How I Annotate

While I was reading Elbow’s piece on first and second order thinking I annotated a few things. The very first thing I annotated was how he described first order thinking and second order thinking. The reason I did this was because I wanted a brief understanding of what he was trying to convey. I didn’t want to reread the whole paragraph just to understand what he was saying again. Another reason I highlighted certain sentences was because I can make connections to other works I read. Doing that helped me better understand what Elbow was trying say by relating it to something else I already understand. And the final reason I annotate papers is to comment on what I agree and disagree about. That helps me remember I read more because it can become the topic of discussion.

My partner annotates in a similar fashion. He highlights a specific phrase or sentence that he agrees or disagrees with. One thing that he does that I don’t do, however, is highlighting questions that the author specifically put in the writing. I’ve never thought about doing that before, but I can see how it can help. Whether the question is actually answered in the piece or its a rhetorical question, you can put you input on the matter.