annotation as a close reading technique caitlin sorriento...

RunningHead:ANNOTATIONASCLOSEREADING 1

Annotation as a Close Reading Technique

Caitlin Sorriento

EPSY 630

Marist College

ANNOTATION AS CLOSE READING 2

Annotation as a Close Reading Technique

Introduction

With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) comes a greater

focus on non-fiction texts, as state testing calls for a 50-50 balance between narrative and

informational texts. Not only must the range of text sources that students are exposed to include

a greater number of informational text sources to prepare them for this, but students must also be

taught how to access the content contained in these informational texts. Students learn close

reading, in combination with other strategies, in order to better access these texts. Close reading

has two purposes. The first is to facilitate the incorporation of new material into existing schema

of prior knowledge. The second is to instill in the learners the habits of successful readers.

Included among these close-reading strategies are annotation techniques.

Annotation has several benefits; among these are sustained student attention to and

involvement with the text, as well as the ability to retrieve needed evidence from the text at a

later point in time. Using a consistent system of annotation provides students with a purpose

when approaching each reading assignment. Without a purpose, readers are often guilty of

simply reading to get the task done, and little retention occurs. Annotation is a skill that can be

built up over a period of years or grades. Younger students can be taught more simple methods

for annotation. One such simpler method uses sticky notes to mark particular points of interest

in the text. As students get older and more proficient, a shared system of markings can be used.

For these more skillful students, there is great purpose to annotation beyond simply focusing

student attention on the text. Students can use their annotations to better participate in

discussions and other class activities, and can formulate logical arguments based on and drawing

from the evidence they have marked.


Literature Review

Moss (2005) emphasizes how the increased pressure on standards-based testing and

standardized testing scores has brought content area literacy to the forefront of teachers’

concerns. Content area literacy refers to both reading and writing to learn (McKenna &

Robinson, 1990, as cited in Moss, 2005). The increased use of informational texts in today’s

classrooms that follow these changes demands that teachers equip their students with the

necessary strategies to approach them with success. These strategies must be taught even in the

lower grades. This necessity has been recognized since Gray (1925, as cited in Moss, 2005)

pointed it out, early in the century. Skills taught to students in earlier grades can help establish a

base of skills to be built on during later education.

Tools for Comprehension of Informational Texts

Informational texts, especially at the secondary level, are challenging sources of

information for students to comprehend effectively. Duke (1999, as cited in Moss, 2005) places

importance of student experiences with authentic information texts. However, in order for

students to be able to make effective use of difficult sources, teachers must equip them with tools

for comprehension and analysis. Among these tools, according to Goldsmith and Tran (2012),

are teacher modeling, guided practice of literary strategies, pre-reading, annotations, asking

questions of texts, explicit and in-context vocabulary activities, and scaffolds. Students can be

taught to recognize organizational features of a selected section of text, and can also identify

patterns within the given section of text. Once these patterns are identified, students can use a

preset system of annotation to mark them. Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz (2014) advocate for note-

making systems like annotation because they allow students to more actively remember


information and manipulate the same information at a later point in time. Annotation can be

easily differentiated, and can be made accessible for even the youngest readers.

Foundational Annotation in the Lower Grades

Annotation is a close reading strategy that can be initially taught in the lower grades.

Fisher and Frey (2012) identify annotation of text as one of the essential components of a good

reader’s toolkit. Teachers can start out very simply. In the lower grades, students can be taught

systems of sticky note use, beginning as early as grade two. Students can mark sections of text

with a colored sticky note that corresponds with a particular insight or question. As students

progress through the elementary grades, they can develop their annotation skills by moving from

a sticky note system to a written system of annotation, until they are at the level of marking text-

to-text connections. By maintaining a common set of symbols over the duration of this

experience, students can easily build on what they already know how to do.

Annotation in the Secondary Grades

According to Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz (2014), annotations are essential because they

allow the reader to better retain information. Systems of annotation in the secondary grades can

range from the simple to the more complex. When teaching these techniques, it is essential for

the teacher to model how he or she would use each, using self-talk and think-alouds (Vacca,

Vacca, & Mraz, 2014). In deciding what system of annotation to use, and what specific text

factors to have students look for and mark, teachers must choose factors that will not only help

students establish a purpose for reading (VanSledright, 2002, as cited in Goldsmith & Tran,

2012), and thereby increase retention of information, but that will also be of use in subsequent

assignments. In this vein, teachers can instruct students to look for patterns in the text

(Goldsmith & Tran, 2012). By looking for patterns such as cause and effect or argument and


supporting evidence, students become better able to analyze and connect the concepts being

presented. To extend the benefits of annotation further, teachers of secondary students can also

provide students with graphic organizers to assist them in the compilation and organization of the

information that they have culled from the text (Goldsmith & Tran, 2012). This graphic

organizer then serves as a possible source of assessment as well.

