I can do anything I can reach any goal today. I
can do what I want. I can be what I want to be. Hi guys I'm Katie Azevedo from schoolhabits.com.
Today's video is about how to annotate your text while you're reading. And if at any
point during this video you like what you see please give it a thumbs up or better yet
click subscribe below - now I always forget on what side of the screen it is.
Annotating a book or an article is a fundamental school habit that you'll
want to develop as early as possible. Sometimes you might be required to annotate text -you might actually get a homework
grade for doing so, depending on your teacher - but even if annotating isn't a
requirement it's a great skill to have. It just might be the key that you've been
missing in your reading life. (true though) So first things first: annotating means taking notes on the text either in a book
or an article or something similar. So to annotate means to take notes.
Now, you might be wondering why the heck you'd want to annotate anyway?
For so many reasons! But the most important reason you'd annotate is for
a deeper understanding of the material. So taking notes on your text helps you
comprehend what you're reading on a much deeper level than if you would
have just read it straight through. So here are four major benefits of annotating:
Number one: it keeps you awake and engaged as you read -you have to stay awake - and it reduces your
chances of fake reading syndrome. I coined that, I think you know when you read you
think you're reading and you're not. Number two: it helps you process what
you're reading as you're reading it. Number three: it slows down your
reading, which is actually a good thing because decreasing your pace can often
increase your comprehension and retention. And number four: it double-whammys as a way
to quickly find information later on - so in other words, when you go back into the
book to find something later, you can just read your annotations, which is faster than
reading the actual text a second time through. So how do you annotate? Just as there are so many types of learners, there are so many different techniques
that suit different students. You might have to experiment for a while to see
what does and doesn't work for you, but there are some basic annotation principles or rules
to keep in mind as you figure out your system. So here are 11 annotation techniques
that you might find helpful. Number 1: circle any unfamiliar words of
your reading and then look them up and write down the definition. Here's a little
hack if you get the dictionary.com app you can look the word up in like two seconds
on your phone your phone right next to you - not that you should have your
phone when you're studying but, Number two: Use question marks in the
books to indicate areas of certainty so uncertainty so anytime you're reading
you're like "what?" put a question mark. Number three: Use stars to indicate anything that seems important such as themes
or symbols or foreshadowing. Number four: Use exclamation
points to indicate something dramatic or a key turning point, or
something you want to come back to. Number five: circle or mark somehow - pick a shape - use a trapezoid .. I don't
remember a trapezoid looks like... and circle any character names anytime they are
introduced for the first time in the book. Number six: keep a list somewhere,
maybe on the inside cover, of all the characters and their traits,
and you would add to this list as new characters are introduced or as you
learn more about the existing characters. Number seven: write your notes in the margins,
which is the best method, on sticky notes, which is a decent method, or in a separate
notebook, which is the least favorable method. But if you don't own the book, you can't
write in it so you might have to do that. Number eight: paraphrase - which is a
summarization technique - each chapter after you finish reading it. Now, you
only need a few sentences to do this, so write it down, write your summary down
at the beginning or the end of each chapter. Take the time to do this right after you read
the chapter and not like five chapters later. Number nine: write down any questions
that you have about the text - either questions you're willing to wait to find
out the answer to as you read further, or questions that you want to bring up
to your teacher in class the next day. Number 10: We're almost there. Use
a color-coded system if that type of thing appeals to you (uh colors, yes, yeah). Number eleven: give each chapter a title.
So after you finish reading each chapter, go back to its title page and give it a title. Now the title should simply be the main idea of
the chapter or a statement about the main event in the chapter. If the chapter already has a title,
chances are that it's just a catchy one, it's interesting and not helpful. So still go ahead and
title it yourself with a little summary statement. Here's a note though: if you're reading a text on
your tablet or your iPad you can still annotate. There are so many cool apps that allow you to
circle, underline, highlight, use the trapezoid, doodle, whatever - just do a basic search for
annotation apps and you'll find a bunch. iannotate PDF I think is a good one - I don't know if things
have changed but that used to be a good one. Hmm I think you have to pay
for them - check it out. So when you're reading and you're
annotating keep in mind that your notes should represent your thoughts.
Your notes should represent YOUR interaction with the story, with
the author, the characters. etc. You don't worry about writing things down that just "sound smart" just because you
think that's what your teacher wants. Totally pointless. Let your annotations
really reflect your true thoughts and feelings as you read. (Hopefully you have
some!;) ) but if you really listen to your inner voice as you read the voice
that says "huh? why'd that happen?" or "oh that's awesome" or "that's not a good
sign!" all those things that pop up in your head when you're reading then the whole
process of annotating is so much easier. You think it up here; you write it down here. You
have to think less about it that way. I promise. Now a last few words of caution though. First, annotating text is a skill that you'll develop
more and more as you do it more and more. So as you first start off, you might not
annotate much at all if you're not sure where to start. And if that's the case, keep
checking back to the 11 indentation techniques that I just walked you through, and check to
see which one you need to be doing more of. It's okay to be reserved as you start
though. You'll get the hang of it soon enough But I have also seen the opposite - where
a student underlines like every single word on a page or highlights the entire article
or chapter is neon the whole way through. When you do this, nothing
stands out - which defeats the purpose of taking notes in the first place. So definitely go easy on the markings, easy on the highlighter, aor your notes -
you know - they're not going to be helpful. My second word of caution is that while
annotating is an excellent skill that allows you to get that deep close understanding
of a text, you don't need to do it all the time. If you're reading a book for
pleasure, relax - just read the book. If you're reading an article in
one of your favorite magazines, just relax and read the article. There's no need to make a job out of
something that's supposed to bring you joy. So annotations can bring your reading
comprehension to the next level. Try it! Why not? Thanks for watching
guys, and as always please click the like or subscribe below and definitely
leave your comments in the section below. I read those, and if you have something to
contribute, something that perhaps helps you in your schooling or in your life and if you put
it out there for the world to see, it might help someone else - and isn't that awesome.
Thanks for watching! :)