Annotate It! [MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR 1: One week later. STUDENT: There's got to be a better way. NARRATOR 2: Tired of this? Tired of reading and reading, only not to remember what you just read? Tired of memorizing till your mind is numb? Tired of being tired? Stop it. There is another way. Annotate it! Annotation focuses your brain. When your textbook is long or maybe a little boring, it's easy to lose focus. Annotating your text forces you to slow down and really concentrate on what you're reading. Annotation simplifies your text. It helps you to read a whole chapter and pick out the important stuff. Though you've slowed down your reading, you're not wasting as much time. You're making your study time count. STUDENT: So how do I annotate? NARRATOR 2: Step 1-- Scan the whole chapter. Take five or 10 minutes and scan-read the chapter first. Read the headings and subheadings, and bold-faced words. Section headings draw attention to main ideas and are usually larger or bolder typeface. Subheadings provide information which supports the main idea. Take a look at the charts, graphs, and call-out images in the chapter. Have you ever heard that a picture is worth a thousand words? These visual elements often draw attention to important concepts in the text by providing examples of chapter concepts or new information related to a chapter topic. Vocabulary words are often bold-faced or italicized. Sometimes there are special margin notes drawing attention to these words. Read these call-outs too. Finally, most textbooks close with a chapter summary or study guide. Confused about what's important? The authors tell you right here. Read the summary and think back to how it relates to the headings, subheadings, vocabulary, charts, and tables that you've just scanned. Step 2-- Chunk it! STUDENT: We're chunking text. NARRATOR 2: Read in small chunks. Read one heading or subheadings worth of text. Stop after each section and ask yourself, what's the important information in this section? Important information might include main ideas, examples, definitions, lists of things, names, dates, and events, relationships between ideas, graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams. It can be hard to tell what's important when looking at the whole chapter, but it becomes easier when you chunk it and focus on one section at a time. Step 3-- Summarize in your own words. NARRATOR 1: 40 hours later. NARRATOR 2: In your notes, don't be a regurgitating robot by copying directly what's on the page. Write down the important stuff in your own words. When you stop to think about what exactly this means, and translate it from textbook-speak and your own words, you're taking a huge step toward learning and ultimately retaining this new information. So we annotate it. Scanning the whole chapter first helps you gain an overview of what you're about to read. It also alerts your brain to key ideas, major concepts, and chapter vocabulary. Reading in chunks helps slow down your brain, breaks your reading into manageable bites, and prevents text skimming. It also helps you to see what the important ideas are one little piece at a time. Translating textbook lingo into your own words is the heart of annotation. You're no longer just memorizing what they say, but making it meaningful and memorable for you. NARRATOR 1: One week later. STUDENT: Yes! NARRATOR 2: Now you know how to stop wasting time and start reading your textbook effectively. So we annotate it! [MUSIC PLAYING]