Implications for Teaching

In my practice, the informational text sources I work on with students most often come

from sources being read in history classes. I often see students struggle to remember any

information from a selection of text after reading. Not only is it frustrating to them to lack any

recollection of what they have read, but it leaves them at a marked disadvantage when they are

later asked to access that information for use either in recall tasks, or even worse, in the

formulation of an analytical argument where they are drawing on multiple sources. Additionally,

these students approach a reading assignment without a purpose or plan. It is this aimless

completion of the assignment, simply reading to get it done, that contributes to their poor

retention of information.

Most students arrive to work with me with some prior knowledge about marking the text.

Frequently, students believe that simple highlighting of what they consider to be the most

important parts will suffice. Unfortunately, what they do not understand about this technique is

that they are actually dividing their attention; rather than fully attending to the material at hand,

they are constantly thinking about what should be highlighted, and therefore losing focus on the

actual content. The first thing I have students do is to read without marking. It is imperative that

the student attends to the material without thinking about how they will mark it. After reading


each section, I next model a self-discussion about the most important ideas. I write a short,

bulleted summary in the margin for each section, and then mark any causes and effects I find

with either a C or an E. Once students become accustomed to this simple system of annotation,

it becomes a focus in and of itself. No longer is the student approaching the text without a

purpose. In order to complete the simple system of annotation, the student must deeply process

each section to summarize the main concept covered, and must carefully evaluate whether or not

there are any causes and corresponding effects covered. By thinking more deeply about a

selection of text in these ways, students encode the information more completely, and are more

apt to remember a greater amount of the information they read.

The second benefit my students gain from using a system of annotation is that they are

able to return to their texts after a period of time, and the information they have marked is readily

accessible to them for use in later assignments. Rather than going back to a source and having to

reread and comb through the information for particular pieces to develop or support an argument,

students have already identified important selections to use for these purposes. When I work

with students on the development of an analytical argument that derives support from one or

more text sources, I insist that they first read and annotate. Building on their annotations, we

record ideas in a graphic organizer, and then use these discrete pieces of information to construct

a logically convincing argument. The graphic organizer helps to impose an order on information

gleaned from a number of text sources. In the two lessons that follow, I describe how I would

guide students through an assignment that requires a response to a prompt that draws on

evidence from a number of primary U. S. History documents.


Lesson Plans

Subject:_________USHISTORY____________________________Grade:__11_______

Teacher:___SORRIENTO___________________

ThinkingAboutPlanning:Priortothislesson,studentshavebeeninvolved

instudyofthewomen’ssuffragemovement,from1848-1920.

1.CommonCoreLearningStandard(s)Addressed:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2

Determinetwoormorecentralideasofatextandanalyzetheirdevelopmentoverthecourseofthe

text,includinghowtheyinteractandbuildononeanothertoprovideacomplexanalysis;provide

anobjectivesummaryofthetext.


Bytheendofgrade11,readandcomprehendliterarynonfictioninthegrades11-CCRtext

complexitybandproficiently,withscaffoldingasneededatthehighendoftherange.

2.LearningTarget(s):(Whatwillstudentsknow&beabletodoasaresultofthislesson?)

Objective:Studentswillbeabletoidentifyandannotatethemainideasofeachtexts,anddescribe

howtheseideasbuildtoacentralargument.

Goal:Studentswillbeabletoidentifyandsummarizethemajorargumentofeachtextselection.

3.AcademicLanguage:Whichexamplesoflanguagefunction(therearemoreonBloom’s

taxonomy)analyze,argue,categorize,compare/contrast,describe,explain,interpret,predict,

question,retell,summarizewillyouaddress?

• Identify, locate, interpret


• Whatvocabularywillbechallenging?Wagediscrimination,exploitation,castesystem,

guise,machismo)

ThinkingAboutInstruction

4.Engagement/Motivation

Studentswillbegivenasetofdocuments(appendixA).Studentswillbeginbylookingat

theimagesrepresentedindocuments1and7.Studentswillworkingroupstoidentify

someissuesthewomeninthepicturemightfeelstronglyabout,andwillcontrastthesewith

issuesimportanttothem,andtowomentoday.

5.ExplicitInstruction

• DirectInstruction-THETHINKALOUD(Ido).

• Writeoutthescriptofyourmodelingofthestrategyyouareteachingyourstudent(ex.-I

willsay…..Iwilldo…..)

Tobegin,Iwillhandoutthedocumentorganizerchart.Iwillbeginbyanalyzing

document2asamodelforstudentstoobserve.Iwillbeginbynotingthespeaker,

andaskstudentstoidentifyanypertinentbackgroundinformationtheyremember

aboutthespeakerfromtheirearlierworkonthetopic.Next,Iwillremindstudents

oftheannotationsymbolstobeused(circleamainidea,markacausewithaCand

aneffectwithanE,markanareathatneedsclarificationwitha?),andwillread

document2aloud,pointingouttheareasthatIwouldannotate.Followingthe

annotation,IwouldmodelwhichchunksofinformationIwouldrecordinthe

documentorganizerchart(appendixB).

