Pamela M. SanterreUniversity of New England

EDU742November 6, 2011

Getting Started

Last night, you were asked to read “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell & write a short written response.

There are different ways good readers respond to a text

Reread your response and choose one sentence to share with the class.

What category of response would you and your classmate’s response fit into?

Activity

Ways Good Readers Respond to a Text

Make ConnectionsAsk QuestionsMake PredictionsDraw Conclusions using EvidenceState OpinionsAnalyze the way the author

writesReflect on the ContentReflect on the Reading Process

Activity Create a poster of the ways good readers respond to a text. This poster should be on computer paper, so that you can keep in your Language Arts binder to refer to as you read.

Make Connections

To Self To world events

To other texts (books, TV

shows, songs, movies,

artwork, etc.)

AskQuestions

Make Predictions

Analyze the writing style

Good readers pay attention to their thoughts while they’re reading

Scientists call this being “metacognitive,” which means “thinking about our thoughts.”While reading ,if we pay attention to

◦ questions we have◦ things we find strange or confusing◦ things we connect with◦ things we like

we will be able to understand the story and better understand how and why we get confused

AnnotationStrategy that readers use to be

metacognitive.Annotation means writing down your

thoughts of what you’re reading as you read

Short comments in the margins of the book, not long paragraphs

Good readers annotate to:Identify important informationRecord connectionsAsk questionsInterpret ideas

Miss Santerre being metacognitive while reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

I predict that Harry Potter will catch the snitch

and win the Quidditch game for Gryffindor

I wonder if Ron has a crush on

Hermione. Does Hermione like

him back?

Professor Snape doesn’t have many friends because he

never sits with the other

teachers in the Great Hall during

dinner

Annotating Text BookmarkBefore Reading

Examine the front and back covers (books) Read the title and subtitles Examine the illustrations Examine the print (bold, italics, etc) Examine the way the text is set up (book, short story, diary, dialogue,

article, etc)

During Reading

Mark in the text Characters When (setting) Where (setting) Unfamiliar Words ? Important Information

After Reading

Reread annotations—draw conclusions Reread introduction and conclusion—try to figure out something new Examine patterns/repetitions—determine possible meanings Determine what the title might mean

Write in the margins Summarize Make predictions Formulate opinions Make connections Ask questions Analyze the way the author writes Write

reflections/reactions/comments Look for patterns/repetitions

Adapted from Porter-O’Donnell (2004)

Practice

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

While I read the first page of the story aloud, follow along and use the symbols on the bookmark to mark information.

Annotating Text BookmarkBefore Reading

Examine the front and back covers (books) Read the title and subtitles Examine the illustrations Examine the print (bold, italics, etc) Examine the way the text is set up (book, short story, diary, dialogue,

article, etc)

During Reading

Mark in the text Characters When (setting) Where (setting) Unfamiliar Words ? Important quotations or passages Important Information

After Reading

Reread annotations—draw conclusions Reread introduction and conclusion—try to figure out something new Examine patterns/repetitions—determine possible meanings Determine what the title might mean

Write in the margins Summarize Make predictions Formulate opinions Make connections Ask questions Analyze the way the author writes Write

reflections/reactions/comments Look for patterns/repetitions

Adapted from Porter-O’Donnell (2004)

Take a few moments to add marks you may have missed.

◦Who would like to share what they marked?

◦Did anyone make any comments in the margins?

Go back and make at least one comment in the margins.

The Lottery

What if I can’t write in the book?

You should NOT write in a book borrowed from the school, library, or a friend.

But… You can make your

marks and write your thoughts on sticky notes, and then stick it on the correct page!

No matter what type of annotation you use, remember…

You are being metacognitive; you are thinking about your thoughts

By keeping track of your thoughts while you read, you will have a clearer picture in your mind of what is happening in the story and who the characters are.

Because annotating slows your reading down, you will discover and uncover ideas you would not have discovered otherwise.

However, the time it takes to read a piece once and annotate is less than the time it takes to reread several times.

Resources

Daniels, H., & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects matter: Every teacher’s guide

to content-area reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Jackson, Shirley. The lottery. Retrieved from http://www.jeanloupbenet.com/

lottery.pdf

O’Shaughnessy, K. (2001). Everything I know about teaching language arts I

learned at an office supply store. The Quarterly, 23(2). Retrieved from

http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/147

Porter-O’Donnell, C. (2004). Beyond the yellow highlighter: teaching

annotation skills to improve reading comprehension. English Journal, 93(5),

82- 89.