A presentation by Amber Dunse at the 2016 "Language Teaching Share Fair" organized by the Center for Language Instruction and Coordination (clic.illinois.edu)

1. Annotation Bookmarks:
Supporting Active Reading in the
Language Classroom
November 4th, 2016 | CLIC Share Fair
Amber Dunse
Lecturer, ESLWriting Program
dunse2@illinois.edu

2. Overview
Why support reading in an L2 writing course?
How annotation bookmarks could help?
What I’ve learned from my students?

3. Reading to write academicallyContext
English language learners, advanced
Freshman or transfer students (currently)
Academic writing, academic reading/writing
Goals: paragraphs, essays, secondary research

4. Annotating text in preparation to writeSupport
Handwritten, but
could useWord or
Google Docs.

5. To become skilled readers
1. Decode graphic forms for efficient word recognition
2. Access the meanings of a large number of words automatically
3. Draw meaning from phrase- and clause-level grammatical
information
4. Combine clause-level meanings into larger networks of text
comprehension
5. Recognize discourse structures that build and support comprehension
6. Use reading strategies for a range of academic reading tasks
7. Set goals for reading and adjust them as needed
8. Use inferences of various types and monitor comprehension for
reading goals
9. Draw on prior knowledge as appropriate
10. Evaluate, integrate and synthesize information for critical
comprehension
11. Maintain these processes fluently for an extended period of time
12. Sustain motivation to persist in reading and use text information for
reading goals
Grabe, W. P., & Stoller, F. L. (2013). Teaching and researching: Reading. Routledge.

6. To become skilled readers
4. Identifying the main ideas
5. Recognize discourse structures
6. Use reading strategies for a range of academic reading tasks
7. Set goals for reading and adjust them as needed
8. Monitor comprehension for reading goals
9. Draw on prior knowledge as appropriate
10. Evaluate, integrate and synthesize information
11. Maintain these processes fluently for an extended period
12. Sustain motivation and use text information for reading goals
Adapted from Grabe, W. P., & Stoller, F. L. (2013). Teaching and researching: Reading. Routledge.

7. Annotation Bookmarks -- FrontSupport
Challenge areas
Connecting
Reacting
Questioning
Patterns
Comprehension
Annotation
Strategies

8. Annotation Bookmarks -- BackSupport
These features were
explicitly taught, and the
“bookmark” was expanded
to include supplemental
guiding questions and
charts.
Vocabulary
Rhetorical
Analysis

9. Things I’ve learned about my students
Higher level thinking
• Summary/paraphrasing vs. copying phrases
• Reacting vs. summarizing
• Connecting to the text (self, world, other texts)
• Needs assessment for new strategies (rhetoric)
Vocabulary development
• Don’t see a need – “I know all the words.”
• Using translators vs. dictionaries
1.
Observations

10. Student Feedback
Annotation is useful for me because when I am going over the
text again, the annotation I had made upon reading it the first
time assist me in understanding it better. For instance, when
we where writing essays based on the texts I had to
annotate previously, the annotations I made on the side
helped me.
It helps me with understanding the article better. Also, some
of the annotations like text-to world connection will helps
me with writing my own article.
Also. I can learn some writing skills, strategies and good ways
to structure an article through making annotation. It helps
me to learn from the author, knowing what he does good in
writing the article.
1.
Observations
Preparing
to write
Noticing
patterns

11. Student Feedback
The most challenge annotation for me is asking the
question, since I prefer to read the whole article once from
the beginning to the end. I don't like stop and write the
annotation. Thus, when I finish reading, all the questions are
answered by the author.
I don't use annotation outside the class. I prefer to write the
points on scratch paper.
I think.i dont usually annotate in English out of class but i do
annotate in Chinese
. I feel it is kind difficult that I know what the article is talking
about but I cannot summary them correctly.
1.
Observations
Adapting
the form
L1 use and
L2 comfort
Strategy
and time
concerns

12. Training (2 lessons)
• Present 2-5 target strategies (attempt others)
• Model active reading
• Give guiding questions for individual practice
• Discuss, clarify, and validate in class
Monitoring (on-going; 1-2 lessons re-train)
• Whole group and individual feedback on strategies
• Continue modeling by posting teacher annotations
• Provide resources or supplementary instruction
• Students revise if needed
• Adapt the bookmark for new strategies
Maintaining (on-going)
• Consistently practice with new texts
• Less guidance and more choice on how to annotate
• Motivating through various in-class share techniques
Process

13. Thank you!
Amber Dunse
Lecturer, ESLWriting Program
dunse2@illinois.edu

14. References:
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read, what teachers can do.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Grabe, W. P., & Stoller, F. L. (2013). Teaching and researching:
Reading. Routledge.