Annotating Hints

Annotating your books doesn't need to be a traumatic experience! Use the following hints to make your notes quicker and more useful.

Use the blank pages at the start of the book for notes on the author and setting

Don't take more than one or two notes per page spread, unless it is a very significant passage

Give each chapter a title (even if it already has one). Keep it short, descriptive and precise.

Use the tops of the pages!!! You'll be able to find facts more easily that way. There, note:

• the first time a major character is introduced

• major events/ the climax

• new settings

• observations (keep them short)

• themes

Develop a shorthand to identify key elements. For example:

• for a significant passage, use a  star

• for a question you need answered, use a question mark

• for a dramatic example of figurative language, use an abbreviation (fl)

• for something shocking or funny, use an exclamation point

• circle vocabulary you don't know and put the definition nearby

Use the space at the end of chapters to sum up plot and ideas

AVOID:

Using highlighters--they don't give you enough flexibility

Using different pen colors--you'll spend too much time juggling them

Commenting on too much. If you find yourself doing so, read a chapter through without making any notes. Then, go back and only note what's important; you'll be surprised by how much you'll cut down on.