Close Reading--Annotating Texts

Annotating is a technique keen readers use to closely examine a text so that as much meaning can be gleaned from it as possible. Annotating is writing down key information about the text.If you own the book (and ONLY if you own it) write on the text itself; otherwise, use a sticky note or make two-column notes, also called a dialectical journal. For a dialectical journal, draw a line down the middle of the page. Write the text, page number, and paragraph number on one side and your response on the other side. To understand close reading techniques, you must first learn the important text parts to notice and the process itself. These are not in an actual order; they are only numbered for reference.

  1. Make brief notes marking important plot events or ideas at the top of the page with sticky notes or in the journal. Plot itself is not extremely important, though. Pay closer attention to the author’s craft.
  1. When new characters or important new settings are introduced, note phrases that describe them.
  1. When you can make an inference or draw a conclusion while reading the text, write it down on a sticky note in the margin or beside the text that led to it in your journal. See if your inference or conclusion holds true as you continue reading. If it does, note so beside the original annotation.
  1. Note sentence structure variations. These may be sentences that sound different, have unique word order, or have unusual or uncommon punctuation. Note what effect these have.
  1. If a word or phrase is repeated, note the repetition, a powerful rhetorical strategy. State why you think the word or phrase is used (often for emphasis).
  1. Identify any figurative language and sound devices. On the note write what effect these have. Figurative language: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, etc.

Sound elements: alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme, etc.

  1. Write downwords, images, and details that seem to form a pattern or are symbolic throughout the text. For example, if a large clock appears in the first chapter, and then you notice the author using the words “timely” or “ticking” in the text, and then an incident occurs in which a character breaks his watch or is late for an appointment, you may have uncovered a pattern of imagery(called a motif) which will lead you, as a close reader, to discover a thematic idea. Note these related strands and observe the rest of the text to see if the author uses other linked words, images, or details.
  1. Mark importantdetails or items with stars. Think about their relationship to the entire text.
  1. Note uncommon word choices, the author’s diction. Also, note words you do not know. Try to discern their meaning, especially the connotation, from context; keep a dictionary close at hand to look up the denotation (dictionary definition) if you cannot derive their meaning from context clues. Define beside the word.
  1. Use details, images, the author’s diction, language, and sentence structure to help determine tone, how the author feels about the subject.
  1. Do NOT mark too much. If you mark everything, nothing will stand out.
  1. While listening to a lecture or participating in a discussion of the text, write down insights you hear or discover. Sticking these notes directly in the text or writing them in your journal along with a page number assures you will be able to reference the exact page that triggered the ideas.