Making sense of “annotating” text

When students reach middle or high school, they will be asked to “annotate” their reading assignments, which is an intimidating task for students who have never tried it. To “annotate” means “to add notes giving explanation or comment,” and can encompass almost any type of inquiry or commentary. To help your child make sense of annotation, have him create an annotation checklist or key for reference. If he is reading a fictional story, consider annotating for major characters, themes, plot development, literary devices or important dialogue. More universal annotations might look more like main ideas, questions, predictions or connections. With all these items annotated, your child will have an abundance of thorough interpretations at the ready for class discussions, papers, and assignments.