Reading notes need not be elaborate. Notes for an article-length piece of writing can be shorter than notes for a book, but neither needs to be lengthy. Please include:
- Your name
- The citation for the text(s) you are annotating
- A summary of the text’s major idea(s) and argument(s) in your own words. This summary should be just a few sentences long. Being able to identify and summarize the central points of a text is an excellent skill for you to practice and perfect.
- One or two questions that occurred to you when reading the text.
- If it is a lengthy text (e.g. a book), indicate the number of chapters, something about how the book is organized, and the major topics covered by the author.
- A quote or two from the text that goes to the heart of the text’s major ideas and arguments. This is optional, but useful to have. We may do some reading aloud in class, so it can be handy to have quotes in your reading notes. Be sure to note the page number of the quote so you can find it!