All students will annotate course readings through a social annotation tool called Perusall.
Social annotation means that everyone is taking notes and recording reactions together on a shared text. This form of annotating will allow us to learn effective techniques for annotation; share ideas, questions, and resources; and build community together.
In order to annotate using Perusall, you must access the reading through our LMS, iLearn.
Why annotate?
Every time you read a text, for this or any class, you should annotate that text, either by hand or digitally. Engage in conversation with the text. Look for and identify patterns or moments of confusion, make connections between different sections of the text, and make meaning of what you have read.
Think of your annotations as your way in to a text and our discussions about it. Given the value that we place in discussions on supporting every claim you make in the language of the text, and grounding your questions in the text, your annotations are and will be significant to your learning in the course.
What should my annotations look like?
This very much depends upon you. We acknowledge here that our engagement with a text can look different from reader to reader, but for the purposes of our work, they must be at least somewhat discernible to others.
In an English class, you will read a wide variety of texts:
- For literary texts (short stories, poetry): You will take particular note of word choice, definitions of new vocabulary, character development, details of form and structure, figurative language, grammar patterns, repeated images (motifs), key developments in ideas, and connections to earlier passages that you have noted or that we have discussed in class.
- For journalistic texts: You should identify the main arguments of the text and the evidence that it uses to support this argument. You should think about the larger implications of the topic or argument, and make connections to topics or events outside of the text.
You should be annotating while you read out of class and in class during discussions.
Assessment:
Grades will be recorded for each text, with a score from 0 – 3. Scores of 2 or 3 are passing grades. Full credit is awarded for quality annotation, including highlighting significant points in the text, explaining questions or ideas, and engaging with the ideas and comments of classmates.
To be eligible for full credit, students should submit at least 3 annotations on each reading. Annotations are due by the start of class on their due date; no late annotations are accepted. The lowest annotation score will be dropped at the end of the semester.