How to annotate text | Highlight & Rewrite

Summary

In this video, Katie Azevedo introduces the 'Highlight and Rewrite' annotation strategy, a simple yet effective method for improving reading comprehension. The strategy consists of two steps: highlighting key points in the text and rewriting brief summaries and explanations in the margins. This method helps readers engage with complex texts by identifying main ideas, unfamiliar words, and themes, and ensuring a deeper understanding of the material. Azevedo demonstrates the technique using both digital (Lumen PDF) and paper-based methods, offering tips for annotating novels, academic articles, and more. It's an essential tool for anyone looking to enhance their reading experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Annotating helps you better understand and retain what you're reading, whether it's textbooks, academic articles, or literature.
• 😀 The 'Highlight and Rewrite' strategy involves two main steps: highlighting key parts of the text and rewriting brief summaries or reasons for the highlights.
• 😀 Highlighting should be strategic—only key ideas, themes, events, or unfamiliar words should be highlighted, avoiding over-highlighting.
• 😀 Rewriting involves summarizing what you’ve read in your own words and noting why certain parts were highlighted (e.g., defining terms, identifying rhetorical devices).
• 😀 The 'Highlight and Rewrite' strategy works for both digital and paper annotations, making it a versatile tool for all types of readers.
• 😀 For digital annotations, tools like Lumen PDF can be used to highlight and add notes, making the process easy to manage online.
• 😀 The strategy can be applied to different types of reading material, from fiction to non-fiction, to help improve comprehension and track key concepts.
• 😀 Summarizing after highlighting ensures that you’ve understood the material—if you can’t summarize it, you probably didn’t grasp the main idea.
• 😀 Rewriting also includes personal reflections and thoughts, helping connect the material to your own interpretations and insights.
• 😀 This method is especially helpful for beginners but also serves as a simplified approach for more experienced annotators looking for a structured technique.
• 😀 For non-fiction texts, focus on key concepts, dates, and contrasting views, while for fiction, focus on themes, characters, and symbolism.

Q & A

What is the purpose of annotating a text?

The purpose of annotating is to better understand what you're reading, by engaging more neural networks in the brain, which helps with comprehension, retention, and processing of information.

What is the 'highlight and rewrite' strategy?

The 'highlight and rewrite' strategy involves two steps: first, highlighting important or triggering parts of the text, and second, rewriting brief summaries and noting the reasons behind the highlights.

Why is highlighting considered a 'dangerous weapon'?

Highlighting is considered a dangerous weapon because it's easy to overdo it, leading to excessive highlighting without clear focus. The key is to highlight only the most significant elements of the text.

What should you highlight when reading novels?

In novels, you should highlight main ideas, references to themes, plot development, key events, internal and external conflicts, turning points, symbols, interesting parts, and words or phrases you have questions about.

What is the role of 'rewriting' in the annotation process?

Rewriting involves summarizing the highlighted text in your own words, without copying the author's language. This forces you to process the information and check if you understood it. Additionally, it includes noting why specific parts were highlighted, such as for symbols or foreshadowing.

How can you make sure you understand what you've read when annotating?

If you can't summarize what you've just read, it means you likely didn't understand it. By writing brief summaries and noting the significance of highlighted parts, you ensure better understanding of the material.

What should be included when annotating for foreshadowing?

When annotating for foreshadowing, it's important to label the highlighted passage with a note like 'foreshadowing' to indicate why the part is significant and to remind yourself of its relevance later.

What are the benefits of digital annotation tools like Lumen PDF?

Digital annotation tools like Lumen PDF offer convenience for online readings, such as PDFs, and provide easy ways to highlight, write notes, and organize your annotations. They also allow for quick edits and integration with other platforms like Google Drive.

How is the 'highlight and rewrite' strategy applied in academic texts?

In academic texts, you highlight main ideas, important dates, contrasting views, key concepts, and terms you're unfamiliar with. Afterward, you rewrite summaries, note definitions for unfamiliar words, and jot down your thoughts or interpretations.

Is the 'highlight and rewrite' strategy suitable for all types of reading?

Yes, the 'highlight and rewrite' strategy is versatile and can be used for various types of reading, whether it's literature, non-fiction, or academic articles. It's effective for improving comprehension and retaining key information.