Because of that, annotating becomes a way for you, the reader, to engage in a conversation with the writer. When you annotate, you can underline or highlight main ideasThe most important or central thought of a reading selection. It also includes what the author wants the reader to understand about the topic he or she has chosen to write about. and supporting detailsStatements within a reading that tie directly to major details that support the main idea. These can be provided in examples, statistics, anecdotes, definitions, descriptions, or comparisons within the work. , as well as ask questions of the writer, disagree with the writer, or connect your own experiences to what the writer is relating in the text. These annotations become your reference pointsAnnotations, such as notes or highlights one makes in a work, providing places to come back to when participating in classroom discussions or when writing an essay on a work. when you get involved in classroom discussions or when you write a responseA written analysis of a reading that shows understanding and fosters deep thinking about a work., summaryA brief restatement of an author’s main idea and major supporting details. Summaries are factual and should be written in the third-person with an objective point of view., or essayA short piece of writing that focuses on at least one main idea. Some essays are also focused on the author's unique point of view, making them personal or autobiographical, while others are focused on a particular literary, scientific, or political subject. about the reading.
Annotating texts is a study technique you will use to improve your overall reading comprehension, which will help you understand the class contentThe text in a writing that includes facts, thoughts, and ideas. The information that forms the body of the work. and be prepared for quizzes, tests, or essays that you will write. In your college career, you will typically have exams that cover multiple chapters in a text, which means that you may read something and discuss the ideas in class, but you may not be tested on that material until a month later. Annotating allows you to refresh your memory about the key concepts without having to reread an entire chapter.
Annotations are used in most professional careers, as well, whether it is annotating a set of blueprints in the construction industry to help superintendents and foremen remember key issues on the plans or annotating legal briefs and case law to help attorneys win a court case. Anytime you read a text or a set of instructions and make notes to yourself, you are annotating.
The following short essay about money has been annotated using different color highlights.
Color Key:
Yellow = Definition
Green = Topic, Main Idea, Supporting Details, Author's Purpose
Blue = Notes connecting ideas or life experience
Chiclet When I was a child, one of the fascinating things about Mexico was the peso. It seemed so exotic, and in my ten-year-old world, I loved how one U.S. dollar equaled ten Mexican pesos. Ten for one! I was suddenly rich. This was my first experience with the idea that the value of money was something made up, and that we, as either citizens of the world or of a country, all agree to the value of money even though the paper and coins have no real value by themselves. They are not like gold or copper, things that have a clear purpose such as conducting electricity or being formed into pipe to move water around. Money, on the other hand, is just a piece of paper that can't do anything except be money. In Mexico, the peso didn't seem to have a value to me. It felt like Monopoly money. It was colorful, and the coins had weight. But I was never sure what items were worth because I always had to do the math to relate prices back to the U.S. dollar. Ten pesos for a small package of Chiclets (gum) seemed reasonable, and it sure made the kid salesman on the beach happy to have struck such a deal. | Chiclet = kind of gum This seems like a supporting detail, but can it come before the main idea? Supporting Idea #1 This seems to be the main idea Supporting idea #2 Aren't pennies made of copper? Does that make them more useful? I have never seen a peso. My grandfather had some Italian money that looked cool. Supporting idea #3 Ten pesos = one dollar, which is a lot of money for gum. |
Now, look at the annotations and see how they help answer the following questions.
1. Are there any words or phrases that need to be defined?
Chiclet is a Spanish word for a type of candy gum.
2. Are the main idea, supporting ideas, and author's purpose identified?
Yes, the main idea is clearly marked, and even though there is some question as to the supporting ideas, they are marked. The author's purpose is not yet certain.
The main idea is "...the value of money..."
The supporting points are 1) "...the value of money was something made up..." 2) "...paper and coins have no real value..." and, 3) the writer had to "...relate prices back to the U.S. dollar..."
3. Are there connecting ideas and life experience marked?
Yes, one of the writer's supporting details is questioned and the personal experience with Italian money is connected to the peso.
Read the following essay about winning the lottery and annotate the text by answering the questions using the highlighted portions of the text as hints.
Color Key:
Yellow = Definition
Green = Topic, Main Idea, Supporting Details, Author's Purpose
Blue = Notes connecting ideas or life experience
Winner I always enjoy dreaming about what I'd do if I won the lottery, but not just any old lottery—a big one, like the recent Powerball jackpot that was over $600 million. I know that my chances of winning it all are slim to none, but the pleasure of the dream is worth the two bucks I spend every now and then. All I can think of is the $600 million! That's serious money. What I like most about the dream is thinking about what I'd do with all the money that I wouldn't need. I figured that I could live off of the interest of $20 million. The interest alone would give me one to two million dollars to live off of every year, which I think I could I do, leaving me a few hundred million dollars to play with. What would you do with a few hundred million dollars? Buy a jet? The Jets? Start a foundation to help people? The reality, of course, which we read about in the newspapers, is that this is not what happens to the lucky winners of the lottery. It may be fun at first, but most lottery winners either spend too much of their money and wind up in debt or the winnings make them less happy because the relationships in their family completely change. It's hard becoming the powerful patriarch of a family when you're used to being the uncle who occasionally works the grill at family barbeques. Still, it's fun to dream, and I think I could handle the transition to becoming Mr. Moneybags. | |
1. What are the words or phrases that need to be defined?
Patriarch: the male head of a family
2. List the author's the main idea, supporting details, and purpose as identified in the essay.
Main Idea
"I know that my chances of winning it all are slim to none, but the pleasure of the dream is worth the two bucks..."
Supporting ideas
"What I like most about the dream is thinking about what I'd do with all the money..." and "...this is not what happens to the lucky winners of the lottery."
Author's purpose
To tell a story about what would be great about winning the lottery. "...I think I could handle the transition to becoming Mr. Moneybags."
3. What are the connecting ideas and life experience marked in the essay?
"What would you do with a few hundred million dollars? Buy a jet? The Jets? Start a foundation to help people?"
Sample annotation: I would buy my mom a bigger house and make sure that she never had to work if she didn't want to, but I don't think I would buy the New York Jets because they are not my favorite football team.
"...the uncle who occasionally works the grill at family barbeques."
Sample annotation: It would be great if my Uncle Bill won the lottery because he is the most generous person I know.
What types of "texts" other than textbooks do you think you can annotate?
I could annotate novels, magazines, recipes, instructions, and even my checkbook register.
How will annotating help you in college and beyond?
I always have a difficult time with mid-term exams and final exams. Annotating will make studying for those easier. I think it will help in my future career because annotating will help me organize my thoughts when I have to read something for work.