Instructional Strategy

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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Annotating Text

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Type:

Read Actively
20-30

Minutes

When:

During and after reading

Materials:

Annotating Text Codes resource, preselected short text, whiteboard or display, writing utensils
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Description

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© Marina Borodacheva—iStock/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
The Annotating Text strategy supports active reading and comprehension by letting students interact with the text through notes, highlights, and questions. This promotes metacognition and deeper thinking as students reflect on their understanding. It engages students, encouraging them to identify key points, make connections, and ask questions. Expected outcomes include improved understanding, critical thinking, and information retention.
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Procedure

1
Select a short informational text or a selection within a longer text.
2
Tell students they will participate in an annotation strategy to enhance their understanding and engagement with the text.
3
Discuss and develop a standard set of text codes as a class, allowing students to contribute ideas, or use the Annotating Text Codes resource. Explain to students that you will show them how to use these codes as you model a think-aloud for the first portion of the selected text.
Note: Once finalized, print these codes on bookmarks or on a class anchor chart for students to keep and reference during their reading activities.
4
Support students with a gradual release of responsibility by inviting them into the think-aloud process for a second portion of the text. Encourage students to turn and talk with a partner to share their thinking aloud as you model annotating their thoughts in the margin of the text.
5
Ask students to read and annotate the rest of the text in pairs or small groups.
6
Encourage students to read the text a second time to deepen their understanding and refine their annotations.
7
Conduct a class discussion to share and synthesize annotations, reflect on the process, connect to future reading, and provide feedback, celebrating students’ engagement and understanding.
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Differentiation

Support Structures: Include supports such as glossaries, images, and pre-annotated examples to aid comprehension. Challenges such as open-ended questions or prompts for deeper analysis can be incorporated into higher-level texts to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills.
Text Complexity Adjustment: Provide texts that vary in complexity to match the reading levels of different students. This could involve simplifying the language or sentence structures for struggling readers, or offering more complex texts with denser content and higher-level vocabulary for advanced readers.
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Variations

Digital Annotations: Students can use digital tools to interactively highlight, add notes, and link to external resources directly within electronic texts. This approach facilitates collaboration and real-time feedback by allowing students to share their annotated documents on digital platforms where peers and teachers can view, comment, and discuss the annotations instantaneously.
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