Abstract of

Annotating to Support Learning in the Content Areas: Teaching and Learning Science

Jolene Zywica

Kimberley Gomez

Today's teachers must prepare students for the global marketplace. To be effective in the 21st century, teachers must prepare students to compete in an environment in which students must be able to read expertly, think critically, and communicate effectively through writing and speaking. This article describes why classroom teachers might use a strategic literacy approach called annotation to help students become more expert readers of content-area materials. Annotation helps students visualize as they read, which in turn makes it easier for students to understand the content and become involved and engaged with the text and content discussions. The act of annotating makes it difficult for readers to just skim through text without focusing on the important aspects and content within the text. Annotation encourages students to become autonomous learners. The article offers examples for the application of annotation to content-area texts, especially in science.

Abstract from Zywica, J., & Gomez, K. (2008, October). Annotating to Support Learning in the Content Areas: Teaching and Learning Science. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(2), 155–165. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.52.2.6