ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 1

The Impact of Annotation Strategies on ELA Short and Extended Response Scores of 8th-

Grade ICT Students

Kathryn Mitchell

Brooklyn College

City University of New York

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 2

Table of Contents

Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………….. 2

Abstract ……...…………………………………………………………………….. 3

Chapter 1
● Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 4
● Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………………… 5
● Importance of Study …………………………………………………………… 5
● Definition of Terms ……………………………………………………………. 6

Chapter 2
● Review of Literature …………………………………………………………… 9
● Summary ………………………………………………………………………. 16
● Hypothesis ……………………………………………………………………… 17

Chapter 3
● Settings …………………………………………………………………………. 18
● Participants ……………………………………………………………………... 19
● Materials………………………………………………………………………....19
● Research Design …………………………………………………………………20

Chapter 4
● Findings …………………………………………………………………………22

Chapter 5
● Overview of the Study …………………………………………………………. 31
● Summary of Findings …………………………………………………………... 31
● Conclusion & Recommendations for Future Research ………………………… 32
● Limitations of the Study ……………………………………………………...… 33

References ……………………………………………………………………………… 34

Appendices ……………………………………………………………………………... 36
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 3

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of annotation strategies on the

reading comprehension and written response test scores of 8th-grade students. Fourteen eighth-

grade students with and without disabilities participated in this study. The study was conducted

in an eighth-grade ICT (Integrated Co-Teaching) classroom setting using the New York State

(NYS) Common Core standards. Students received an ELA pre-test using questions from the

current curriculum, Expeditionary Learning. The pre-test was a mid-unit assessment consisting

of 5 multiple choice questions and two short constructed-responses. The pre-test, along with

additional data from students such as assessment scores, classroom tasks and performance,

running records, and teacher observations, serve as a baseline of performance prior to the

introduction of the annotation strategies. The test measured the students’ reading comprehension

skills as well as their ability to respond to reading passages in short formats. Short response

questions were graded using the New York State ELA Exam 2-point rubric. Students were also

given a survey where they could express their prior experience or knowledge of annotation and if

or how they use it when reading complex passages. Data for this study was collected through a

post-test administered after students received two weeks of instruction in annotation strategies,

as well as other assessment scores, an end of unit literary summary, and classroom

performance/teacher observations. The results showed that exposure to annotation strategies did

help students significantly improve their overall test scores and in most cases their writing scores

also improved. However, the results varied between the classes, with only one of the two classes

studied showing significant improvement in their writing scores.

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Chapter 1

The Impact of Annotation Strategies on ELA Short and Extended Response Scores of 8th-

Grade ICT Students

Since March of 2020 and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape of

teaching and learning is changing. The challenges that both teachers and students find before

them in the current climate are dramatically impacting students’ experiences, their capacity for

learning, and their stamina inside the classroom. One of the hardest hit populations are young

adolescents, particularly current middle school students who are coming back into this school

year after having not attended an in-person classroom for nearly two years. The group of students

I am most familiar with are my two 8th-grade sections of English Language Arts ICT (Integrated

Co-Teaching) classes. In these classes, though each section has up to 12 students with

disabilities, more than 70% of the entire class is reading well-below grade level, regardless of

disability or lack of. The effects of this learning loss are demonstrated throughout all content

areas and are additionally observed in a lack of social-emotional behaviors as well. However, in

the English Language Arts classroom, the effects of learning loss are realized most keenly, in

which students with and without disabilities are struggling to comprehend grade-level texts and

have incredibly low writing stamina.

From my own anecdotal observations, and from stories shared from colleagues about

similar climates in their classrooms, I have found that many students do not have the tools or the

writing skill to begin a task without additional support from a teacher. When offered a writing

prompt, students often do not even have the tools to break down a question to understand what it

is asking, let alone to begin forming their thoughts on paper in a way that addresses the task.
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 5

This study will focus on the implementation of annotation strategies and sentence frames

and the effect it has on 8th-grade ICT students’ ELA writing scores. During the study, the skills

associated with New York State standards for constructed and extended response questions will

be evaluated in order to determine the effectiveness of annotation skills on 8th grade ICT

students with and without disabilities.

Statement of the Problem

The focus of the study is the impact of annotation strategies and sentence frames on the

writing scores of 8th-grade ICT students.

Research questions that will be investigated will consist of the following:

1) Will the constructed and extended responses of 8th-grade students significantly improve

when introduced to annotation strategies and sentence starters?

2) Will students respond positively to being taught annotation strategies?

3) Will reading comprehension and selected response scores significantly improve when

introduced to annotation strategies?

Importance of the Study

This study will benefit all students, teaching them how annotation can be a useful skill

not just for understanding texts, but also understanding questions and responding to them.

Annotation is a skill that enhances both writing and reading simultaneously and the sentence

frames taught to students help them to organize and jumpstart their thinking so that they can feel

more successful and confident as they read complex texts, read and understand text-dependent

questions, and develop their writing skills.

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 6

Definition of Terms

NYS Common Core State Standards (CCSS) - The Common Core State Standards Initiative is

an educational initiative from 2010 that details what K–12 students throughout the United States

should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conclusion of each school grade.

They represent the next generation of K–12 standards designed to prepare all students for

success in college, career, and life by the time they graduate from high school.

(http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/)

NYS Next Generation Learning Standards - are defined as the knowledge, skills, and

understanding that individuals can and do habitually demonstrate over time when exposed to

high-quality instructional environments and learning experiences.

(http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/new-york-state-next-generation-english-

language-arts-learning-standards)

ELA - English Language Arts - a core course of instruction in an elementary or secondary

school where students develop listening, speaking, reading, composition, grammar, and

spelling skills in English.

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ela)

Annotation - a note added by way of comment or explaining something.

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annotation)

Students with disabilities - Disabled students are students with some physical or mental

impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

(https://definitions.uslegal.com/d/disabled-students/)

Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) - a general education teacher and a special education teacher

jointly providing instruction to a class that includes both students with and students without
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 7

disabilities to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

(http://www.uft.org/teaching/integrated-co-teaching-ict)

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) - a plan or program developed to ensure that a child who

has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational

institution receives specialized instruction and related services.

(https://www.washington.edu/doit/what-difference-between-iep-and-504-plan)

Comprehension- the action or capability of understanding something

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprehension)

Extended Response - an open-ended question that begins with some type of prompt. These

questions allow students to write a response that arrives at a conclusion based on their specific

knowledge of the topic.

