1. Annotations

2. Before Reading
What to Annotate
How to Annotate
Preview text title, subtitles, chapter titles, etc.
Straight underline ________ (make a prediction or statement)

3. During Reading
As you read, draw an arrow (or line) next to the text and use the following abbreviations to simplify what you write in the margins. Make sure to not only IDENTIFY the elements, but to briefly EXPLAIN/ANALYZE what these elements add to the text… the author included them for a reason!

4. During Reading Diction: Vocabulary
What to Annotate
How to Annotate
Diction: Vocabulary
Syntax: Sentence Structure
 Squiggly underline or circle and define the word. Write a synonym on top of it.
Place a square around punctuation of note (e.g. dash, exclamation point, parenthesis, etc.)

5. During reading Details: Literary Elements Details: Characters
What to annotate
How to annotate
Details: Literary Elements
Details: Characters
Identify AND briefly explain the effect of any literary elements (e.g. setting, theme, plot, point of view, conflict)
Identify any character traits (explicit or implicit).

6. During reading Tone Mood Identify the speaker’s attitude
What to annotate
How to annotate
Tone
Mood
Identify the speaker’s attitude
Identify the audience’s attitude (the feeling the reader has while reading)

7. During reading Imagery Literary Devices
What to annotate
How to annotate
Imagery
Literary Devices
Identify AND briefly explain the effect of sensory imagery (e.g. sight, taste, sounds, smell, touch)
Identify AND briefly explain the effect of literary devices (e.g. simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, allusion, alliteration, irony, foreshadowing, flashback, dialect, idioms, symbolism, etc.)

8. During reading Important ideas or information
What to annotate
How to annotate
Important ideas or information
Draw a star next to the idea or details of importance or an exclamation point ! next to something exciting or of particular note

9. During Reading
What to annotate
How to annotate
Make Cross Cultural, Intertextual and Personal Connections
Inquire
Identify similar world events, personal experiences or other texts in brackets [ ]
Ask questions (?) about the author’s choices or about anything confusing or unresolved.

10. After reading
What to annotate
How to annotate
Reread annotations- draw conclusions, examine patterns/repetition, determine meaning and impact on the overall text. Explore theme.
Explain ideas that come together from reviewing your annotations to show the development of your thinking. Formulate a one sentence theme, explaining the significance and universality of the text.

11. Annotations Scoring rubric
Grade
Criteria A
Student’s work goes above and beyond expectations: the annotations are thorough and a variety of elements are noted. Insightful--includes the implicit. B
Student’s work meets expectations: the annotations are mostly thorough, and a variety of elements are noted. Missing the implicit; relies heavily on the obvious. C
Student’s work somewhat meets expectations: the annotations are vague and rely heavily on listing few elements or paraphrasing.  D
Student’s work is below expectations: the annotations are sparse, barely include literary elements in the margins, and mostly consist of paraphrasing. F
No expectations met in student’s work: the annotations are nonexistent or lines were identified at random with little-to no marginal notes, and mostly consist of paraphrasing, if anything.  Z
No annotations were submitted.