TOUCHSTONES 1
Poetry Skills: Annotation
Video
Definition: making notes on a text by flagging or highlighting important details while reading
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Annotation means writing your observations and ideas onto the poem itself. A reader might annotate a text by making notes on the page and highlighting important details while reading, to help them understand and make sense of a text. Annotation is a really important skill to develop as you study poetry.
Etymology: comes from the Latin and means ‘a written comment’
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Annotation
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Example: The professor annotated the student’s poem with his suggestions on how to improve it.
Why annotate?
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
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1 Pick out a technique and highlight it in the poem.
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Sometimes after reading a poem, you may be unsure what the poet is trying to say. Annotating a poem is a reading strategy that will help you understand the techniques that went into building the poem and the message the poet is trying to put across. It allows you to understand and keep track of important details and ideas and helps you prepare to discuss or write about a poem.
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2 Draw an arrow out to the margin from the highlighted section and identify the technique.
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3 Draw a further arrow outwards and make a comment on the technique. What might it mean? What might it suggest?
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.
End rhyme
Please don’t take my sunshine away. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.
End rhyme
Sing-song rhythm
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08/03/2022 10:14