(https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-an-extended-response-item-3194254)

Constructed Response - In most states, constructed-response questions (CRQs) are part of

educational testing for teachers. These questions require you to produce or construct the answer

and are considered a way to more thoroughly assess your subject knowledge.

(https://www.240tutoring.com/constructed-response-questions/)

Selected Response or Multiple Choice - selected response or multiple choice items are those in

which students read a question and are presented with a set of responses from which they choose

the best answer.

(https://www.nagb.gov/naep-subject-areas/technology-and-engineering-literacy/framework-

archive/2014-technology-framework/toc/ch_4/descriptions/descriptions1.html)

Sentence Starters/Stems - a technique that gives students the opportunity to respond in the form

of a complete sentence to effectively communicate. Sentence stems provide scaffolding to help

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 8

students get started in speaking or writing without the added pressure of thinking about how to

correctly formulate a response.

(https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/sentence-stems)

Scaffolding - is a teaching method that enables a student to solve a problem, carry out a task, or

achieve a goal through a gradual shedding of outside assistance.

(https://www.edglossary.org/scaffolding/)

Close Reading - Close reading is thoughtful, critical analysis of a text that focuses on significant

details or patterns in order to develop a deep, precise understanding of the text’s form, craft,

meanings, etc. It is a key requirement of the Common Core State Standards and directs the

reader’s attention to the text itself.

(https://nieonline.com/tbtimes/downloads/CCSS)

Modeling - the teacher engages students by showing them how to perform a skill while

describing each step with a rationale. This provides students with both a visual and verbal

example of what they will be expected to do.

(https://louisville.edu/education/abri/primarylevel/modeling/elementary)
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 9

Chapter 2

Review of the Literature

This chapter provides a review of the literature related to annotation strategies and skills

and their usefulness and impact on the education of reading comprehension and writing scores of

middle school students. The four main sections are (a) an overview of the definition and purpose

of annotating, (b) techniques and methods for teaching annotation to middle schoolers, (c) the

benefits of annotating texts, and (d) the interconnection between writing and reading

comprehension.

What is Annotating and Why Should We Teach It?

Briefly defined, annotation is the act of taking notes on a text. If you ask my 8th-graders

to show you what it looks like, many of them will take much joy in highlighting or underlining a

portion of the text that they deem important. However, the inspiration for this study is to push

those students to go further by including their own thoughts, their own writing, alongside the

author’s text, so that they may further understand it, and as a natural result, improve their own

ability to write about the text. Many students understand annotating is a skill that is meant to help

them understand a text better, but they have not yet started to understand how to do it or what

deeper purpose it may serve. The goal of this research is to move students from aimlessly

underlining sections of the text, and encourage them to “enter into a conversation with the text

they are reading” in order to make more personal meaning (Brown, 2007, p. 73).

Annotation is literally, physically, marking up a text with any kind of notations that make

sense to the reader. This could be thoughts or ideas, questions, predictions, symbols, responses,

jokes, drawings, and more. The act of annotating a text has become known by authors on the

topic as talking to or being in dialogue with the text itself. This dialogue enables students to
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 10

make personal connections with the text, which in turn enables them to make sense of it. Beyond

the purpose of making sense of a text so that they may become better readers and writers, or

better students, or pass their exams, there is a deeper sense that “[i]nstruction in literature should

enable readers to find the connections between their experience and the literary work…[which]

may enable them to use the literature, to employ it in making sense of their lives” (Probst, 1988,

p. 35). Brown poses the question, “How can I help students see that reading will help them

understand the confusing and chaotic world in which they live?” (Brown, 2007, pg. 73). And

furthermore, how can we help teachers understand that incorporating this specific type of writing

process into the act of reading will allow students to express their understanding in a way that

they may ultimately share their thinking with others.

Understanding annotation as a skill can not only improve students' comprehension of the

texts they read, and their ability to make personal connections and meaning, giving them a richer

experience of literature overall, it also “give[s] students permission to pay attention to their

thoughts” and to develop and include those thoughts into substantial writing pieces (Zucker,

2016, pg. 92). Zucker (2016) describes her initial unit with students in which she teaches

annotation through a series of short stories, so that students may become comfortable with the

practice of close-reading. “I tell students that the secret to coming to a brilliant conclusion about

literature is to ‘read small,’ paying attention to details, noticing and tracking patterns, and

making connections, so that they can later ‘think big’ about deeper meanings” (Zucker, 2016, pg.

92).

A final purpose for moving students beyond highlighting and underlining a text into more

detailed and specific forms of annotation is to transform them, through this conversation with the

text, from passive readers into active ones. “Annotating is a writing-to-learn strategy for use
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 11

while reading or rereading… [which] helps readers reach a deeper level of engagement and

promotes active reading” (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004, pg. 82). When students read a text and

underline it without note-taking they “assume a passive role when studying, surrendering to the

text rather than controlling it” (Morris, 2012, pg. 377). However, Morris further notes that

“annotating, in itself, does not constitute active reading” and that, specifically, behaviors such as

highlighting or underlining may reinforce passive reading, unless students are provided with a

guideline for how to annotate and a determined purpose set for the task of annotating. Many

students, especially the population I work with, need even further instruction than this, by way of

sentence starters to remind them how to connect their thoughts to the piece of text they have

underlined. Additional guidance on methods for teaching annotation to students will be outlined

in the following section.

Methods and Techniques for Teaching Annotation to Students

In conducting research on the impacts of annotation on the reading and writing of

students, the pedagogical methods for teaching annotation to students came up in every text.

While the methods were not always the same, there was much agreement amongst authors about

several specific items that emerged repeatedly from the literature. These will serve as the outline

for this section; (1) providing students with categories for what they are annotating, and using

these categories to provide a physical guide for students to follow while reading, (2) thinking

aloud or modeling what good annotation looks like and how it can be used to bolster thinking,

understanding, and writing, (3) making the process of annotation personal for students so that

they may gain the most meaning from it.

