Standard annotation is a smart literacy strategy for independent learning. This method lays out 5 phases to teach students standard annotation. It relies on the gradual release of responsibility model. You’ll be on your way to creating an independent learning environment in your classroom.
Why Standard Annotation is a Smart Literacy Strategy for Independent Learning
Annotation is generally taught within the context of reading, and with good reason. When done correctly, it engages the reader in an active process of making connections, predictions, meanings, and reflections. Much has been researched about the benefits of annotating texts; however, for our purpose, text annotation will take a backseat to standard annotation.
To become independent learners, students need to understand what it is they’re supposed to learn. Learning to cut through the noise and focus on what they need to know is a life skill they need to learn. They’ll need this skill in college and in the ever-changing workforce.
There are five phases to rolling out standard annotation to ensure that students are ready to do it independently. I’ll be using my method to demonstrate, which involves graphic organizers to help students understand what each verb in the standard is asking them to do. I’ve got a sample of these graphic organizers in the Free Resource Library here.
I also have a full set available for purchase here.
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These are geared toward history classes, but you can get the idea of how they work and modify them for other subjects from this post.
In this method, students have already taken notes using the standards as guidance. They’ll use their notes to annotate. This can be done with just the standards printed on a paper. The annotations can be done directly on paper. I begin with the “sun and cloud” graphics (literally–they’re shaped like sun and clouds) because it helps students to visualize the process. The ultimate goal is that they’ll learn to do it independently on a sheet of paper.
Standard Annotation in 5 Phases
Standard Annotation Phase 1: Teacher Models Standard Annotation and Graphic Organizers
Project the standard under consideration. Use a browser extension, such as Annotate: Web Annotations with Screen Sharing (available in the Chrome Web Store), to mark directly on the documents within your web browser.
- Highlight Key Words. You’ll want to pick a color for the verbs, a color for the nouns students need to define, and a color for the concepts they’ll need to find examples for.
- Demonstrate the Graphic Organizers. Model how you would use your notes to fill out the graphic organizer.
- Demonstrate the Annotation. Use the information on the graphic organizer to demonstrate how you would annotate. Note that the cloud graphics are color-coded by verbs, definitions, and examples.
- Rinse and Repeat. Repeat the process with the substandards that go with that standard.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to lose the training wheels (the graphic organizers and sun and cloud graphics). These are scaffolding tools in the learning process.
Standard Annotation Phase 2: Teacher Provides Highlighted Standards and Headings for Graphic Organizers
Group work is an essential component of this next phase so that groups can talk out the process. You can laminate all of the pieces (sun and clouds) and let students use dry erase markers, or you can give each group butcher paper and have them cut out the pieces and glue them on.
For this phase, you’ll pre-highlight the standards for the students and pre-fill the headings on the graphic organizers.
- Put Students in Groups. Students will work in groups to go through the above process with your assistance, but without your modeling.
- Have Students Fill out Graphic Organizers and Annotate Collaboratively. It can be beneficial to give groups a set amount of time to complete the Clouds. When that time is up, they should hang their work up if you are cutting and gluing or leave it flat on the desk if you’re using laminated pieces.
- Let Students See Each Other’s Work. They can then spend the remainder of class adding to their graphic organizers by walking around and previewing other’s work gallery walk style.
The last three phases are a little redundant but crucial for getting students to where we want them to be–independent learners.
Standard Annotation Phase 3: Teacher Provides Highlighted Standards and Students fill out all Parts of Graphic Organizers
For this phase, place students in groups and repeat phase 2. The only difference is that you’re having students use the pre-highlighted standards to fill out the headings on the graphic organizers themselves.
Standard Annotation Phase 4: Students Highlight and Annotate Standards and fill out all Parts of Graphic Organizers
This phase is the same as phase 3. The only difference is that now you’re expecting students to also highlight the standard themselves. This is the point at which students should also practice annotating on their own.
Standard Annotation Phase 5: Students Highlight and Annotate Standards and Create Their Own Graphic Organizers
Phase 5 is the ultimate goal. This is why you’ve been teaching standard annotation. It’s the independent learning component of this smart literacy strategy. Independent annotating can look differently, depending on preference.
The ultimate goal here is that you give students a copy of the unit standards and they annotate in their own way on their own.
This is just one way to scaffold standard annotation. There are many ways you can do it. Just keep the ultimate goal in mind–independent learning.
Don’t forget to grab the free graphic organizers here.
You can also check out the full set of templates here.