• GuidedPractice-(WeDo).Givedetailsofwhatyouaregoingtohelpthestudent(s)doto


movetowardmasteringtheskillyouareteaching.

Next,Iwouldaskstudentstoworkinpairstorepeatthispatternfordocument3.

Togetherwiththeirpartners,studentswouldidentifythespeakerandrelevant

backgroundinformation,readthedocumenttogether,usetheirsystemof

annotation,andrecordthechoseninformationintheirdocumentorganizers.

• Independentpractice(YouDo).Givedetailsofwhatthestudentwillbedoingontheir

owntoshowyoutheyhavemasteredtheskillyouhavemodeledforthem

Forindependentpractice,studentswillanalyze,annotate,andrecordinformationin

thedocumentorganizerfordocuments5,6,and7.Astheywork,Iwillcirculateand

askthemtoexplainthepiecesofinformationtheyhavechosentoannotateasmain

ideas,causes,oreffects.Iwillalsoprovideclarificationforstudentswhohave

markedareaswitha(?).

ThinkingAboutAssessment:

6.Typeofassessment

• Willyoubeusingformativeorsummativeassessmentaspartofthislessonorsome

combination?Thislessonwillbeformativelyassessed,basedonstudentperformancein

theirindependentpracticeandtheiranswerstomyquestionsduringthatprocess.Iwill

alsocollecttheirdocumentorganizerstocheckforaccuratesummariesandany

misconceptionsthatarestillpersisting.

• Howwillyouknowyourstudentshavemettheobjective?Whatquestionscanyouask?

Whatcanyouobserve?Todecidewhetherornotstudentshavemettheobjective,Ican

observetheareasofeachtextselectionthattheyhavemarkedasmainideas,causes,and

effects.Icanalsoreadthroughtheirdocumentorganizers.


7.Resources/Materials:(Whattexts,digitalresources,&materialswillbeusedinthislesson?)

ü Documentpackets

ü Documentorganizers

Subject:_________USHISTORY____________________________Grade:__11_______

Teacher:___SORRIENTO___________________

ThinkingAboutPlanning:

1.CommonCoreLearningStandard(s)Addressed:


Citestrongandthoroughtextualevidencetosupportanalysisofwhatthetextsaysexplicitlyaswell

asinferencesdrawnfromthetext,includingdeterminingwherethetextleavesmattersuncertain.


Bytheendofgrade11,readandcomprehendliterarynonfictioninthegrades11-CCRtext

complexitybandproficiently,withscaffoldingasneededatthehighendoftherange.

2.LearningTarget(s):(Whatwillstudentsknow&beabletodoasaresultofthislesson?)

Objective:Studentswillbeabletoconstructalogicalargumentthatissupportedbyfactual

evidenceselectedfrommultipletextsources.

Goal:Studentswillrespondtoapromptbycraftingalogicalargument.Thiswillrequirethat

studentswriteathesisstatement,createtopicsentencesforthreesupportingideas,andsupport

theseideaswithtextitemstheyhaveannotatedpreviously.


3.AcademicLanguage:Whichexamplesoflanguagefunction(therearemoreonBloom’s

taxonomy)analyze,argue,categorize,compare/contrast,describe,explain,interpret,predict,

question,retell,summarizewillyouaddress?

• Select,organize,support,argue

• Studentswillneedtounderstandtheideaofathesis,atopicsentence,andsupporting

evidence.(Thisshouldbereview.)

ThinkingAboutInstruction

4.Engagement/Motivation

Studentswillworkinpartners.Eachstudentwilltrytoconvincetheirpartnerthathisor

herfavoritesportsteam(substituteflavoroficecream,food,subjectinschool)isthebest.

Theclasswillregathertobrainstormonchartpaperhowtheymadetheirarguments.

Whichargumentsweresuccessful?Why?

5.ExplicitInstruction

• DirectInstruction-THETHINKALOUD(Ido).

• Writeoutthescriptofyourmodelingofthestrategyyouareteachingyourstudent(ex.-I

willsay…..Iwilldo…..)

Buildingonthediscussionofwhatmakesaneffectiveargument,Iwillremindstudentsof

theconceptsofathesisstatementandtopicsentences.Iwillreadtheprompt,andmodel

howtore-readthedocumentsbasedontheareasIhadannotated.Iwillaskstudentsif

thesepiecesofinformationhelptoformaresponsetotheprompt.Iwillaskstudentsto

formulateaworkingthesisafterreadingthedocuments.Studentswillrecordthisthesisin

the5-paragraphessayorganizer(AppendixC).