All authors and pedagogues conducting research on the impacts of annotation agree that

first and foremost, students must be taught how to annotate, some need more academic support
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 12

than others, but they must all be given a common set of categories or types of responses to

reading, as a start. Authors on the topic categorize the types of responses into as few as four and

as many as a dozen different categories, but either way, this type of categorization is centripetal

to guiding young readers into talking to the text. Morris (2012) arranges his categories of

response into something that echoes shades of Lev Vygotsky’s concept of higher-order thinking:

“predicting: to prepare for further reading; questioning: in order to self-test; clarifying: in order

to self-evaluate and to respond to breakdowns in meaning; and summarizing: to self-review and

to take stock of comprehension” (Morris, 2012, pg. 379). Others, such as Porter-O’Donnell

(2004), had additional categories, and more importantly, those that are co-generated with the

students, specifically those related to making connections (to oneself, to the world, or to other

texts), stating opinions, and analyzing the author’s craft (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004, pg. 82). Many

authors (Brown 2007, Probst 1988, Zucker 2016) had reading response categories that covered

the expanse of and even separated annotations into surface responses (plot and setting details,

definitions) and deeper thinking (character motive, theme, connections to other literary work,

critique and evaluations). The next step after teaching students the myriad of options that they

have for marking up a text, as seen through all of the authors on the topic, is to offer an expert

model, or make thinking and annotating visible for students.

Modeling for students is a critical aspect of an effective teaching practice. Seeing an

expert do what it is we want the students to do is a natural part of teaching and learning. Zucker

(2016) outlines a method in which after she co-generates an annotation guide with students, they

embark on the first read of a text as a class to practice using the guide they have created. “This

first reading experience is tightly controlled and teacher-led because I want my students to

practice the attentiveness that close reading requires and to experience the back-and-forth rhythm
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 13

of reading and annotating” (Zucker, 2016, pg. 93). Zucker (2016) states that she insists the

students use a pencil for this first close read so that they can practice skills such as predicting and

then returning to their annotations later to answer their own questions or predictions and self-

evaluate their initial thinking. Any number of practical methods can be used to display the text

and model thinking aloud for the students, but the key is that the skills we wish the students to

master and the language we wish them to use must be on display in well-crafted examples.

Morris (2012) describes connecting words that depict certain imagery in his sample text, and he

introduces what he sees as an emerging theme for discussion with the class. “Along the way, the

annotations also attempt to illustrate, in a modest way, the strategy of clarifying, or self-

evaluating, as I consolidate my thinking about the meaning [of the text]” (Morris, 2012, pg. 380).

Morris (2012) demonstrates to students as he moves through the model how his questions may

clarify his thinking or he may abandon his initial thought in favor of something else based on

new evidence from the text. Morris then has students annotate his annotations and label his

comments by category or type of response. Although he moves in a different order than Zucker

(2016), and others, the parts of the process are all there. After enough modeling, students may

begin to make their own comments, take their own notes, and begin their own conversation with

the text.

As discussed previously in this section, pedagogues have developed a number of

categories, techniques, symbols, and types of responses as a guideline for modeling how students

may begin to annotate their texts. However, it is important to note that while educators provided

guidelines and examples, they were never introduced as rules for annotating. The key concept of

teaching annotation as a skill is that the outcome should result in deeper thinking and personal

meaning-making for the student, an experience that is unique to each student in turn. While a
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 14

teacher may model best practices, types of responses, or symbols that have worked for them, a

student must be encouraged to annotate in whatever way suits them. “[T]he nature of annotations

is often personal and reveals how students have connected to what they have read” (Brown,

2007, pg. 74). Many of the authors surveyed for this study are in agreement in regards to the idea

that there is no one “right way” to annotate, “but that there are patterns and categories that seem

to be used by readers as they work to make sense of their reading” (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004, pg.

85). The development of categories and response types, the modeling of thinking, and annotating

for students, all act as a way to serve up a “menu” of options for students to choose from, if they

wish. However, they should be encouraged to make any types of notes they wish, as long as it

helps them connect to the text and to find meaning in it. Lastly, the notion that there is no one

right way to annotate will ideally lead students to the concept that in the deep-level thinking of

interpreting literature, there is no one right answer either, only the students’ own thoughts and

reflections. Zucker states, “the most provocative questions raised by literature spark a plurality of

interpretations, and the paths to meaning are infinite” (Zucker, 2016, pg. 92).

The Benefits of Annotation

Porter-O’Donnell (2004) asked her students to reflect on how they had changed as

readers through the use of annotation, and she sorted their reflections into four categories that she

perceived as the benefits of annotating for students. She noted that “annotating had helped

students see that reading is a process and that applying the ways of responding to text through

annotation changes comprehension” (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004, pg. 85). Furthermore, she states

that annotating helps students slow reading down and allows students to think critically about

short passages in order to allow bigger, deeper ideas to emerge. Lastly, many students reflected

that they became more active readers because they now have “the opportunity to become more
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 15

aware of their thinking process” and “work to make sense of ideas that they may not have been

aware even existed when they read quickly” (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004, pg. 87). Morris notes an

additional benefit in that annotation allows a teacher to see exactly what a student thinks about a

text as they move through it. “Students have literally marked out their thinking processes so I can

respond to misunderstandings and adjust instruction based on their questions and their relative

facility with predicting, reviewing, connecting, and so on” (Morris, 2012, pg. 385). Morris

additionally states that annotating leads to richer and fuller class discussions about the text. He

states that “‘talking to the text’ translates to ‘talking in class,’ with significantly increased

participation in response to readings” (Morris, 2012, pg. 379).

Lastly, Porter-O’Donnell (2004) noticed that even though she had not intentionally

taught students to use their annotations in their writing, many of them, through their reflections,

revealed that annotating also helped them as writers. This observation is the exact supposition for

this study, supposing that if Porter-O’Donnell (2004) saw success without employing annotation

specifically for this purpose, that teaching students to annotate thoughtfully with the intention to

use their notes in their writing responses to literature will improve their writing overall. Porter-

O’Donnell’s students report that annotating helped them keep “a record of ongoing thoughts”

and “find supporting evidence” to include in writing responses (Porter-O’Donnell, 2004, pg. 88).

I suggest that going one step further and offering students a “menu” of sentence starters to

jumpstart and frame their thinking will build their confidence and enable them to write more

organized responses that fully address the requirements of writing prompts.

