If you don’t feel like cluttering your margins with comments, you can also develop your own key and use symbols to indicate certain notes, perhaps for symbols, allusions, imagery, or key turning points. Again, you can always keep a separate notebook for your longer or more detailed entries. If you need to return the book at some point, you might want to consider using a pencil so you can erase your markings later, if necessary.Ĭircle, underline, or comment on any key symbols that you come across. You can use the margins of your book to write questions or enter brief notes about the passages you’re reading. You can also just highlight passages you like or want to come back to, without making additional notes. You can color code your annotations, and choose to either make additional notes in the margins, or keep a separate notebook with your notes and corresponding page number for each highlighted section. If you own the book, or if your library/rental service allows you to mark the text, highlighting can be a great and neat way to annotate a book. Here are several efficient ways you can annotate your book (but don’t let this list limit you-if you have your own creative ideas, feel free to use whatever works for you!) 1. The author might be trying to make a reference to past or current political events, and picking up on this can definitely help you to understand their intended message. Of course, you should also be on the lookout for any possible connections to the real world. It might be an intentional allusion, designed to make readers draw parallels or make comparisons, which could help you to predict the outcome or identify the overarching theme of the story. Connections to Other TextsĮver get a sudden feeling of déjà vu while reading a book? Well, that might not be a coincidence! If a passage reminds you of another book, film, or event, take note. One little word might not seem like much, but it could make a huge difference in how you understand the main idea of a passage. Unfamiliar WordsĬircle or highlight any words you don’t recognize so that you can easily find them and look them up later. Plus, simply making notes or highlighting can actually help you to better remember those key lines. Making note of these passages will help you to find them again quickly and easily. Highlight or underline any quotes that stick with you, perhaps because you find them inspirational, or because you think they represent a turning point in the plot. This will help you to make important connections and identify larger themes as you continue reading.Īgain, even if you aren’t quite sure what these themes or symbols mean, at least you’ll have notes to remind you of what you need to research. If you notice recurring symbols throughout a text, underline or highlight them, even if you’re not quite sure what they mean yet. Your questions can serve as reminders for parts you didn’t understand and want to revisit, or as discussion questions for your book club, work team, or just your own personal journal. These could range from surface level (like, “What does the author mean here?”) to deep, reflective questions (like, “What does this say about society today?”) Jot down any questions that come to mind as you read. Get your highlighter and pen ready to for this treasure hunt through your book. If you’re not quite sure what you should be looking for when annotating a book, here are a few ideas to get you started in the right direction. By annotating a book, readers examine the text on a deeper level, since they slow down and take the time to notice where they might have questions, identify symbols, or form opinions. Such notes are usually found in the margins of a text.Īnnotations can be added to note observations, highlight a reader’s favorite passage, insert commentary or analysis, or to raise questions that the reader would like to revisit. You can annotate books (both fiction and nonfiction), poems, articles, and even images. To annotate something means to add notes, which deliver as commentary or explanation of the subject at hand. Although many book lovers might cringe at the thought of writing in the crisp, clean pages of one of their cherished books, annotating a text can actually help to enrich the reading experience.īut before you get started, it’s helpful to know what kind of elements you should be looking for in a text, what you should include in your notes, and how you should complete your annotations for the best results.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |