Close Reading and Annotation

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Close Reading and Annotation

• AP English 11
• Language and Composition

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Thinking Notes

• A way to mark the text as you read to record your
  initial thoughts.
• Yes agree
• X disagree
• new
• ! WOW
• ? I wonder
• ?? dont understand
• important

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Read Aloud Strategies

• When you read aloud, you need to
• Hear the voice of the speaker
• Discern the tone and rhythm of the piece
• Understand meanings and sounds of unfamiliar
  words
• Mark the text to provide yourself with cues about
  how to read when you actually read aloud.
• Pause and think about the structure and meaning
  of the passage or poem.

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Close Reading Strategies

• Questioning
• Ask questions about what is happening
• Explore (determine) reasons for what is going on
  in the story
• Explain how a character feels
• Write down what confuses you
• Determine why the author chose some distinctive
  words

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Close Reading Strategies

• Connecting and Reflecting
• Describe similarities between what you are
  reading and what you have experienced
• Explore the ways this book (piece of reading)
  makes you feel
• Describe similarities between what you are
  reading and what you have heard or read about

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Close Reading Strategies

• Predicting
• What will happen next?
• How will the piece end?
• Reviewing
• Stop at times to review what you have read
• Summarize

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Close Reading Strategies

• Evaluating
• Form opinions about what you read
• Develop images and ideas about characters and
  events
• Think about how this book compares to others you
  have read

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Close Reading Strategies

• Citing Quotations
• Cite parts of the work that you think are
  examples of good writing
• Comment on your thoughts about each quotation

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Close Reading Strategies

• Recognizing Words
• Use context clues to determine meaning
• Consult a dictionary

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Close Reading Strategies

• Self-Correction
• Read to make sense
• Read on
• Reread

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Annotating the Text

• Here are a few ways to annotate a text
• Highlight or underline key words or sentences.
• Bracket important passages
• Connect related ideas with lines
• Outline the main ideas in the margin
• Circle words to be defined
• Write brief comments and questions in the margins
• Place an asterisk beside something unusual,
  special, or important
• Label important events in the plot at the top of
  the page or with a post-it note