HOW TO ANNOTATE IN AP III SOME NOTES ON MAKING NOTES

THE CASE AGAINST ANNOTATIONS THE CASE AGAINST ANNOTATIONS (ADVANCED BY FRUSTRATED, OVERWORKED HONORS STUDENTS) Annotating takes too long! Annotating makes reading a tedious exercise! Annotating makes you focus on small things at the expense of big pictures! Annotating takes an aesthetic achievement and reduces it to a sterile cadaver to be dissected! Annotating is dumb!

THE REBUTTAL (ADVANCED BY MOUNTAINS OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL TEACHER EXPERIENCE) Annotating takes too long! Annotating makes reading a tedious exercise! Annotating makes you focus on small things at the expense of big pictures! Annotating takes an aesthetic achievement and reduces it to a sterile cadaver to be dissected! Annotating is dumb! The more you do it, the less time it requires. The tedium gradually lessens as your sensitivity to text develops. This is why we try to read things twice. Your second time through is the perfect time to annotate. By developing a sensitivity to text, you actually increase your capacity to appreciate the art of writing. You are dumb. Kidding.

THE MAIN REASON TO ANNOTATE No one thinks or writes well until he reads well. Because reading is an active process (and because most of us are passive consumers), you must train your mind to constantly think about what you are reading. There is no short cut to do this, no equation to memorize, no heuristic to memorize, no algorithm to run. You must read. Often, and with pen in hand. You must think about what you read. Like a runner slowly wearing away the soles of his shoes, only years of training can make you sensitive to language and able to recognize complexity, genius, and beauty in text. So there.

OKAY. FINE. I’LL DO YOUR STUPID ANNOTATIONS. STUDENTS TYPICALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT AND HOW MUCH TO ANNOTATE TEACHERS TYPICALLY PROVIDE NEBULOUS DIRECTIONS THAT MEAN SOMETHING BETWEEN “EVERYWHERE AND ALL THE TIME” AND “WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT.”

AS A TEACHER, I’M LOOKING FOR FOUR LEVELS OF ANNOTATIONS. Level 1 Annotations: Summarizing Action (Skills: Summarizing, Paraphrasing) “He’s trying to escape the snakes on the plane.” Level 2 Annotations: Making Inferences (Skills: Um… inferring. Also: Predicting) “He’s probably tired of these #&$#&*! snakes on the plane.” Level 3 Annotations: Connecting Choices to Author’s Intent (Skills: Rhetorical analysis) “The director’s use of stedicam is suggesting that there are too many snakes on this plane.” Level 4 Annotations: Thematic Consideration (Skills: Philosophy!) “The true measure of character occurs when a man encounters his greatest fear. Or a python.” “WHY HAVEN’T I WON AN OSCAR YET????”

WHAT LEVEL ANNOTATION? From The Grapes of Wrath “The turtle seems to represent the plodding resiliency of the Oakies.” From To The Lighthouse: “Mrs. Ramsey hopes to make a match for Lily.” From Their Eyes Were Watching God “Love requires the vibrancy of youth but also the painful wisdom of maturity.” From Much Ado About Nothing: “It’s clear that Beatrice is actually very hurt by Benedict’s disinterest.” From Moby Dick: “Boy. Ahab sure hates Moby Dick.”

TIP #1: YOU’RE CONNECTING TO INTENT Every text has a purpose, which is accomplished by the unstated argument. Your job is to connect to it through the author’s choices.

TIP #2: QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY MATTER, NOT SUPERFICIALITY AND QUANTITY Poor Annotations merely underline or circle Average Annotations primarily summarize and paraphrase. They are ‘noticing’ the text. Good Annotations infer meaning or significance. They are ‘reading’ beneath the text. Excellent Annotations connect to Author’s Intent.

TIP #3: NO MORE PERSONAL RESPONSES Annotations beginning with “I like” do very little for your analytical mind. Write in the academic diction. It will help you think in the academic diction. You are not the limit of the intellectual world. Look words up, Google allusions, and pursue your confusion outside of the text.

TIP #4: LOOK FOR PATTERNS You are essentially solving a system. All writing follows rules established by the author. Your job is to figure out those rules. The closer you read, the more they reveal themselves. This is why making predictions is a valuable tool. It is stating a hypothesis about the closed world of the text. Confusion is appropriate. Scientists learn to love making order out of chaos. And so do good readers.

TIP #5: TRACE THE MOVEMENT OF IDEAS Structure is everything. You need to pay attention to how authors introduce, develop, and integrate their ideas. Write about themes in the margins. Or draw arrows directly on the page. This is part of recognizing patterns.

THE END!