How to Use Annotation – the Powerful Literature Tool You Never Knew You Needed

One thing I’ve observed in middle schoolers and early high schoolers is that, smart as they are, they can sometimes struggle to articulate the great thoughts swimming around inside their minds. In literature class, when they are asked to write in response to a prompt or share their ideas in a discussion, they feel sure they just don’t have much to say. However, if the teacher asks the right questions, at some point, the thoughts and words start flowing! It’s clear that those thoughts were always there, but they just needed some help to get themselves organized and find a way out.

One job of a good literature teacher is to help students engage with a story as they read, connect with their own reactions to and feelings about a story, and begin to form ideas that unlock deeper meanings and provide material for a thoughtful discussion or essay.

Now I hope it’s becoming clear where annotation comes in! Annotation – basically just the practice of taking notes on the pages you are reading – is such a helpful tool for students to use as they read.

What are the Main Benefits of Annotation?

There are so many! First, it keeps a reader focused on the story. We’ve all experienced the wandering mind that can happen when we read. This certainly happens to students! Having a tool to keep them focused is such a help.

Annotation also assists in getting the reader more deeply engaged with the story. It can slow her down so that she notices or, better yet, searches for all kinds of things – beautifully expressive language, imagery that leads to a vivid experience of the story’s places or events, literary devices, plot elements, and on and on. Catching all these elements increases the reader’s depth of understanding because she hasn’t just skimmed past these things but really seen and processed them.

Annotation provides a system for recording details the reader might be asked to write about later, such as clues to the story’s setting, traits of characters, instances of symbolism, and much more. All those notations can also help students track developments in the story related to characters, themes, and motifs. By annotating specific instances where character evolve, themes develop, or motifs recur, students can create a visual roadmap that aids in uncovering the author’s underlying messages and intentions.

Notes can offer a canvas for individual interpretations of a story. By marking specific lines or passages that resonate with them, students can develop a unique perspective on the text. These personalized notes lay the groundwork for discussing varying interpretations within homeschooling settings, promoting rich and enlightening discussions.

Annotation also helps with building vocabulary. Literary works often feature complex language, metaphors, and symbolim (which is part of the beauty of reading!). Annotation provides an opportunity for students to look up unfamiliar words, decipher metaphors, and explore the layers of meaning behind symbolic elements. This not only enriches their vocabulary but also deepens their grasp of language nuances.

How, Exactly, Is it Done?

As a student uses annotation, he’ll start to develop a system that works well for him. There certainly isn’t one right way to do this! I don’t recommend requiring students to follow a formula with their annotations. But here are some good ways to direct a student who is just learning to annotate.

1. Read the title and first paragraph. Stop and write down, somewhere near the title, two or three questions you have (about the title itself, the characters, the setting, or whatever comes to mind). These questions should reflect your initial thoughts, expectations, and questions about what the story might be like.

2. Continue reading, and make note of

a. any clues to the setting that you come across

b. definitions of words you don't know

c. literary devices you encounter in the reading (such as allusions, personification,

imagery, foreshadowing, etc.)

d. clues the story reveals about the author’s likely worldview

e. your thoughts about the author’s purpose in writing the story (the theme)

f. any devices the author is using to accomplish his or her purpose

g. elements of the plot (setting, theme, climax, denouement, etc.)

h. important information about characters – what they are like and how they change

i. personal thoughts and experiences of yours that relate to the story

j. particularly beautiful or evocative sentences or sections

k. questions you have about the story (and answers!)

l. anything else that will help you understand and analyze the story!

Here’s something important - although I recommend giving your child a lot of flexibility with how she annotates, I do recommend that you discourage much highlighting without written notes. Highlighting has its place, but without notes about WHY something is highlighted, it’s not likely to have much meaning when the reader returns to it later. The words she writes down will be far more important and helpful than what she highlighted.

Lastly, encourage your child to connect his observations to the theme – the story’s meaning and author’s purpose for writing it – wherever possible. For example, if he identifies a simile, he shouldn’t just label it “simile” but also note why the author included it and how it contributes to the story.

Click here for a free printable you can use to provide guidance to your child as she learns to annotate. There’s also a guide she can use to assess her own annotation and then identify what to work on to make it more useful.

Incorporating annotation into literary analysis is akin to having a dialogue with the author while unraveling the layers of a story. It not only enriches the reading experience and prepares students for thoughtful writing, but also equips them with essential skills that extend far beyond the realm of literature. By embracing annotation as a tool for literary exploration, parents can ignite a lifelong love for reading, thinking, and learning in their students.

Xo,

Christie

Six Practical Ways to Help Your Child Cultivate an Obedient Heart

A couple weeks ago, we talked about what Jesus described as the greatest commandment - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, 39 NIV).”

