Wondering how to teach annotations? Honestly, it’s a common question for high school English teachers because many of us have likely developed our own style of annotation while in school, but we might not be sure how to convey that style to our students.

 

It’s important to note that the annotation methods we prefer our students use will likely vary depending on subject, grade level, and outcome. For example, when I’m helping my students prepare for the AP Language and Composition exam, we focus on more condensed annotations, since they have a small window of time to read, annotate, plan, and write when taking the exam. At other points in the year, however, especially as we’re learning or reviewing concepts, the annotation process is likely more detailed.

 

Here are two of my favorite methods of how to teach annotations!

 

Silent Conversation Annotations

This annotation activity is great at the beginning of the year when students are still getting to know each other. It’s also a great way to get all students, including the quiet ones, to share their ideas.

 

What you’ll need:

• Large paper for student groups of 3-6 students (I like to use poster board, bulletin board paper, or even wrapping paper.)
• Copies of the passage (one per group to be taped to the large paper – plus, copies for each student if needed)
• Colored pens (I love to use Paper Mate flair pens or the Amazon Basics felt tip pens. It helps if each student in the group has a different color. Markers work too!)
• Scissors (in case you need to cut the passage into sections)
• Tape or glue (to attach the passage to the large paper)

How it works:

• Divide students into groups (or let them choose their groups)
• Give each group the large paper with the passage taped or glued to the middle (vertically)
• Let students select a pen. (My students always have a color preference, and I’ve found letting them choose their pen color makes them excited for the activity.)
• Round 1: Have students read the speech (individual copies help) and write 3 annotations (keep reading for suggestions of what to annotate.)
• Round 2: Have students respond to at least two comments from peers, creating a conversation. (You could also time this round instead of having a 2 comment quota.)
• Round 3: Have students make connections between the annotations.
• Optional: Have students do a carousel to see the other group’s posters. (This does not always work well with a large class. However, for a small class, you could have them rotate to another group’s poster and add more annotations to continue the conversation.)

What should students annotate?

The answer to this question will depend on the skills your students have and your objectives for teaching the text.

Here are some suggestions for rhetorical analysis annotations, but these could easily be adapted to poetry or literary analysis:

• Identify a rhetorical choice the speaker makes.
• Note why the speaker made that choice for that audience.
• Note why the speech is effective for that occasion (context and exigence.)
• Examine the message, argument or purpose.

When students are “adding to the conversation,” they can:

• Explain why they agree with a comment
• Expand on a comment
• Ask a question

When connecting annotations, students can:

• Look for choices that repeat or choices that “build” on other choices (structure)
• Look for similar commentary about message, argument, or purpose

 

What/Why Annotations

When approaching rhetorical analysis, I’ve found that the “what/why” approach of how to teach annotations is particularly effective, especially for students who are just starting out.

 

You can adapt this approach to other types of analysis, not just rhetorical analysis.

 

The “what” is a rhetorical choice (what the writer is doing.) 

• Encourage students to use rhetorically accurate verbs. Given students a word bank can be a great support.

 

The “why” is commentary. 

• Encourage students to connect to the rhetorical situation.
• Have students start their bullet point annotation with a “commentary verb,” such as “demonstrates,” “emphasizes” “highlights,” “Illustrates,” or “reveals.”

 

Set-up Options

• “What” annotations on the left
• Text in the middle
• “Why” annotations on the right

Making a 3-column table on a doc can be very helpful.

Check out the video below for further explanation and examples. Click here for a teacher tip sheet.

Other Tips

I encourage my students to adapt the what/why method to meet their needs. I also allow them to use highlighters in class or on a Google doc–I just remind them that they cannot use highlighters on the AP Lang exam.

 

However, there are some general rules I encourage them to follow.

• Be consistent with underlining or circling.
• Underline, circle, or highlight purposefully.
• Avoid smiley faces or stars unless you really want to draw attention to that line or paragraph.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: The links to flair pens and the Amazon Basics pens listed above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.