Video Ant

Finally, A Fun Way to Teach Annotation!

Annotating is the act of a reader writing down his/her thoughts on a text during reading. Real-world readers and writers annotate all the time without skipping a beat. While skilled readers do not think much of this skill, for struggling or young readers annotating can seem like a science and unnatural. But I feel that as educators, if we truly want to raise our students' level of reading independency and comprehension, teaching annotation is not only necessary, but a must. There is just no way around it. But let me tell you, once your students understand the art of annotating, there will be no stopping them. After just a few lessons on annotation, I have seen my students from all different reading levels and interests raise their awareness of the text, critical thinking skills, thinking beyond the text, and their comprehension of the text.

Teaching students to annotate and think actively about a text can be a challenge, and that is an understatement. I have noticed that at the beginning of each new school year, whenever I introduce students to the concept of annotation, they look at me like I am speaking a foreign language. I have even created  an anchor chart to guide students in annotating independently:

However, I have discovered that the best way to teach the skill and art of annotation is through:

1. examples
2. modeling
3. repetitive exposure
4. answering the "so what?"

Examples:
Whenever I see a text replete with annotations made by an adult, I always ask permission from the adult to use the text in my classroom. Most of the time they are honored and even gift me the text. Case in point, in my last semester of grad school, one of my classmates had filled an article we were assigned to read for homework with her annotations; this included questions, noticings, definitions, highlights of important points, etc. At the end of the class discussion I asked her if she would not mind giving me her article to show my students how real-world readers think about a text. She gladly gave her article away being that it was one of the final weeks of the semester. For my next annotation lesson I was equipped.

Modeling:
As with any other skill, there is power in the act of a teacher modeling exactly what he/she expects or wants students to do. We can talk about annotating until our lips turn purple, but students need to see a reader annotating "live," so to speak. Therefore, during the reading of a text, I will perform think alouds and show my students live annotations either through the SmartBoard, document camera, or the most old-fashioned but still effective form: pressing my text against the board and jotting down my annotations as I say them out loud for all to hear and see.

Repetitive Exposure:
It is important to avoid the checklist method of teaching when teaching literacy skills, and teaching annotating is no different. In the checklist method of teaching, the teacher teaches a concept once or twice, and if students demonstrate mastery, they never revisit it. However, I have found that literacy skills require more of a circular approach; the teacher revisits the concept periodically and spread out throughout the school year in order to expose students to the skill as often as possible and to sharpen mastery. It is important to allow students to practice the skill regularly throughout the school year, and by the end of the school year all students should prove mastery.

Answering the "So What?"
In order for students to find meaning and value in learning annotation, the teacher needs to answer the "so what." Why do I need this skill? How will this skill be used in the real world? When teaching annotation, I always tell my students that once they learn to annotate the text, they will probably never read a text the same way again, especially if they are allowed to write on the text. I also tell them that as they get older texts will only get longer and annotating becomes not only useful, but necessary in order to comprehend and keep track of the text. Lastly, I tell them that all, if not most, middle-class professions require high level literacy skills; therefore, they will most likely find annotating practical and sometimes necessary when examining complex tests within their careers.

Best Practices Teaching Idea
Now that I have shared the why and how of teaching annotation, I thought it would be useful to share a sample introductory lesson that was very successful with my seventh grade students:

Prior to the lesson:

1. As a teacher, create a VideoAnt account here.
2. Upload any YouTube video you wish to use as a sample or ice breaker. I used one of Adelle's songs, "Hello." You can see my sample Adelle VideoAnt here.If you play the video, you will see my annotations on the video pop up as the video plays, which is pretty cool.
3. Post any other video to VideoAnt that relates to the content of your lesson. For instance, since I was introducing students to the Tudor England time period as an introduction to the novel Mary, Bloody Mary, I wanted them to practice annotating a historical documentary video on the time period. Here is the VideoAnt my seventh grade classes annotated for the video The Most Evil Women in History: Bloody Mary Tudor.

During the lesson:

1. Show students your or my sample VideoAnt, play it for a few minutes, and read aloud the annotations as it plays so that students can see how the website functions.
2. Ask students to create their own VideoAnt accounts. This process literally takes each student about 2-3 minutes; it is a very simple process. My school provides Google app accounts for each student, so I have them use their school-given Google app accounts. Students can view videos without an account but they can't contribute annotations unless they have one.
3. Provide a link to the content video you posted to VideoAnt. Quickly model how to annotate. Have students play the video on their own computers and annotate it as they view it. If there are not enough computers per student, perhaps you can do this is a SmartBoard activity, but it is more powerful when students can complete this with individual computers.
4. Discuss the video and some of the annotations. As a closing activity have students respond to the following question either verbally or in writing: How did using the VideoAnt website improve your understanding of the video?
5. As an extension activity and for further practice, have students complete a VideoAnt for homework for a music video, lyric video, or news clip of their choice. Here is the homework sheet and rubric I used with my students.

Homework Sheet:

Rubric:

I hope that this lesson will serve as a catalyst for your students to annotate with more complex and written texts. I usually immediately follow up this lesson by having students practice with a complex written text; the transfer of learning is usually immediate for most students. I have seen struggling and disengaged readers become more active and engaged readers after they have transferred the skill of annotating from a video to an actual text. I hope you experience similar, if not better, results.

Let me know how this annotation lesson turns out for you and your students; I love to hear your feedback!