Reading Response: Annotations

Too often, teachers lower the level of texts for ESL students to the point where they lose the rigor and/or complexity of the texts. Instead, we need to teach our ESL students how to read closely and monitor their understanding of what they read. One way to do this is through reading response.

I give my students a chart similar to the one on the board. Essentially, we chunk sections of the text and summarize, annotate, or note important parts of that chunk. I explicitly model this as we read so by the end of the year students are able to do this on their own. They can draw pictures, make webs, note vocabulary, or make any notation that they feel will help them understand the text. This is an excellent strategy for ALL subject areas.

This reading response can be used as a scaffold for writing or summarizing as well as a study guide that is essentially student created. Instead of reducing the complexity of the text, empower the students with strategies that will break down the text.