Take notes during class. Note-taking is an important skill that you will need to master for success in college, and it will help you remember important concepts and instructions.  

Please write down:

• Definitions

• Key information

• Diagrams

• Tips

• Your thoughts

• Your ideas

• Questions

• Insights (realizations)

• Resources

More tips for note-taking

• Make it your own!

• Images & drawings are great!

• Use different colors if it helps you.

• ** Take notes while reading. **

• Take notes while listening to a podcast, watching a video, etc.

The following resources provide more tips and information on note-taking strategies:

• • Effective Note-Taking Tips & Strategies - helpful tips and 5 strategies for note-taking, presented by California State University Maritime Academy

  • Effective Note-Taking in Class - from University of North Carolina

Adding the following types of comments when you annotate comprehend, analyze and learn from challenging texts:

• Your thoughts – What does this phrase/sentence/paragraph make you think of? Why did it stand out to you? What thoughts crossed your mind when you read it? (Students will sometimes just underline and highlight, and they may have trouble putting their thoughts into words until I verbally ask them about it and give them enough wait time to sit with it and find the words to describe why something stood out to them.)

• Asking questions – What does this make you wonder? What do you want to know more about? Where do you feel confused? What do you have difficulty understanding?

• Words you don’t know – I always ask students to circle words they don’t know so that they can look it up and write a synonym or short definition. This also goes for proper nouns and technical terms that they may not be familiar with.

• Author’s choices/style – What do you notice about the author’s writing here?

• Paraphrasing/summarizing – What is the author saying in this sentence/paragraph? What does this phrase mean?

• Main idea/theme – What is the author’s main idea? What theme(s) does the author explore? (I always leave main idea/theme for last because I want them to make sure they have fully digested and analyzed the entire piece before they make a statement about meaning.)

This discussion board assignment can be used as a follow-up to basic annotation practice with nonfiction readings. Students participate in the discussion board by adding at least 2 different posts:

• Write at least one paragraph sharing your initial thoughts about what you read this week. Please include the title and author of your reading. Some other things you may want to include in your paragraph:

  • What did you like about your reading? Was there anything you didn't you like about your reading?

  • What is your favorite quote from your reading? Why did this quote stand out to you?

  • What were some of the main ideas your author presented in the reading?

  • What new words did you learn from your reading?

  • Was there anything about your author's writing style that interested you? 

• Read and comment on at least one other classmate's post.

• Please remember that the best posts and responses are:

  • thoughtful

  • specific and detailed

  • respectful

  • *use appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling and grammar*

1. Find the link to your assigned TED talk/reading on the Team Assignments List.

2. Watch and listen to the TED Talk.

3. Use Diigo and the information below to help you annotate the transcript

   1. Text organization & structure: Use these guidelines to annotate and explain text organization and structure in your assigned reading: Text Organization & Structure

   2. You can also review my example annotations to see what kinds of comments I wrote about text organization & structure.

4. Watch this 1 minute video to see how to email your Diigo annotations to Ms. Ntoso.

5. Email your Diigo annotations to Ms. Ntoso (you must do it the way that I explain in the video above, otherwise I will not be able to see your work).

Objective:

• Identify words and phrases that influence an author's diction and tone.

• Annotate new vocabulary words, main ideas, important details, questions and connections.

Instructions:

1. Watch this 5 minute video to see how to annotate for diction and tone.

2. Choose ONE of the following readings:

   • Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (excerpt), by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

   • "Taking selfies in the wrong places" by Leonard Pitts Jr.

   • “American Like Me” (excerpt) by Viet Thanh Nguyen

3. Save a copy and annotate the reading using Google Docs comments and highlighting.

4. Share your annotated copy of the reading.

See my example

Objectives:

• Analyze and discuss an author’s use of diction and details to convey a main message and tone.

Instructions:

1. Group Leader:

   • Make a copy of The Danger of Silence, by Clint Smith, and save it in your Writing Portfolio.

   • Share the document to all of the group members and to me. (You only need to submit one copy per group.)

2. Everyone: Read, annotate and discuss. I am looking for all of the following annotations in your shared document:

   • Vocabulary study (at least 5 words, comments should include definition and connotation)

   • Main message phrases (identify and write a comment explaining what main idea is reflected)

   • Literary Devices (identify at least 5 literary devices that you noticed)

   • Diction (identify words and phrases that seem important and write a comment explaining why)

   • Tone (explain the author’s tone--use this list of tone words to help you--and identify text evidence that supports your claim)

Objectives:

• Read for at least 15 minutes.

• Use a dialectical journal format to record observations and thoughts while reading.

• Identify and explain example quotes that reflect direct and indirect characterization.

• Identify example quotes that reflect patterns or techniques in an author’s writing style.

• Use a dialectical journal format to manage text evidence and commentary related to characterization, setting, significant events and conflict. 

• Identify details in the text that influence our expectations or anticipation of plot events.

• Identify and discuss details from the text that reflect character development, context, and significant events in ________.

Instructions:

Watch the 5 minute video explaining how to keep a dialectical journal.

Use the file below to record quotes from your book and your thoughts about them. Things to look out for include:

• characterization - direct vs. indirect characterization

• setting

• plot & narration

• writing style & author's craft – see list of elements

• imagery

• themes

• storytelling

• personal connections

• any other quotes that stand out to you

Submit your completed dialectical journal by 11:59pm on Thursday January 28. 

Printable Version

Reading Reflection Questions

Spanish version

Notebook

Google Doc

Mind Map