• GuidedPractice-(WeDo).Givedetailsofwhatyouaregoingtohelpthestudent(s)doto

movetowardmasteringtheskillyouareteaching.


Studentswillworkingroups.Basedonthethesisidentifiedbytheclass,groupswilldiscuss

theirannotationsineachofthedocuments,andwillcometoanagreementofthreemain

ideasthatsupportthethesis.Studentswillrecordtheseideasinthe5-paragraphessay

organizer.

• Independentpractice(YouDo).Givedetailsofwhatthestudentwillbedoingontheir

owntoshowyoutheyhavemasteredtheskillyouhavemodeledforthem

Studentswillworkindependentlytocompletethe5paragraphorganizer.Todothis,they

willrevisittheirannotateddocuments,andfromtheirannotationswillselectdirect

quotationsorinformationalfactstosupporteachoftheirmainpoints.Thisinformationwill

berecordedintheorganizer.

ThinkingAboutAssessment:

6.Typeofassessment

• Willyoubeusingformativeorsummativeassessmentaspartofthislessonorsome

combination?Thesummativeassessmentforthislessonwillbetheannotatedsetof

documentsandcompleted5-paragraphorganizer.

• Howwillyouknowyourstudentshavemettheobjective?Whatquestionscanyouask?

Whatcanyouobserve?Tocheckwhetherornotstudentswereabletoutilizetheirsystem

ofannotations,Icanchecktheirorganizerstoensurethattheywereabletosufficiently

supporteachmainideawithlogicalevidence.

7.Resources/Materials:(Whattexts,digitalresources,&materialswillbeusedinthislesson?)

• 5paragraphessayorganizer(AppendixC)


Reflection

In my practice, my goal is to help my students become as self-sufficient as possible. To

do this, I make every effort to teach techniques that will help them to approach assignments with

confidence, both when they are working with me, and when they are working on their own.

When I have a student who struggles with reading informational texts, a system of annotation is

one of the first things I impart. As I described in my implications section, the benefits of a

system of annotation are myriad. The first, and most important benefit from the standpoint of

increasing student self-sufficiency is to establish a purpose for a reading assignment. As I work

in the secondary grades, students are often assigned sections of text to read, and are expected to

be able to discuss the main ideas covered, but are given no pre-, during, or post-reading exercise

to complete. In these cases, students flounder until they are able to impose a purpose on the

assignment; this purpose is supplied by annotation.

A second benefit of annotation for my students is the increase in recall they experience

when they implement the system. By processing the information multiple times and on deeper

levels, both the retention and then the later recall of the information increase. It is empowering

for these students to see their work pay off. Without such a system, there are often times that

frustration occurs. Students become disheartened when the effort that they put in to a reading

assignment does not pay off, and may be discouraged from putting in a similar effort on

subsequent assignments. By assisting them to better retain the content of their readings, I am

providing them with tools for success and a sustained high level of effort.

Finally, as reading assignments are seldom given in isolation, a properly executed system

of annotation makes information permanently accessible to the student. When he or she is

expected to synthesize an argument from a number of different text sources, the time required to


reread would simply be too great. A student is well on the way to being able to construct a

convincing argument that is well supported by textual evidence when he or she can return to each

of the sources and easily select from information he or she has previously identified as pertinent.

Annotation makes this information easily visible and accessible, and then student can then return

to it and organize it into a response to a prompt or question. In all, by teaching my students a

system of annotation that is applicable to a reading assignment in any discipline or content, I am

providing them with the tools to better comprehend, recall, and utilize the information they are

reading.


References

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). Close reading in elementary schools. The Reading Teacher, 66(3),

179-188.

Goldsmith, P., & Tran, T. (2012). English learners and reading comprehension: Text

organization in history. Social Studies Review, 5(1), 57-63.

Lapp, D., Grant, M., Moss, B., & Johnson, K. (2013). Students' close reading of science

texts. The Reading Teacher, 67(2), 109-119.

Moss, B. (2005). Making a case and a place for effective content area literacy instruction in the

elementary grades. The Reading Teacher, 59(1), 46-55.

Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking

content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40-59.

Zywica, J., & Gomez, K. (2008). Annotating to support learning in the content areas: Teaching

and learning science. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(2), 155-165.

Vacca, R. T. & Vacca, J. A. (2014). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the

curriculum (Eleventh Edition). Boston: Allyn & Bacon


Appendix A


Appendix B


Appendix C

5ParagraphEssayOrganizer

IntroParagraph:includesthesisstatementwith(3)supportingreasons

TopicSentence#1:

Examples/EvidencesupportingPoint#1:

TopicSentence#2:


TopicSentence#3:


Conclusion/Summary:repeatthesisstatementandsummarizeyourpoints

annotation as a close reading technique caitlin sorriento...

Documents