These words from Jesus himself are so helpful for us as parents, especially when paired with his words from John, Chapter 14: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Even with very young children, we can start to teach about obedience and its connection to love. If you haven’t read this post, you can check it out here. I recommend reading it before finishing this one.

God loved us first, and we can show our love for him by joyfully serving when the opportunity arises, willingly sacrificing when asked, and choosing to glorify Him rather than gratify ourselves. This is a state of the heart that we can’t create in our children, but, in addition to praying for it, there are some things we can do to cultivate it.

One vital thing to remember is that discipleship comes before discipline. Even when teaching your child about obedience, it’s so important to focus on developing your child’s heart rather than just suppressing waywardness for the sake of our own convenience.

With a discipleship-based approach to teaching about obedience we can help a child develop a desire to do what is right because of his love for and gratitude toward God. One great benefit of this approach is that it is always pointing children toward the cross.

See, a parenting approach that focuses on controlling behavior could foster a sense of antagonism between parent and child. The child may perceive that his parents want him to do one thing, but he wants to do another. This “me vs. them” point of view may become a normal state in his mind and create an expectation that he needs to fight for his way while his parents fight for theirs.

Such an antagonistic situation is not conducive to a peaceful home!

Another possible result of a behavior-focused parenting approach could be a perception that love and approval are earned through works. A child may come to think that, if he tries harder to do what Mom and Dad want, he’ll be more loved and accepted.

However, a parenting approach that disciples - that emphasizes the state of the heart behind the behavior and focuses on a love for God and his word - can help children understand more and more that they (like all of us) are in great need of a Savior. Each time they fall short, we can revisit the truths from Scripture that guide us - the truths that tell us that, though we have no hope of attaining goodness ourselves and no hope of attaining God’s forgiveness outside of Christ, God still loves and chooses us!

Each failure is an opportunity to give glory to God for his grace and love toward us and to ask him to renew our hearts and equip us to serve him. It’s also an opportunity to communicate, again, that you love your child unconditionally. There is nothing she can do to lose that love.

Now, what are some good practices for establishing a pattern of obedience in your home?

Communicate Directly, Face-to-face

Require your child to give you her attention when you speak to her. When you’re giving instructions, get down on her level, speak directly to her. I know this is actually really hard! We are often doing more than one thing at once, accomplishing a task or two while also giving direction to our children. But taking the time to stop and focus on communicating directly with your child is worth the effort! It can go such a long way toward fostering an obedient spirit.

Require Eye Contact

Eye contact is an excellent way to measure a child’s focus and attention. With older children, it can also prevent those proverbial “I didn’t hear you” claims. The combination of direct communication and eye contact works wonders!

Be Intentional With Your Tone

We’ve all probably been told by our parents at one time or another, “Watch your tone!” This is good advice for parents, too. Listen to the sound of your voice as you speak to your children. Does it carry love and respect for them? Does it communicate that you are happy to be with them and that you are “on the same team?” Or does your direction sound more like an order from a cold authority? Listen, we definitely won’t get this perfect all of the time, but it’s worth giving some consideration to. It really is possible to be both firm and warm. With the tone of your voice, you can go a long way toward fostering the sense of love and respect you want to receive back.

Require a Verbal Response

Once your child can speak, require her to give a verbal response after you give her instructions. The verbal response can be, “Yes, Mommy/Daddy” or “Yes Ma’am/Sir” or whatever you find to be appropriate. A verbal response serves as an acknowledgement that your child has heard and received the instruction and that she is ready to comply.

Don’t Be OK with Delay

If your child is struggling with obedience, remember, that it doesn’t get any easier after hearing instructions for the second or third time or after you count to two-and-a-half. In fact, allowing your child to resist you temporarily and then eventually give in only reinforces an attitude of the heart that prevents true obedience. Help your child learn that true obedience is cheerful, willing, first-time obedience.

Model Cheerful Obedience

Although children may not realize it, obedience is important for parents, too! You can count on your children to learn from you if they hear whining or complaining when you are faced with doing something difficult. We all have challenges in our days. But whether we’re doing our least favorite task, obeying God’s call to kindness and gentleness while dealing with a difficult person, handling a stressful interruption, or exercising patience during an annoying delay, we can bless our children by doing it with Holy-Spirit-provided peace and gentleness.

With your own behavior as well as what you teach and the standard you set, you can consistently reinforce the concept that we serve a good and great God and that we can live in a way that shows our love for him and reflects his glory to others.

Xo,

Christie

PS - Are you interested in exploring discipleship-based parenting further? Check out Savvy's Go Parenting Curriculum!