The Inseparable Connection Between Writing and Reading

One final through line that connected much of the research together was the concept of

the inseparability of reading and writing, and specifically that strong reading habits and
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 16

strategies, such as annotation, are connected to writing as well. Many authors, such as Elbow

(2004) and Morris (2012), argue that it is unnecessary to teach the two as separate subjects,

because their interconnectivity is so inherent that one invariably impacts the other. Elbow

(2004), in particular states that “the word literacy literally means power over letters – that is,

over both reading and writing” and he further insists that academically, by attempting to

prioritize reading over writing, or to teach reading before writing, that we have it all backwards

(Elbow, 2004, pg. 9). In his article “Writing First,” he notes that “reading is ‘really writing’

(actively creating meaning), and writing is ‘really reading’ (passively finding what culture and

history have inscribed in our heads)” (Elbow, 2004, pg. 10). Morris (2012) also points to the

inseparability of reading and writing, pointing out that “emphasizing writing as a tool for

reading, the annotations also double as a prereading activity, getting students to create a context

before they read. In this integrated approach to literacy, practice in reading works symbiotically

with practice in writing” (Morris 378). When annotation is used consistently for all reading

lessons, students will build confidence not only in understanding the texts they are reading, but

they will gain invaluable practice in writing what they want to say, whether in written responses

to literature or in classroom discourse.

Summary

The research for this study revealed that many authors have intentionally explored the

impacts of teaching annotation on the reading abilities of their students, and many authors have

also noted the inseparable interconnection between reading and writing skills. However, teaching

annotation to intentionally impact students’ writing skills is a less explored area, but has already

been seen by some authors as an unintended outcome. Overall, the consensus is that annotation is

a critical skill for students of all ages and abilities, and that it can undoubtedly improve both
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 17

reading comprehension and writing abilities. In particular, for students with disabilities or

students who may struggle to jumpstart their writing, providing specific sentence starters and

sentence frames that aid students in categorizing and labeling their thinking will provide all

students with a strong organizational foundation for answering constructed and extended

response scores.

Hypothesis

8th-Grade students in an ICT setting with and without disabilities taught annotation

strategies and sentence starters will significantly improve their short and extended written

response scores.
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 18

Chapter 3

Method

Setting

This study was conducted at the North Bronx School of Empowerment, housed in the

Richard R. Green Campus (I.S. 113), a New York City public middle school located in the

Williamsbridge section of the Bronx. The school is classified as a Title I school and nearly 30%

of the student population are classified with some type of disability (more than 7% higher than

the city-wide average). Enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year was 423 for grades 6-8. The

school population as of 2020-2021 is comprised of Black 51.9%, Hispanic 41.6%, Native

American 2.1%, and White 1.9% (schools.nyc.gov). In addition to the large population of

students with disabilities, the student body also consists of 90.1% of students who are in

economic need (more than 19% higher than the city-wide average) and 14% English Language

Learners. There are six 8th-grade classes, one general education, three ICT, and two self-

contained classes. More than 70% of 8th-grade students are performing well-below grade level in

reading comprehension.

Our school vision statement is, “We support an environment where school culture is

empowering, welcoming, and educationally stimulating. We cultivate an equitable environment

for students to feel motivated and take accountability for their learning. Our mission is to provide

high quality, rigorous, inclusive instruction where students see themselves and find value in their

learning” (https://northbronxpower.org/en-US/our-mission-vision-dace312a). Every year our

Instructional Leadership Team presents educators with a “problem of practice” or a pedagogical

focus for the year and for the instructional year 2021-2022 our focus was in the benefits of close

reading, and how to incorporate close reading into all content areas across all grades. A key
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 19

component of close reading is annotation, and so this study was incorporated naturally to fit the

focus of educators across the school.

Participants

The participants for this study were a convenient sample of students from two different

sections of 8th-grade ICT classes. The participants were made up of students with disabilities

and those without disabilities. The students indentified as having disabilities have classifications

that include Learning Disability, Speech and/or Language Impairment, and Other Health

Impairment. Three of the participants are also classified as English Language Learners (two of

these students have IEPs and one does not). The participants are all in eighth grade with ages

ranging from 13-15 years old. Eight of the students included in the study were male and six

students were female.

Materials

As a part of my research study, I focused on teaching annotation strategies and providing

sentence frames for annotating as opportunities occurred naturally within the daily curriculum. I

studied the impact of these strategies and sentence frames on students reading comprehension

and their ability to respond in a short and extended response format to text-based writing

prompts. One of the most important tools used during the instruction of annotation strategies and

close reading activities was the “Annotation Strategies to Become a More Effective Reader”

Sheet and R.A.C.E Strategy (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) (Appendix D). This one-sheet was

used throughout multiple lessons within the curriculum and the R.A.C.E strategy was

reformatted (and provided with sentence stems) to help students frame and organize their writing

responses to text-based questions.

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 20

Measurement #1 - Student Annotation Survey (Appendix B)

This survey measured students’ prior knowledge of and experience with annotating for reading

comprehension, as well as their attitudes and perceptions about using annotation to understand

complex texts and whether it might improve their test scores. This measurement was not

investigated for its reliability and validity.

Measurement #2 - Module 3, Unit 1, Mid-Unit Assessment (Appendix C)

Pre- and post-test responses demonstrated the impact of the Annotation Strategies and Sentence

Starters and show whether or not students writing improved on constructed response questions

using the New York State Exam 2-point Rubric for Constructed Response (Appendix A). This

measurement was not investigated for its reliability and validity.

Measurement #3 - Annotation and Close Reading Activity (Appendix E)

This activity was given as a final assignment before administering the post-test as a guage for

whether or not further instruction was warranted before students took the post-test. This activity

was developed outside of the curriculum as a companion to the curriculum lessons and meant to

enhance and practice the use of the annotation strategies and frames. This measurement was not

investigated for its reliability and validity.

Measurement #4 - Module 3, Unit 1, End of Unit Assessment (Appendix F)

This assessment, while not included in the pre- and post-test data, gave insight into the impact of

annotation strategies and sentence frames on a longer extended-response piece, specifically the

whole-book summary of the novel Maus I. This writing piece was scored using a Whole-Book

Literary Summary Rubric provided by the Expeditionary Learning Curriculum (Appendix G).

This measurement was not investigated for its reliability and validity.
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 21

Procedures

In order to obtain baseline data, a pre-assessment that evaluated students’ use of

annotation strategies and scores on constructed-response questions was administered to all

student participants during the week of April 4th, 2022-April 8th, 2022. The selected-response

portion of the test was scored using the answer key included with the curriculum and the

constructed response questions were scored using the NY State Exam 2-point rubric. The

Annotation Strategies and Sentence Starters (alongside the R.A.C.E strategy) were taught for two

weeks from April 11th, 2022-April 14th, 2022, and April 25th, 2022-April 29th, 2022. The post-

test was administered during the week of May 2, 2022-May 6th, 2022. Measurements #3 and #4

were used for additional data during the week preceding and following the post-test, however,

they were not included in the final data analysis. The four measurements mentioned in the

Materials section of this study were used to collect data during this action research study.

