How To Annotate Your Texts
Like Mortimer J. Adler, author of “How to Mark a Book,” I highly recommend writing in books (and, I’d add, in print-outs and e-documents). It will make you read more actively. Also, it will make your life much easier when you’re looking for ideas for essays and for passages to quote.
What to mark/annotate:
i. Passages you find interesting
ii. Passages that cause you to ask questions
iii. Passages you don't understand (you can put a question mark next to them)
iv. Passages you find strange or odd in any way
v. Questions (write down your questions in the margin of the text)
vi. Key terms, themes, or ideas
vii. Motifs (motifs are recurring images, symbols, metaphors, etc.)
viii. Details that reveal a character’s personality or motivation
ix. Setting (especially what it reveals about characters or themes)
x. Moments of revelation
xi. Passages that highlight the author's writing style
xii. Sentences, clauses, or phrases you find particularly beautiful
xiii. Words you don't know (always look them up in the dictionary!)
As for how to mark/annotate, I strongly agree with Adler about using a combination of non-verbal marks and verbal notes. In terms of the former (non-verbal marks), you can use marks or symbols you’ve seen elsewhere, or you can make up your own. Just make sure to choose ones that make sense to you. In terms of the latter (verbal notes), I recommend a combination of individual words, individual phrases, and whole sentences, depending on the complexity of the idea you want to highlight and remember.
As Adler pointed out, even if you never consult your notes, the process of marking your text will help you better remember what you're reading. (Of course, you should always consult your notes when preparing for an essay or an exam!)
One challenge: learning to take enough notes to be helpful, but not so many that they slow you down excessively. I’ll try to help you find that balance. After all, you do need to do homework for other classes, perhaps do some chores, spend non-homework time with family and friends, and get enough sleep!