1. Wednesday, August 26th Great Novels
If you have a completed parent letter to turn in, please turn it in to your assigned class “turn-in” bin.
Please pick up a “Goals and Expectations” worksheet from your assigned bin beneath the flag. Begin working on this immediately. Due 8/28.
I DO NOT want silly answers. I want honest ones. Share something true and honest about you. Give me depth, not surface level.
Today we will be discussing note-taking and annotating.

2. Please have out your notebooks. 
THE ART OF ANNOTATING
The Pathway to Analytical Reading
Please have out your notebooks. 

3. The Art of Annotating First off, what is it?
An annotation is a note that is made while reading any form of text, such as:
Important Things/ Key ideas
Interesting Things
Clarifying Questions/ Answers
Defining Tricky Words
“I Wonder..” Questions
Opinions

4. Connections to the Reading
Connect what you are reading to:
Text to the World = How does this relate to something else in my life – (family, community, world issues, etc.)
Text to Text = How does this relate to something else I’ve read? (This reminds me of a poem, a story, a song, a novel…)
Text to Self = How does this relate to me? (Experiences, values, passions, etc.)

5. ASK QUESTIONS About historical events/people. Why is this significant?
About information you don’t understand.

6. Where do I annotate? Write directly on the text (when allowed).
On post-it notes throughout the text.
In your notebook along side the text (noting page numbers for easy referral).

7. Your understanding of the author’s ideas and intentions.
A “GOOD” ANNOTATION
WILL BALANCE
written ideas composed from your own personal thoughts, connections, and ideas
WITH
Your understanding of the author’s ideas and intentions.

8. A few examples of “unproductive” annotations:
Gatsby—who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If
personality is a series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous
about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were
related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand
miles away (Fitzgerald 3).
So, Gatsby represents what he doesn’t like.
He’s good looking.
Huh?

9. Thursday, August 27th
Bell work: Turn in any completed parent letters or “Goals and Expectations” sheets to your class bin.
Have out your annotation notes from yesterday, we will be re-capping them quickly for the juniors who were out yesterday for the meeting.

10. ANNOTATIONS - WRAP UP
Underline, star, highlight, box, circle whatever words, phrases or sentences that catch your attention.
Write brief comments on post-it notes or in the text about:
Observations
What you are reminded of
Questions you have
Ideas that occur to you
Concepts you agree or disagree with
Any connections you are making
Summary comments
Identify vocabulary

11. Now that we have an idea of what annotation is and isn’t…
Let’s put it to use!
We will practice on a few short stories this week before we move onto novels next week. 
Reading Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” + Annotating/ Discussing
HW: Finish reading and annotating the short story.

12. Paragraph #1 – What should we annotate? Why?
I learned to read with a Superman comic book. Simple enough, I suppose. I cannot recall which particular Superman comic book I read, nor can I remember which villain he fought in that issue. I cannot remember the plot, nor the means by which I obtained the comic book. What I can remember is this: I was 3 years old, a Spokane Indian boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington state. We were poor by most standards, but one of my parents usually managed to find some minimum-wage job or another, which made us middle-class by reservation standards. I had a brother and three sisters. We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food.

13. On your own: Paragraph #2 – What did you annotate? Why?
1st – Did you underline? Circle? Write in the margins?
2nd – What did you identify?
Important Things/ Key ideas
Interesting Things
Clarifying Questions/ Answers
Defining Tricky Words
“I Wonder..” Questions
Opinions
Connections to other texts, the world, your self
Must include AT LEAST three annotations.

14. To proceed…
Read the remaining text on your own or with a partner (annotating as you go).
As you read, consider:
What do you think is the most important sentence in this essay? Why?
What do you think is the most important paragraph? Why?

15. HW
Skim the list of books most commonly read by high school students. Identify the ones you have read.
(This is less for educational purposes and more
for fun.)
Choose ONE of the “Why Reading Matters” stories from the packet to read and annotate it. (At least 5.)
Then, write your own 2-3 paragraph “Why Reading Matters” journal on the back page of the packet. You may use “Superman and Me” and/or your annotated “Why Reading Matters” as inspiration. 