active reading notes

We are beginning to explore a text that many of you have already skimmed. In order to deepen our understanding we will be taking notes and frequently interrupting our reading to discuss the ideas between the lines.
As you take notes, I suggest that you focus on three general categories of text: 1)passages that significantly contribute to your understanding; 2)passages that illustrate a particular literary technique or characteristic of the text; and 3)passages that elicit a personal response from you. As you can see from the example below, when I read the first chapter of Like Water for Chocolate I underlined passages and made notes about (1) symbolism, foreshadowing, and other hints that helped me "get" what the author was trying to say; (2) examples of magical realism, characterization and plot development; and (3) actions or dialogue that made me sit up and take notice (you may find yourself asking questions, or vehemently agreeing/disagreeing, but any time you have an intense reaction is an important moment in the text).

Because many of you will be taking notes on a book you don't own, use your own paper to write the notes-- and keep track of the page numbers! That way when we discuss them you'll be able to refer to the context.



active reading notes lwcf jan -