OVERVIEW:

This first exercise is an annotation practice with a reflection and evaluation.To execute this assignment successfully, make sure you read the required materials carefully. To shift your experience from passive reader to active one, for this exercise you will apply and practice the annotation processon a short work of fiction, and then offer your reflectionson and evaluationof the process.

Note that this assignment has twocomponents - your annotated copy of the one-page story, and a written reflection/evaluation paragraph. BOTH components mustbe uploaded for the assignment to be complete.

You will read and annotate throughout the course so this is a chance to practice early, using the handouts as guides.

1. Choose a reader-friendly setting. Adopt an active, engaged reading method.
2. Be patient.Go slow. Take the story one line at a time and note your observations and impressions
3. Practice various ways of reacting to what you read.
4. Follow ALL of the annotation steps. Write as legibly as you can (pen only)
5. Once your annotation is complete, make sure you include some end notes, using the "Closing Strategies" on p. 6 of the Annotation handout.
6. What did you notice as a reader about this annotation experience? Draft and edit your reflection and evaluation paragraph
7. Follow the submission directions carefully and upload the two components of your work correctly and on time

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

• The short story, "Girl," by Jamaica Kincaid (You can read it in our Literatureanthology, but you MUST PRINT a hard copy of this file to annotate it properly.
• The handout, How to Annotate a Literary Text
• The handout, MLA Formatting for Written Assignments - use it to format all your written, submitted work

  OBJECTIVES:

  • Practice close, active critical reading of a work of literary fiction
  • Practice a range of diverse annotation tasks, guided by the handout
  • Reflect on and evaluate the process of active, critical annotation in a thoughtfully composed, well-organized paragraph
  • Apply MLA format standards where relevant

  INSTRUCTIONS:

  PART 1. ANNOTATION:

  • Find a quiet, uninterrupted place to concentrate.
  • Print, read and annotate the 1-page hard copy of the story, "Girl," using the critical reading steps and strategies explained in the handout. You may find it easiest to print a hard copy of the handout, too.
  • Use PEN only, not pencil.
  • When your annotation is complete, scan it or take a careful, complete screen shot of it. Acceptable file formats in this case for uploading your annotation are .PDF, .JPEG, .JPG, .PNG.

  This annotated copy of the story is one of the two components of this assignment.

  PART 2. WRITING TASK - Reflection and Evaluation Paragraph:

  • After completing your annotation, set it aside and create a new document.
  • Consider what you noticed about the experience of active, annotative reading. Compose a clearly written paragraph in which you describeand reflecton your experience using the annotation process. Also evaluatehow it influenced the reading experience. Be specific. For example:
  • How would you describe the process of annotating while reading fiction?
  • What, if anything was challenging, difficult, or frustrating about the process?
  • What, if anything was effective, interesting, or new about it?
  • Did annotating impact the quality of your focus, concentration, or the depth of your comprehension? How? Be specific and descriptive.

  TWO-PART SUBMISSION

  To be clear: You will submit TWO COMPONENTS: (1) a file upload of your annotated document, and (2) a well written Reflection & Evaluation paragraph. (TIP: Students have had success uploading the written paragraph as a pdf file and the marked-up annotation as a jpeg.)

  • SCAN and UPLOAD your completed annotation.
  • COPY and PASTE your reflection and evaluation paragraph into the TEXT ENTRY box for the assignment. Submit both components together.

  Full marks are earned for exercises that:

  • Are complete, with both components submitted together correctly and on time
  • Include thorough annotations that reflect a successful application of guidelines
  • Include a paragraph that is written in complete sentences, organized, specific, edited, and proofread for clarity, coherence and errors.

  ASSESSMENT: Rubric is below

  Full marks are earned for exercises that:

  • Are complete, with both components submitted together correctly and on time
  • Include thorough annotations that reflect a successful application of guidelines
  • Include a paragraph that is written in complete sentences, organized, specific, edited, and proofread for clarity, coherence and errors.