Reading, Annotating, &

NotetakingEnglish 101

Ms. Brown

READING AND ANNOTATING

Presentation Agenda

Reading environment

Reading supplies

Preparing to read

Reading

Quick Think Marks

Annotating, Note taking, Listing, and Highlighting

Paraphrasing or Summarizing

Recording vocabulary and/or key terms

Activity: Reading and Annotating “Where Does Creativity Come from?” (Science Article)

Questions and Answers

READING TECHNIQUES

Presentation Objectives

By the end of this presentation you will have

learned:

◦ Methods for reading and annotating in college

This presentation should help you with:

◦ Reading and comprehending your assignments

◦ Taking notes and studying

◦ Improving your vocabulary

Reading Environment•Does where we study matter?

•Why or why not?

Reading Environment

Indoors

◦ Library

◦ Study Room

◦ Bedroom

◦ Kitchen

◦ Indoor Café (Panera Bread)

◦ Can you think of other indoor places?

Outdoors

◦ Park bench

◦ Patio

◦ Grassy knoll

◦ Beach

◦ Outdoor Café (Starbucks)

◦ Can you think of other outdoor places?

READING ENVIRONMENT

Forming reading circles, book

clubs, or studying in groups

can enhance your learning

experience!

Also, try creating a reading

schedule for yourself from

week-to-week. This will help

you from falling behind

deadlines!

CLASS READING CIRCLE OR TEXTBOOK CLUB:

READING ENVIRONMENT Sometimes, our electronic

devices become a hindrance

rather than a help to us.

If you find yourself checking

your cell phone often for

messages or social updates,

take a break! Turn off the

device for a set amount of

time (20 minutes perhaps) to

give yourself uninterrupted

study time.

Reading Supplies•What supplies do you need to read an assignment?

Reading Supplies

Your book(s)

Paper for notes

Pen/Pencil

Highlighter

Ruler

Magnifying glass

Post-it notes, flags, and/or a bookmark

Ear buds, noise-cancelling headphones, etc.

Dictionary

Lamp

Glasses

Water and/or snack

A watch or timer

◦ Can you think of others?

Preparing to Read•How do you initiate your reading time?

•What are some methods you can use to make your

reading successful?

Flip through your book!

First, scanning pages

helps you investigate

the length of your

material!

Take note of the

following:

1. ) Pictures

2. ) Subheadings

3. ) Charts

4. ) And anything else

that catches your eye,

but do not write

anything down yet.

Warm up the brain!

Next, read the last

page of your material.

1.) Is there a chapter

summary?

2.) Are there reading

questions?

If so, read the

information, but do

not write anything

down yet.

Engage yourself with the material.

Finally, read the first

page of your

material.

1.) What is the title of

your reading? What is

the date?

2.) Who is the author? Is

there a bio?

3.) Is there a pre reading

question that will get

you thinking about the

reading assignment

before you begin?

Read but don’t write

yet!

Reading•How many times should you read an assignment?

•Why?

Reading

Ahead of Schedule…◦ Read the assignment a first

time without making notes.

◦ If your eyes get tired, take a break!

◦ If you get lost, use a ruler or bookmark to read line-by-line.

◦ Read the assignment a second time to annotate the text.

◦ Read the assignment a third time to study your annotations and to write your own notes and summary.

Behind schedule…◦ Read the assignment and use

quick think marks in the margins.

◦ Remember to take breaks so you don’t get stiff!

◦ Take notes as you go along and be sure to highlight sparingly!

Quick Think Marks•What are quick think marks?

•How do I use quick think marks on my reading?

Quick Think Marks

As you read, draw a

question mark next

to passages that

make you think of a

question. Write the

question directly on

the text!

Keep reading…

Quick Think Marks

As you read, draw an

exclamation point

next to passages that

shock or surprise

you. Underline the

text.

Keep reading…

Quick Think Marks

As you read, draw a

star next to

important passages

(main idea, examples,

important details).

Write notes,

underline, or

highlight the text.

Keep reading…

Quick Think Marks

As you read, draw a

heart or smile next

to what made you

laugh or smile. Use

brackets [ ] around

the text.

Keep reading…

Annotating, Note taking, Listing,

and Highlighting•What’s the difference between annotating and note taking?

•Are they necessary in a reading assignment?

•How often should you use a highlighter?

Annotate… Note…

Your reaction

Thesis statements and/or

topic sentences

Support points and

examples

Questions you have next to

reading sections that

confuse you

Concrete details:

◦ Names

◦ Dates, places, events

◦ List evidence/support

◦ Numbers and

Quantities/Statistics

◦ Words and their definitions

◦ Paraphrase or summarize your

reading

Annotations vs. Note Taking

Example of Annotating

Example of Note Taking

Highlight primarily

the following:

Use your highlighter responsibly!

1. Facts

2. Examples

3. Quotes

4. Key terms and

definitions

This helps us access

important

material quickly!

Recording Key Terms and/or

Vocabulary•What makes a word a “vocabulary” word?

•Why do these words matter?

•How do we improve our vocabulary?

Recording Key Terms and/or

Vocabulary Key terms are words

that are significant. They can appear as “jargon” in a text as well.

We find key terms often in bold, italics, underlined, in subheadings, etc.

Key terms teach us something relevant to the material.

Recording Key Terms and/or

Vocabulary Vocabulary words can be

familiar or unfamiliar to us. Unlike some key terms, vocabulary words can be memorable.

These words often “color” the writing, make it more interesting, and enhance our reading experience.

Using a dictionary is important. Writing the word and definition down improves your ability to remember the word. Using that word in a sentence deepens your understanding!

Recording Vocabulary and/or

Key Terms

•Key terms are relevant to the material we’re studying. Sometimes, they can even be technical terms. These words are often in bold, italics, or underlined.

•Vocabulary words are words that can be familiar or unfamiliar to us. These words “color” the material to make it vivid or interesting.

•It’s important to highlight and note key terms and vocabulary words. This will help us understand the material better!

Q&A