Research Design

This is a qualitative, descriptive, action research study designed to evaluate the

effectiveness of “Annotation Strategies” to significantly improve the short and extended written

response scores of 8th-grade students ELA students. The methods used for this study include

observations, recording and analyzing patterns, collecting and analyzing student assessment data,

and documenting student growth in writing responses after receiving instruction in annotation

with pre- and post-test data.

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 22

Chapter 4

Findings

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of annotation strategies on the

writing responses of 8th-grade students. Data was collected through pre- and post-test scores,

student work samples, anecdotal observations, and a student survey (Appendix B). Pre- and post-

test writing samples were graded using the New York State Exam 2-point rubric for constructed

responses (Appendix A). Data was analyzed by examining students pre- and post- test scores on

both the reading comprehension selected-response section of the test and the constructed

response response sections individually, as well as the test scores for each class as a whole. This

analysis led to my findings, which I have organized according to the following categories:

1. Analysis of the responses to the student annotation survey to determine students’ feelings

about annotation, prior experience and background knowledge, perceptions about the

effectiveness of annotation, as well as current usage.

2. Pre- and post-test data is organized by class (803/804), and also analyzed by category:

individual data for MC (multiple-choice) and CR (constructed-response) is listed below,

as well as a holistic analysis of the pre- and post-test data by class.

This chapter examines the impact of annotation strategies on the writing and reading

comprehension of 8th-grade students with and without disabilities. In this study, qualitative data

collection were used as the primary research methods. In order to analyze the data collected, I

have included tables and a statistical analysis of the pre- and post-test data as well as a

description of additional measurements including the student annotation survey and other

classroom tasks and activities.

Student Annotation Survey

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 23

A survey about annotation was given to the students to ascertain their prior knowledge

and experience with annotation strategies, as well as their general feelings about annotating and

whether or not they perceive that it helps them improve their writing (Appendix – ). The results

of this data were used to gain insight on how often students use annotation and what types of

strategies they typically use. This method of data collection was not evaluated for reliability and

validity.

Thirteen out of 14 students surveyed indicated that they use highlighting or underlining

as a strategy for annotating a text, while only 6 of 14 students indicate that they use strategies

such as making notes in the margins or asking questions about the text. Only two out of 14

students stated that they “always” annotate a text, though six students responded that annotating

a text “always” helps them understand the text better. Eleven students believed that reviewing or

learning annotation strategies could help them improve their writing. I concluded that overall

students perceived that annotation could be useful in helping them understand texts and improve

their writing, but that they are not currently using annotation strategies with much consistency

(despite 13 out of 14 students reporting that they have previously been taught annotation by

teachers in the past). Similarly, my predictions were confirmed that many students believe

annotating can be as simple as highlighting or underlining something important, and that the

major goal of the study needed to be focused on instructing students that they must add a note or

comment of some kind for an annotation to be useful.

Table 1

The numbers represent the number of students out of the 14 surveyed that answered in response

to each question.

Student Annotation Survey Results

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 24

1. When presented with a complex text, do you annotate it?

Always Sometimes Rarely Never

2 11 0 1

2. If you annotate a text, do you think it helps you understand it better?

Always Sometimes Rarely Never

6 6 1 1

3. What strategies do you use when you are annotating a text?

● Highlighting or underlining 13

● Circling unfamiliar words 11

● Defining unfamiliar words 7

● Making notes in the margins 6

● Asking questions 6

● Making connections with other texts or experiences 3

● Other: Writing the text in my own words or summing it up 1

4. Have teachers in the past taught you annotation strategies?

Yes No

13 14

5. Do you think learning or reviewing strategies for annotating complex texts could
help you increase your text scores?

Yes No
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 25

11 3

Interpretation of Pre-test and Post-test Data

During the pre-test, the possible scores were out of a total of 9. Pre-test findings showed

that eight out of fourteen students scored a 5 out of 9 or lower. Since the particular focus of the

study was to understand the impact of annotation strategies on students’ writing performance, it

is also important to note that the constructed-response portion of the test was out of a total of

four points, with 9 out 14 students receiving lower than a 2 out 4. After the students received

instruction in annotating strategies and had practiced with using the sentence frames, the post-

test was administered. The post-test was also out of a total of 9 points. According to the data,

students in both sections 803 and 804 were able to significantly improve their overall test scores.

However, the results varied between classes as to whether there was a significant improvement

in reading comprehension or writing constructed-responses individually.

Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for the 804 (MC) Total Score Group

Std. Std. Error

Mean N Deviation Mean

Pair Pre 62.5000 8 12.81740 4.53163

1

Post 77.5000 8 22.51983 7.96196

Table 2. Paired Samples t-Test for the 804 (MC) Total Score Group

Paired Differences t df
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 26

Sig.
95% Confidence (2-
Interval of the tailed)
Difference
Std.
Std. Error
Mean Deviation Mean Lower Upper

Pair Pre -15.00000 23.29929 8.23754 -34.47870 4.47870 -1.821 7 .111

1 -
Pos
t

A t-test for related measures did not reveal a significant difference in the scores in the 804 (MC)

Total Score Group Pretest (M = 62.50, SD = 12.81) and the 804 (MC) Total Score Group

Posttest (M = 77.50, SD = 22.51) conditions; t (7) = -1.82, p = .111.

Table 3. Descriptive Statistics for the 803 (MC) Total Score Group

Std. Std. Error

Mean N Deviation Mean

Pair Pre 72.5000 8 10.35098 3.65963

1

Post 90.0000 8 18.51640 6.54654

Table 4. Paired Samples t-Test for 803 (MC) Total Score Group

Paired Differences

Std. 95% Confidence Sig.

Std. Error Interval of the (2-
Mean Deviation Mean Difference t df tailed)
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 27

Lower Upper

Pair Pre -17.50000 12.81740 4.53163 -28.21561 -6.78439 -3.862 7 .006

1 -
Post

A t-test for related measures revealed a significant difference in the scores in the 803 (MC) Total

Score Group Pretest (M = 75.50, SD = 10.35) and the 803 (MC) Total Score Group Posttest (M =

90.00, SD = 18.51) conditions; t (7) = -6.78, p = .006.

