Posted: October 6th, 2022

Evaluating Source Material

Week 5: Evaluating Source Material
Source Annotation Assignment
Remember that a text can take many forms, because a text can be anything that
uses a form of communication to convey a message to an audience. That message can be carried
using any form of communication, including language or text, visual elements, auditory elements, tactile
elements, and beyond. Texts can take the form of traditional print artifacts, such as a newspaper or a
chapter in a textbook, but they can also take many other forms such as infographics, billboards, television
commercials, or objects (such as t-shirts or water bottles).
Growing as a writer requires developing close reading skills: writers should practice interpreting texts
around them to discover how texts are created, how they “work,” and how others might interact with them
and understand them. Texts only take on meaning when a reader constructs a meaning through the
process of interpretation. To help draw your attention to how you construct meaning as a close reader,
you’re expected to annotate many texts in this class. You are expected to complete annotations by hand in
this course. Psychotherapist and journaling expert Maud Purcell suggests that the act of writing helps filter
information and focus; Maria Konnikova of The New York Times reports that psychologists and
neuroscientists have found that writing longhand improves retention of information, helps generate more
ideas, and deepens reading abilities. If you require accommodations for the activity of writing by hand, you
may complete annotations in a digital form, perhaps by using Adobe Reader or your preferred platform to
create text boxes and other markings that make similar moves that hand-written annotations would.
Annotation is the process of marking on and interacting with a text to construct an
interpretation of it as you consume it. This guide offers some strategies that will help you
practice annotating and become a close reader. Annotations can take two main forms: markings
and verbal comments.
Required Readings:
• Konnikova, Maria. “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades.” The New York Times, 2 July 2014,
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?_r=1. Accessed
17 Nov.2019.
• Grothaus, Michael. “Why Journaling is Good For Your Health (and 8 Tips to Get Better).” Fast
Company, 29 January 2015, https://www.fastcompany.com/3041487/8-tips-to-more-effectivejournaling-for-health. Accessed 17 Nov. 2019.
Technical Requirements:
• Demonstrate close reading strategies and clear annotations of (3) texts you will use in your final
research paper.
• Annotations and markings can include moves such as underlining, circling, highlighting, and other
ways of flagging parts of the text. For example, you can:
o Mark any passages that summarize an author’s main argument, theme, or conflict
o Mark any words or phrases that are new to you and investigate them
o Mark any figures of speech or phrases that you find effective or enjoyable
• Verbal comments can take many forms, but remember that your goal is to “think out loud” to
interpret the text as you consume it: capture your comments in the margins of the text, between
lines or sections of the text, and even on the back of the pages if necessary. Especially if the
process of annotation is new to you, try this “formula” for constructing comments: simply take notes
any time you appreciate, notice, or wonder something by starting comments in one of the following
forms:
o “I appreciate…” followed by something that you admire or enjoy in the text, something that
you think is done well
o “I notice…” followed by something that gets your attention or that stands out as a pattern
throughout the text
o “I wonder…” followed by questions, concerns, or suggestions you have about something in
the text
Here are other suggestions for how to verbalize your interpretations as you read:
• Take notes on how the writing seems to work:
o What do you notice about the organization, formatting, and other elements of the text? In
what context was this text created?
o How does the writer communicate their argument, use evidence and examples, etc.?
o How does the writer communicate about the purpose of this text?
o How does the writer try to reach their intended audience?
• Take notes on your reading experience, such as documenting any emotional reaction you might be
having (“The way the author does is making me mad…” or “It’s kind of creepy how this text
talks about…”)
• Take notes on any connections you have to the text (“This reminds me a lot of…”) or future
applications you might use (“I want to remember this when I…”
Submission Requirements:
If you’re annotating using pen and paper:
1. Print or obtain a printed copy of the text.
2. Complete the annotation process by hand using a dark-coloredpen.
3. Use a traditional scanner on a printer or other device to capture images of all pages or sections of
the text as a single PDF OR use a smartphone app for scanning such as CamScanner,
TurboScan, or Scannable to capture images of all pages or sections of the text as a single PDF.
4. Email yourself the PDF for easy access and storage.
5. From your preferred device, download the single PDF of the annotated text from your email
and then upload it to the correct submission area inBlackboard.
If you’re annotating using a stylus on a tablet or other device:
1. Open a digital file or image of the text in your preferred application on the tablet or other device.
2. Complete the annotation process by hand using a stylus and any other relevant marking tools
(such as a highlighting feature).
3. Save your annotated file or image of the entire text as a single PDF.
4. Upload the single PDF of the annotated text to the correct submission area in
Blackboard
Criteria
Below
Expectation
(0-9)
Meeting
Expectations
(10-17)
Outstanding
(18-25)
Total
Points
Nuts and
Bolts
Did student fully complete annotations for a minimum of (3) sources? Did
students submit in an acceptable word .doc or .docx format? Did student
demonstrate strong close reading strategies and meaningfully integrate the
annotation strategies provided in the assigned readings and instructor
video? While this assignment is based on completion, points will be
awarded based on the breadth, quality, and completeness of your
annotations.
__/ 25

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