Learning Objective: To be able to produce an annotated image Title: How can I describe a place? Starter: 1. Look at the photograph below. List as many features as you can see in the photograph. Can you group these features in any way?

What does annotate mean?  Labelling photographs, sketches and diagrams is a specific skill. Detailed labelling is called 'annotation' and that is what you should be aiming for in classwork, coursework and exam work.

How not to annotate! This photo is poorly labelled. It shows the features and some of the actions of the sloth, but does not say WHY it has those adaptations or does what it does. It leaves too many questions unanswered. Why has it got hooked claws? Why does it hang upside down? Why does its fur grow upside down? This photograph is not labelled for the job it was put in an essay for. Below, a more effective way to label this photograph is shown.

How to annotate! This photograph now tells the reader all (s)he need to know about how the sloth has adapted to fit in with its environment and all the questions which were unanswered have now been satisfied. It shows HOW and WHY the sloth has adapted to its environment and once these have been explained in the text, the photograph has been used effectively.