Table 5. Descriptive Statistics for the 804 Group (MC & CR)

Std. Std. Error

Mean N Deviation Mean

Pair Pre 58.3750 8 12.63711 4.46789

1

Post 73.5000 8 19.55943 6.91530

Table 6. Paired Samples t-Test for 804 Group (MC & CR)

Paired Differences

95% Confidence
Interval of the
Difference
Std. Sig.
Std. Error (2-
Mean Deviation Mean Lower Upper t df tailed)
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 28

Pair Pre - 15.16045 5.36003 -27.79945 -2.45055 -2.822 7 .026

1 - 15.12500
Post

A t-test for related measures revealed a significant difference in the scores in the 804 (MC &

CR) Group Pretest (M = 58.37, SD = 12.63) and the 804 (MC & CR) Group Posttest (M = 73.50,

SD = 19.55) conditions; t (7) = -2.82, p = .026.

Table 7. Descriptive Statistics for the 803 Group (MC & CR)

Std. Std. Error

Mean N Deviation Mean

Pair Pre 59.2500 8 11.74430 4.15224

1

Post 83.2500 8 17.16932 6.07027

Table 8. Paired Samples t-Test for 803 Group (MC & CR)

Sig. (2-
Paired Differences tailed)

95% Confidence Interval

of the Difference
Std.
Std. Error
Mean Deviation Mean Lower Upper t df
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 29

Pai Pre - 12.83967 4.53951 -34.73423 -13.26577 -5.287 7 .001

r1 - 24.00000
Post

A t-test for related measures revealed a significant difference in the scores in the 803 (MC &

CR) Group Pretest (M = 59.25, SD = 11.74) and the 803 (MC & CR) Group Posttest (M = 83.25,

SD = 17.16) conditions; t (7) = -5.28, p = .001.

Table 9. Descriptive Statistics for the 804 Group (CR)

Std. Std. Error

Mean N Deviation Mean

Pair Pre 53.2500 8 17.53975 6.20124

1

Post 69.0000 8 26.01648 9.19821

Table 10. Paired Samples t-Test for 804 Group (CR)

Paired Differences

95% Confidence
Interval of the
Difference
Std.
Std. Error Sig. (2-
Mean Deviation Mean Lower Upper t df tailed)

Pair Pre - - 20.10508 7.10822 -32.55827 1.05827 -2.216 7 .062

1 Post 15.75000
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 30

A t-test for related measures did not reveal a significant difference in the scores in the 804 (CR)

Group Pretest (M = 53.25, SD = 17.53) and the 804 (CR) Group Posttest (M = 69.00, SD =

26.01) conditions; t (7) = -2.21, p = .062.

Table 11. Descriptive Statistics for the 803 Group (CR)

Std. Std. Error

Mean N Deviation Mean

Pair Pre 42.2500 8 27.55125 9.74084

1

Post 75.1250 8 24.09171 8.51771

Table 12. Paired Samples t-Test for 803 Group (CR)

Paired Samples Test

Paired Differences

95% Confidence Interval

of the Difference
Std. Sig.
Std. Error (2-
Mean Deviation Mean Lower Upper t df tailed)

Pair Pre - 21.24979 7.51294 -50.64027 -15.10973 -4.376 7 .003

1 - 32.87500
Post
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 31

A t-test for related measures revealed a significant difference in the scores in the 803 (CR) Group

Pretest (M = 42.25, SD = 27.55) and the 803 (CR) Group Posttest (M = 75.12, SD = 24.09)

conditions; t (7) = -4.37, p = .003.

Additional Measurements

In the appendices, I have included two other classroom activities that were not included

in the final extrapolation of the pre- and post-test data. These measurements, one close reading

and constructed response activity, and one whole-book literary summary as a part of the End of

Unit Assessment apart of the daily curriculum, provided additional data and insight into how

students were incorporating the annotation strategies that they had been taught. In particular, the

whole-book summary (Appendix G) was the only opportunity students had to work on a longer

extended response piece during the time of the study. While this data was not included in the

tables above, the students scores did reflect improvement in writing, with 7 out 14 students

scoring 75% or higher on their summaries.

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 32

Chapter 5

Overview of the Study

The students that I am teaching this year, and likely in future years, come to school with

more challenges than ever before, on both an academic and social level. These students need

intensive instruction and guidance for making sense of what they read in school and in the real

world. These students also need strategies for organizing and jumpstarting their thinking so that

they can interpret what they read and translate their thoughts onto paper. The purpose of this

study was to examine the impact of instruction in annotation strategies on the reading

comprehension and writing scores of 8th-grade ICT students with and without disabilities. The

data for this study was collected through pre- and post-test scores, student surveys, anecdotal

observations, and classroom tasks and activities. This study specifically focused on improving

students ability to respond to text-based constructed-response prompts in an organized way that

addresses all parts of a given prompt. Additionally, the study also examined students’

perceptions and attitudes about annotation and the impact on students reading comprehension, as

measured by their ability to respond to text-based multiple choice questions.

Summary of Findings

The majority of the students in the study were able to significantly improve their overall

test scores and 11 out of 14 students improved their writing on the constructed-response

questions as well. The results also show that 10 out of 14 students were able to improve their

scores on the text based multiple-choice questions during the post-test. Through anecdotal

observations and classroom activities, I saw a significant improvement in class discussions

following the close read of a text, a better selection of text evidence to support written responses,

and more students actively annotating, or adding comments to their annotations, as opposed to
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 33

just underlining or highlighting a portion of text. While not all students improved their overall

scores during the post-test, all students studied were willing to at least attempt to translate their

thoughts into writing on the constructed-response questions, whereas, in the pre-test, some

students were so intimidated to write that they merely left those questions blank.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Overall, the data analysis of the study shows successful results with the instruction in

annotation strategies helping students to significantly improve their overall test scores, written

responses and reading comprehension. While the results varied by class and category as to

whether the improvements were statistically significant, the overall growth and change perceived

and attitude towards annotation was positive. Annotation strategies to improve both reading and

writing, and specifically providing students with frames to jumpstart and organize their thinking,

is likely to improve written responses for students with and without disabilities, as well as their

comprehension and discourse of texts.

