Annotated Text Scrolls

Why use it?

• To view a text in its entirety without any page breaks.
• To identify patterns in text.
• To help students understand a text’s structure and features.
• To encourage students to engage with a text through annotation.

Tips for success

• Choose a text that you want students to read and analyze. This strategy works well with a chapter from a book or a text that introduces a new concept.
• Make scrolls before beginning. Photocopy sets of facing pages from a book. Use tape to connect pages to make a scroll. Consider asking a student volunteer to tape together the pages before using this strategy.
• Discuss what types of annotations might be useful before beginning.

How do I use it?

• Organize students into groups of 2 or 3. 
• Provide each group of students with a scroll. 

• Students annotate as they read the text together. 
• Students might use common colour-coding or symbols. For example: 
  • Circle important points in red. 
  • Highlight points that help them understand in yellow. 
  • Underline key terms in black. 
• Students might also point out text features. For example, students could put a box around an introduction or conclusion to the text.

• When students have finished annotating, they step back and look at their whole scroll. At this point, they can discuss what text features, structures, and patterns they noticed
• Students might share what text features they identified with the whole class when they are finished. 

Variations

• Pre-reading strategy - Students could look at the scroll before reading the text. Ask students what they notice and wonder about the different elements or features of the text.
• Virtual alternative- Students could annotate a text using a virtual tool such as Kami. Encourage students to zoom out and try to look at a large portion of the text at once. 
• Consider giving each student a role. For example, one student might be in charge of identifying things that they have questions about. 
• Consider giving each group a different section of a longer text. Students could then teach their section of text to the rest of the class. This might be useful when reviewing before a summative assessment.