ShmoopTube

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[Dino and Coop singing]

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So you

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might thank you mastered that whole reading thing in first grade… but wait! [Boy reading 'Reading for Dummies']

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There’s more! [Boy is thinking about his cat]

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Get ready, Shmoopers, 'cause we're adding a new layer to our delicious reading cake: [Hand adds another layer to a cake]

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annotation.

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…Also, now we want cake. [Boy appears behind the cake looking excited]

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Darn it.

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Anyway, annotation!

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Don’t let all those syllables intimidate you…annotation just means taking notes while [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

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you’re reading.

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Is it necessary?

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Nope!

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But it’s really helpful. [Not neccessary post-it on a fridge is covered by really helpful post-it]

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And kind of fun.

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So grab a slice of cake, maybe bring us a piece too, and let's jump right in.

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There are lots of good reasons to take notes while you're reading. [Guy has already eaten the cake]

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For one thing, it helps you stay engaged with the text. [Guy reading 'The Odyssey']

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If you've ever been bored while reading, don't worry, you're not alone.

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Sitting completely still while staring straight ahead isn't exactly a recipe for excitement. [Nerdy looking kid holding a giant book saying he never gets bored while reading]

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But when you're taking notes, you have to be a little more active.

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Not only are you moving your pen or pencil to take notes on the text, but you’re [Someone making notes in a book]

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also thinking about what's important in the text and whether you understand what you're

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reading.

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which is a lot more than you could do if you were dozing off.

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Plus, by taking notes, you end up making your very own study guide. [Student asleep in the classroom]

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The next time you pick up the text, it'll be full of your own notes about key points [Girl starts reading the book with notes]

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and useful quotes.

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Pretty snazzy, huh?

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That also means you won't have to read the entire thing all over again! [Girl looking happy playing Guitar Hero]

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…Unless, of course, you really, really want to. [Nerdy kid reading the book again]

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So you know that annotation's useful, but it's also worth learning a few techniques. [Chicken walking on the Animal Farm book]

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A chicken can scratch all over a text, but that doesn't mean she'll learn anything, except

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how to ruin a perfectly good book. [The book with a rip in the cover]

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Don't be afraid to mark things that are confusing.

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Circle unknown words, underline anything that makes you go, “huh?”, or even add question [Someone circling and underlining phrases]

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marks to things that confuse you.

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That way, you're more likely to look that stuff up and figure it out later, which is [Girl searching for word definitions on Shmoogle]

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kind of the point of reading.

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It's also a good idea to mark stuff that's particularly important. [Phrases highlighted]

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This is where highlighters come in.

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All those pretty colors… [Set of colored highlighters]

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And you can add your own thoughts in the margins. [Notes written in the margin]

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Er…preferably thoughts relevant to the book. [Random notes are written, "Ask for a new phone"]

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Your Christmas list can go elsewhere.

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The better you get at annotation, the better you'll be at personalizing your text, giving [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

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yourself a clear guide of what you don't quite understand, and remembering what the most

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important parts of the text are.

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And hey, if you get really good at it – and we mean really, really good – maybe you’ll

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get a job at Shmoop one day. [Nerdy kid hands over his notes to the Shmoop guy]

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That’s every kid's dream, right? [Shmoop guy with his thumbs up]

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