In future studies, researchers should include pre- and post-assessment data that explores

the impacts on extended writing responses as well. While students were given in class

opportunities to demonstrate how annotation impacts their extended response writing, it was not

included as a part of the pre- and post-test, in order to stay within the confines of the daily

curriculum and not disrupt student work flow. Additionally, a second student survey could be

administered to determine if there are changes in student attitude towards annotating after they

have received instruction in the strategies and sentence stems. Due to the lack of a second

survey, I was unable to ascertain (except by observation) how students responded to being taught

the strategies. Lastly, to ensure the most accurate data possible, the reliability and validity of the

instruments used should be investigated.

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 34

Limitations of Study

There are a number of practical and logistical limitations to conducting a study of this

nature. To begin with, the concept of the strategies to be taught, as well as the design of the pre-

and post-test needed to be adjusted based on student motivation to participate and the time

constraints within student and teacher schedules to do any work that is not contained within the

daily curriculum. Additionally, the instruments use were created by the researcher. The pre- and

post-tests utilized were done so for convenience and ease of timing and placement within the

curriculum. The reliability and validity of the instruments used were not investigated. This may

have impacted the data that was collected.

Additionally, one limitation that should be addressed by future researchers is the

constraint of time. Ideally, a study such as this would be implemented over a much longer period

of time than just two weeks. This would provide students to gain mastery of the skills, practice

using the sentence frames, and to apply these skills on a variety of texts and writing prompts.

Due to the time constraints of this study, the students writing responses were limited to prompts

that were based on the text we were currently reading in class, because my participants simply

did not have the time or motivation for additional work.

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 35

References

Brown, M.D. (2007). I’ll Have Mine Annotated, Please: Helping Students Make Connections

With Texts. The English Journal, 96 (4), 73-78. Retrieved from:

https://jstor.org/stable/30047169

Elbow, P. (2004). Writing First. Educational Leadership, 62 (2), 8-13. Retrieved from:

https://cuny-

bc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_BC/ljnr3v/cdi_proquest_reports_22484

2575

EL Education. (2022). The Holocaust: Build Background Knowledge ELA 2019 G8:M3:U1.

Retrieved from:

https://curriculum.eleducation.org/curriculum/ela/2019/grade-8/module-3

Ensley, A., & Rodriguez S. C. (2019). Annotation and Agency: Teaching Close Reading in

the Primary Grades. The Reading Teacher, 73 (2), 223-229.

Kalir, J.R. (2020). “Annotation is first draft thinking”: Educators’ Marginal Notes as Brave

Writing. The English Journal, 110 (2), 62-68. Retrieved from:

https://cuny-

bc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_BC/ljnr3v/cdi_proquest_journals_2460

796994

Morris, P. (2012). “It’s Like Reading Two Novels”: Using Annotation to Promote a Dialogic

Community. The National Council of Teachers of English, 377-387. Retrieved from:

https://cuny-

bc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_BC/ljnr3v/cdi_proquest_journals_1022

639351
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 36

North Bronx School of Empowerment. (2022). Retrieved from:

https://northbronxpower.org/en-US

New York State Department of Education. (2001). New York State Testing Program: Educator

Guide to the 2021 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts Tests, 17. Retrieved from:

http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/state-assessment/3-8-educator-

guide-ela-2021.pdf

Porter-O’Donnell, C. (2004). Beyond the Yellow Highlighter: Teaching Annotation Skills to

Improve Reading Comprehension. The English Journal, 93 (5), 82-89. Retrieved from:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4128941

Probst, R.E. (1988). Dialogue with a Text. The English Journal, 77 (1), 32-38. Retrieved from

https://www.jstor.org/stable/818021

Speigleman, A. (1992) Maus II: a surivor’s tale: and here my troubles began. New York:

Pantheon Books.

Zucker, L. (2016). Under Discussion: Teaching Speaking and Listening. The English Journal,

105 (5), 92-94. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/22606382

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 37

Appendices

Appendix A

New York State 2-Point Rubric

English Language Arts Rubrics

The 2021 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts Tests will be scored using the same rubrics as were used in the most recent previous
administration. Both the English Language Arts 2-Point and 4-Point Rubrics reflect the demands called for by the Learning Standards.

Short-Response (2-Point) Holistic Rubric

Short-response questions will ask students to make a claim, take a position, or draw a conclusion, and then support it with details. This
structure forms the foundation of the Learning Standards. As such, the 2-Point Rubric focuses on both the inference and evidence a student
provides. This structure allows students to have wide latitude in responding to each prompt so long as their response is supported by the
text.
Additionally, the expectation for all short responses will be complete, coherent sentences. By weaving these elements together, the
questions, responses, and scores remain firmly focused on student readingability.

2-Point
Rubric—
Short Response Features
Response
Score
The features of a 2-point response are • Valid inferences and/or claims from the text where
required by the prompt • Evidence of analysis of the text where required by the prompt •
Relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, and/or other information from the text to develop
2 Points
response according to the requirements of the prompt • Sufficient number of facts, definitions,
concrete details, and/or other information from the text as required by the prompt • Complete
sentences where errors do not impact readability
The features of a 1-point response are • A mostly literal recounting of events or details from the
text as required by the prompt • Some relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, and/or other
1 Point
information from the text to develop response according to the requirements of the prompt •
Incomplete sentences or bullets
The features of a 0-point response are • A response that does not address any of the requirements
0 Points* of the prompt or is totally inaccurate • A response that is not written in English • A response that
is unintelligible or indecipherable
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 38

Appendix B

Annotation Survey

Name: __________________________________________

Class: __________________________________________

1. When presented with a complex text, do you annotate it? (Circle one)

Always Sometimes Rarely Never

2. If you annotate a text, do you think it helps you understand it better? (Circle one)

Always Sometimes Rarely Never

3. What strategies do you use when you are annotating a text? (Check all that apply)

Highlighting or underlining
Circling unfamiliar words
Defining unfamiliar words
Making notes in the margins
Asking questions
Making connections with other texts or experiences
Other: ____________________________________

4. Have teachers in the past taught you strategies for annotating? (Circle one)

Yes No

5. Do you think learning or reviewing strategies for annotating complex texts could help you
increase your test scores? (Circle one)

Yes No

6. Do you have any other comments or questions about annotation?

______________________________________________________________________
______
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 39

Appendix C

Pre- and Post-Assessment

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Analyze Character,

Dialogue, and Word Choice: Maus I, Chapter
4
Name:___________________________________ Date:_____________________

In this assessment, you will answer questions about dialogue, word choice, and tone in Chapter 4
of Maus I.

