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ELA 5: How to Take Notes While Reading (Annotation) 402 Views


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Description:

We've got some great notes on how to properly take notes. You should probably take some notes on this one...

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:13

So you

00:14

might thank you mastered that whole reading thing in first grade… but wait! [Boy reading 'Reading for Dummies']

00:18

There’s more! [Boy is thinking about his cat]

00:19

Get ready, Shmoopers, 'cause we're adding a new layer to our delicious reading cake: [Hand adds another layer to a cake]

00:24

annotation.

00:25

…Also, now we want cake. [Boy appears behind the cake looking excited]

00:26

Darn it.

00:27

Anyway, annotation!

00:28

Don’t let all those syllables intimidate you…annotation just means taking notes while [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

00:32

you’re reading.

00:33

Is it necessary?

00:34

Nope!

00:35

But it’s really helpful. [Not neccessary post-it on a fridge is covered by really helpful post-it]

00:36

And kind of fun.

00:38

So grab a slice of cake, maybe bring us a piece too, and let's jump right in.

00:42

There are lots of good reasons to take notes while you're reading. [Guy has already eaten the cake]

00:45

For one thing, it helps you stay engaged with the text. [Guy reading 'The Odyssey']

00:47

If you've ever been bored while reading, don't worry, you're not alone.

00:51

Sitting completely still while staring straight ahead isn't exactly a recipe for excitement. [Nerdy looking kid holding a giant book saying he never gets bored while reading]

00:55

But when you're taking notes, you have to be a little more active.

00:58

Not only are you moving your pen or pencil to take notes on the text, but you’re [Someone making notes in a book]

01:03

also thinking about what's important in the text and whether you understand what you're

01:06

reading.

01:07

which is a lot more than you could do if you were dozing off.

01:09

Plus, by taking notes, you end up making your very own study guide. [Student asleep in the classroom]

01:13

The next time you pick up the text, it'll be full of your own notes about key points [Girl starts reading the book with notes]

01:17

and useful quotes.

01:18

Pretty snazzy, huh?

01:20

That also means you won't have to read the entire thing all over again! [Girl looking happy playing Guitar Hero]

01:23

…Unless, of course, you really, really want to. [Nerdy kid reading the book again]

01:25

So you know that annotation's useful, but it's also worth learning a few techniques. [Chicken walking on the Animal Farm book]

01:30

A chicken can scratch all over a text, but that doesn't mean she'll learn anything, except

01:34

how to ruin a perfectly good book. [The book with a rip in the cover]

01:36

Don't be afraid to mark things that are confusing.

01:38

Circle unknown words, underline anything that makes you go, “huh?”, or even add question [Someone circling and underlining phrases]

01:44

marks to things that confuse you.

01:45

That way, you're more likely to look that stuff up and figure it out later, which is [Girl searching for word definitions on Shmoogle]

01:49

kind of the point of reading.

01:50

It's also a good idea to mark stuff that's particularly important. [Phrases highlighted]

01:53

This is where highlighters come in.

01:55

All those pretty colors… [Set of colored highlighters]

01:56

And you can add your own thoughts in the margins. [Notes written in the margin]

02:00

Er…preferably thoughts relevant to the book. [Random notes are written, "Ask for a new phone"]

02:02

Your Christmas list can go elsewhere.

02:04

The better you get at annotation, the better you'll be at personalizing your text, giving [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

02:08

yourself a clear guide of what you don't quite understand, and remembering what the most

02:12

important parts of the text are.

02:14

And hey, if you get really good at it – and we mean really, really good – maybe you’ll

02:17

get a job at Shmoop one day. [Nerdy kid hands over his notes to the Shmoop guy]

02:19

That’s every kid's dream, right? [Shmoop guy with his thumbs up]

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