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Close reading and annotation that works
Can do: Annotates a text with questions and observations that can actually be used in an essay later.
Why it matters
High-school English is built on close reading. Annotation that's just highlighting produces nothing usable when the essay is due.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Highlights half the page in yellow with no notes, so rereading is required from scratch anyway.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Look at their annotated text. "Could you write a paragraph from these notes without rereading?"
Solid looks like: Notes are questions and observations, not just highlighting.
The full activity for this topic · 25 minutes
Four Symbols
- 1Agree four marks: ! for something striking, ? for confusion, ↔ for a connection, ★ for likely essay evidence.
- 2Annotate one page using only those, with a few words next to each.
- 3Afterwards, list every ★ and check they support a possible argument.
- 4Write two sentences of analysis using only the notes, with the book closed.
- 5Reread the page and see whether the notes actually captured what mattered.
If it's too hard
Two symbols only, half a page.
If it's too easy
Annotate for a specific essay question set before reading.
Say this
"Would these notes be any use to you in three weeks? If not, they're decoration."