1. On page 73, panel 4, what does Vladek’s statement about Art and Mala, below, reveal
about his character? (RL.8.3)

“You and Mala! You both think money grows on bushes. I’ll fix it myself.”

a. He is unloving and disrespectful towards his family.

b. He is doting and gracious towards his family.
c. He is independent and anxious about money.
d. He avoids work and wants others to do it for him.

2. Vladek uses the expression, “Pssh,” on page 73, panel 8. How does this expression
impact the tone of his statement? (RL.8.4)

a. It creates a condescending tone.

b. It creates a relaxed tone.
c. It creates a disinterested tone.
d. It creates an exciting tone.

3. What is the meaning of the figurative phrase “like lightning” as it is used on page 76,
panel 7? (RL.8.4)

a. very painfully
b. quite quickly
c. very brightly
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 40

d. quite dangerously

4. What incident provokes Vladek to keep his son Richieu with him on page 81? (RL.8.3)

a. Richieu did not play well with Ilzecki’s son.

b. Vladek’s family did not trust Ilzecki.
c. Vladek’s family refused to part with Richieu.
d. Richieu wanted to stay with his mother.

5. How does the scene described on page 91 provoke Vladek’s father to make a decision?
(RL.8.3)

a. When he sees Fela is sent “to the left” with her four children, he decides to leave
the “good side” and instead join his daughter.
b. When he sees Fela is sent “to the left” with her four children, he decides to stay
on the “good side” with Vladek, Anja, and Richieu.
c. When he learns that cousin Mordecai will be at the inspection tables, he decides
not to go to the stadium and to hide at home instead.
d. When he learns that cousin Mordecai will be at the inspection tables, he decides
to go to the stadium and pass through.

6. What is the consequence of Vladek’s father’s decision? What does this reveal about
Vladek’s father’s character? Write two sentences. (RL.8.3)

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

7. How would you describe the tone the author’s words create on page 93, panel 8, when
Mala says: “Wait! Put everything back, exactly like it was, or I’ll never hear the end of it!”
What does this reveal about Mala’s character? What evidence makes you think so? (RL.8.1,
RL.8.3, RL.8.4)
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 41

In your response, be sure to include the following:

· A description of the tone that Mala’s statement creates

· Evidence from the text that supports your description of Mala’s tone
· An explanation of what the statement reveals about Mala’s character

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Source: Spiegelman, Art. Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History. Knopf Doubleday, 1986.
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 42

Appendix D

Annotation Guide and Sentence Frames

Annotation Strategies to Become a More Effective Reader

1. Circle words you don’t know; write the definition in the margins.

2. Write the gist of a chunk of text. Ask yourself: “What is this section
mostly about?”

3. Highlight a phrase or sentence and include a comment.

● Start with these basic annotation stems to get you started thinking
about any text, in any content area.

○ Questioning…
■ “I wonder…”
■ “Could this mean…”
○ Connections (to other texts, self, or world)...
■ “This reminds me of…”
■ “This is like…”
○ Thinking…
■ “I’m thinking…”
■ “This makes me think…”

● Use these high-level ELA annotation sentence starters to generate

sentences that can be used directly in short and extended
responses (like in your essays or State Tests!)

● General Inference: This indicates (means) … because…

● Theme/Central Idea: This line/phrase contributes to the

theme/central idea because…
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 43

● Language Use: The use of this word/phrase

suggests/emphasizes … because…

● Plot: The primary function of this detail/event is to

reveal/indicate …

● Character: These lines reveal [the character] is …

because …

R.A.C.E.
(RESTATE - ANSWER - CITE - EXPLAIN)
Strategy for Better Constructed Response

1. RESTATE the question.

● On page 41 of Maus II, Art’s tone is _____________

2. ANSWER the question. (How do you know?)

● On page 41 of Maus II, Art’s tone is ________
because ___________ .

3. CITE evidence from the text.

● In panel __ the text says ___________ .
● In panel __ Art says ____________ .
● In panel __ Art’s facial expression shows ________
and he says _________ .
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 44

4. EXPLAIN how the evidence reveals something about the

character.
● These images reveal that Art is __________ because
_________ .
● This page reveals that Art is _________ because
_________ .
● This evidence shows that Art is _______ because
_________ .
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 45

Appendix E
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 46

Annotation and Close Reading Activity

ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 47

How would you describe the tone the author’s words create on page 41 when Art is speaking?
What evidence makes you think so? What does this page reveal about Art’s character?

After annotating the selected page from Maus II, answer the following questions:

In your response be sure to include:
● a description of Art’s tone on page 41
● text evidence to support your inference
● an explanation of what this page reveals about Art’s character
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 48

Appendix F

End of Unit 1 Assessment: Analyze Passive

Voice and Active Voice and Summarize Maus I
Name:___________________________________ Date:_____________________
Directions: This assessment has two parts. In Part I, you will answer questions about dialogue,
word choice, tone, and theme in Chapter 6 of Maus I. In Part II, you will write a summary of the
novel.

Part I: Selected Response and Short Constructed Response

1. On page 139, panel 10, in the sentence, “But remember—if you’re found there, I don’t
know you!” Mrs. Kawka uses the passive voice. What effect does this have on the meaning
of the information in the statement? (L.8.1b, L.8.3a)

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2. Change the following sentence on page 156, panel 8, from active to passive voice to
shift the emphasis to the object of the verb takes away. (L.8.1b, L.8.3a)

“Every week or so a truck takes some of the prisoners away.”

Every week or so _____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 49

Part II: Summarize Maus I

Directions: Write a summary of the novel Maus I. Use your Whole-Book Literary Summary
Writing Plan graphic organizer and the Criteria for an Effective Literary Summary anchor chart
for support. (RL8.1, RL.8.2)

Be sure your summary addresses the following criteria:

· Introduces the text stating the title, author, and chapter, section, or pages
· Briefly outlines what the text is about
· Clearly states the central idea(s)
· Includes key events and the most important details from the text to explain the central
idea(s) and theme presented
· Includes a statement of theme (the point or message the author wants you to take
away)
· Remains objective without opinions or judgments
· Wraps up with a concluding statement
· Is short, clear, and concise

A central idea is an important thing the author wants the reader to know and to remember
when they have finished the text.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
ANNOTATION STRATEGIES 50

Appendix G

8th Grade - Whole Book Summary Rubric

Summary: _____ / 16 Total Assessment: _____ / 20

Final Grade: _____

Glows Grows