Nine Keys to a Fantastic Homeschool Without a Dedicated Homeschool Room

Whether you are a veteran homeschooler or a newbie, you’ve probably spent a little time admiring the many beautiful homeschool rooms posted on Pinterest and Instagram. It’s easy to get great ideas and inspiration from these posts, but it’s also easy to get discouraged, especially if your home doesn’t accommodate a separate room for homeschooling.

The good news is, while a dedicated homeschooling space can be beneficial, it’s certainly not a prerequisite to success. Let's take a look at some ways parents can provide their children with an enriching and fulfilling homeschool experience without a dedicated homeschool room.

Identify Your Home’s Best Work Spaces

Embrace the flexibility of homeschooling and consider all the options your home offers. The dining room table, family room couch, desks and beds in children’s bedrooms, back yard, and patio can become fantastic learning spaces.

All of these spaces can be useful for learning! The couch or yard are great for times when you are reading aloud or having a discussion. Appropriately sized seated chairs and tables are best for written work. Cozy spots can be lovely for independent reading.

You may find it helpful to avoid setting up projects or lessons with lots of supplies at the kitchen table. They can create a hassle when you’re ready to use that table for a meal, but you can't until some major clean-up happens!

With some thought and planning, you’ll be able to make good use of what you have. The most likely addition you’ll need to make if you have younger children is to carve out space for a child-sized table and chairs that allow for good posture and feet on the floor while writing.

Choose a Morning Meeting Spot

Whether you start the day all together or not, it's great if each child has a place to be at a certain time when the homeschool day starts. Help your children learn to complete their morning routine and be on time to the morning meeting spot to start the day.

This provides a good opportunity to start your day off with some structure that can help set you all up for success. It’s also a great way to train your child to manage his time and respect others by being prompt and reliable.

Plan for Sound

If you are homeschooling multiple children, you have probably observed that they each have unique needs and best practices. It’s good to be aware of whether each of your children prefers silence or background sound while working and plan to accommodate that.

For a child that struggles with sound distraction, adding a desk to his bedroom might be helpful. Others might benefit from the din created as you teach another child. Some may like to do independent work with music in the background, while another can be more efficient without it. Understanding these preferences can help you plan for each child effectively.

Have a Centralized Place for Supplies

Kids will need easy access to paper, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, other craft supplies, hole punches, safe scissors, glue sticks, and whatever else you find helpful on homeschool days. There are so many options for storing these things, and you’ll likely find some helpful inspiration online for organizing your supplies.

You may be able to carve out some space in an accessible cabinet, where you can fill bins or an organizer with homeschool supplies. Storing it all behind closed doors can have its advantages. However, pretty baskets on a family-room shelf can work well too! Or you may find a mobile supply station works best. A rolling cart that holds everything and then lives in the laundry room when you’re not homeschooling could serve you beautifully!

It’s most important that your children can access the materials they need and also easily put things away when it’s time to clean up.

Space to Decompress

It might be helpful to have a break space available for when things get tense or frustration mounts. Breaking a pattern of mounting frustration with a brief mental respite and a change of some kind can make a big difference. This could be as simple as a cozy bean bag in the corner of a room. Five minutes there with a picture book (or outside running around, at the table having a snack, or on your lap getting some cuddles) can provide just the refreshment needed to jump back in and finish a challenging exercise.

Time for Cleaning

It’s helpful to do some quick straightening up a few times throughout the day to avoid snowballing chaos that leaves you with a huge mess at the end of the day. When your main living area or whole house becomes the homeschool space, it’s easy for this to happen! But a couple of strategic five-minute clean-up times during the day can keep it all in check.

Allow Your Children Some Input

Your children might love to be included in the planning of your homeschool space! Including them could contribute to their ownership and enjoyment of the homeschooling days, and they may also have some great ideas you wouldn’t have thought of!

Have a Consistent Schedule

It may take a few weeks of adjustment, but aim to find a schedule that works for you all and keep to it regularly. Of course you’ll want to maintain some flexibility, but having the structure of a schedule, a routine, or a daily rhythm helps everyone start the day with some healthy expectations. This can ease your burden as a homeschooling parent. Your children can learn to move through the day a little more independtly as they learn the flow. Also, you can head off some unhelpful whining and negotiating when you establish the plan and train your children to follow it.

This recommendation really applies whether you do have a dedicated homeschool room or not. But the structure of a schedule might be even more helpful when your homeschooling is a little more physically spread out.

Establish a Growth Mindset

Remind yourself and your children that learning is not confined to physical spaces! Cultivate a growth mindset for all of you, embracing challenges, celebrating successes, solving problems together, and viewing mistakes as opportunities for growth. With such an approach, you’ll find creative solutions to adapt and thrive in any learning environment.

No matter the size and configuration of your home, you can provide a nurturing educational experience that fosters curiosity, creativity, and a love for learning that extends beyond a traditional classroom. Happy homeschooling!

Xo,

Christie