can you answer them?
Reread the text as needed.

13. Taking Notes Now you will use your annotated text to take notes.
Discuss what should go on the notes with your group.
You may use the Cornell Notes template or your own paper.

14. Discussion Activity
Use the whiteboard or a large sheet of paper for this final activity.
Review all the main points on your notes with your group.
Determine the most important and write them out with markers.
Add one important detail for each idea you write down.
Come up with an image or symbol that visually represents each idea and add it to the board.
Finally, discuss these ideas and details aloud.
Each person should take a turn summarizing something on the board.