How I EASILY Annotate for RHETORICAL ANALYSIS (Nonfiction)

Summary

In this engaging video by Tim Freitas from Garden of English, viewers are guided on how to annotate nonfiction materials effectively, specifically tailored for rhetorical analysis. The video demystifies the process by focusing on transitions in the text rather than meaningless highlighting and symbols. Tim introduces a passage from Cedar Chavez to demonstrate his method and encourages viewers to identify shifts in topics, chronology, and audience. He also provides insights into structuring a rhetorical analysis essay, simplifying the annotation process into seven distinctive sections, which are crucial for understanding the rhetorical movements within a text.

Highlights

• Tim Freitas makes annotation fun and purposeful with no dolphins involved! 🐬
• Forget the meaningless circles and stars; focus on identifying text shifts. 🌟
• Discover the power of transitions in nonfiction texts for better exam answers. 🎓
• Learn how marking text transitions can streamline your essay writing. ✏️
• Exercise your annotation skills by practicing with Cedar Chavez's piece. 📄

Key Takeaways

• Don't highlight without purpose! Annotations are more about understanding transitions than marking everything. 🖍️
• Transitions are key: Identify changes in topic, audience, or chronology. These shifts can help with exam questions. 🔄
• Engage with the text by creating divisions where you see shifts; this makes your rhetorical essays stronger. ✍️
• There's no wrong number of shifts to find - it's about your interpretation. Focus on justifying your chosen shifts. 🤔
• Effective annotations are a strategy for scoring better on exams, especially in AP English. 📚

Overview

Annotations in nonfiction don't have to be a chore! Tim Freitas invites you to ditch the endless highlighting and instead focus on meaningful transformations within the text. By paying attention to how authors transition their points, you can better grasp the underlying structure of the piece.

Inspired by Chavez's work from the 2015 AP Lang exam, Tim encourages us to engage actively with texts. Whether you're finding transitions between different topics, audiences, or even emotional tones, these discoveries can vastly improve your comprehension and essay responses.

By the end of the video, annotations cease to be a mere obligation. Instead, they become a powerful tool for deeper analysis and expression. Tim's method not only simplifies the process for students but also equips them with techniques to excel in their English courses and exams.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Common Annotation Problems The chapter introduces common problems associated with annotation in English courses. Tim Freitas acknowledges the struggle people face with understanding what to highlight or annotate in texts. He humorously admits that he cannot teach reading comprehension quickly but promises to resolve issues related to ineffective annotation practices, ending the confusion and random use of symbols during text analysis.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Purposeful Annotation and Supporters In this chapter titled 'Purposeful Annotation and Supporters', the focus is on improving the effectiveness of annotating non-fiction texts. It begins humorously by dismissing the ineffective habit of simply circling unknown words without further research. The chapter emphasizes the need for purposeful annotation, encouraging readers to actively engage in meaningful note-taking. Additionally, it acknowledges the support from Patreon supporters, highlighting their importance in facilitating the creation of educational content. The appeal for viewers to recognize this support with a thumbs-up emphasizes community participation. The chapter concludes by transitioning to a practical exercise with a passage titled 'He Showed Us the Way'.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Introduction to "He Showed Us the Way" The introduction to 'He Showed Us the Way' begins by discussing the significance of proper annotations in exam preparations, particularly in the context of the AP Language exam. The narrator shares insights from their experience grading responses to a 2015 AP Lang exam prompt. They emphasize the potential of annotations to aid in answering multiple-choice questions effectively. The process of annotation is humorously compared to tasks simple enough for cavemen and apes, inviting AP English students to engage with this critical skill.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Step 1: Mark Transitions The chapter titled 'Step 1: Mark Transitions' instructs readers on identifying transitions within a text. Readers are guided to mark any shifts or changes that occur as the author progresses with their writing. The chapter emphasizes the importance of recognizing these transitions, whether they pertain to chronology, topics, images, or word usage. It suggests that good authors provide clear shifts and recommends a poster for further guidance, available in the description.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Explain Transitions with Examples This chapter provides a detailed explanation of transitions in speech and text, using Reagan's Challenger speech as a key example. It encourages readers to analyze and identify transitions, noting that the perception of transitions may vary among different audiences. The emphasis is on understanding why a transition occurs, regardless of their number, and thoughtfully recognizing shifts in text or speech. Readers are encouraged to be observant and reflective in identifying these transitions.
• 02:30 - 03:00: AP Exam Tip and Practice The speaker provides a strategy for tackling the AP exam's rhetorical analysis essay, specifically question 2. They suggest identifying three or four major shifts in the passage while reading, even if more shifts are apparent. This approach is recommended to simplify essay writing on exam day. The chapter encourages trying this strategy by referring to a specific piece for practice, with instructions to read it and draw lines where shifts are observed.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Template for Observations and Example The chapter introduces a strategy for enhancing understanding of a text through personal observation and note-taking using a provided template. It acknowledges the tendency of learners to rely on examples, hence it eventually presents a model for comparison. The method advocated involves identifying transitions within the text and recording them, ensuring an improved grasp of the author's progression. The chapter reassures readers that different interpretations of text transitions are acceptable, provided they can be substantiated. The focus is on self-engagement with the material to appreciate textual nuances.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Explanation of Marked Sections Section one discusses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and makes a comparison to Chavez's farm workers movement.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Conclusion and Call to Action The chapter 'Conclusion and Call to Action' discusses the repetitive negative impacts that arise from violent actions. It then presents an empowering solution for breaking these cycles. The chapter ends with a motivational note encouraging further engagement and learning, suggesting viewers like and subscribe to 'The Garden of English' and watch additional related content.

How I EASILY Annotate for RHETORICAL ANALYSIS (Nonfiction) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 welcome back to the garden of english i'm still me tim freitas you're still you if you're here you may have a pretty common problem you're in an english course or maybe you're teaching one and you have to battle with that pesky assignment called annotations you don't know what to highlight you don't know what symbols to draw you don't even know how to read uh i can't fix that in a quick video well after today the days of highlighting and circling and underlining and starring and all those other signs that you draw because you don't know what the garbage you're doing will be over let's admit it all those
• 00:30 - 01:00 words you used to circle because you didn't know their definitions you never looked them up anyway so we can toss that aside for now let's actually annotate some non-fiction today but do it with purpose not porpoise there's no dolphin in here that'd be cool if there was though just so you know i appreciate the people whose names are about to pop right onto the screen thanks to our patreon supporters we can make more videos let's all give them a big thumbs up to show our support for their support you know that thumb that's right down there beneath the video yeah thumbs up for that okay to fix our little note-taking issue we're gonna work with a passage called he showed us the way by
• 01:00 - 01:30 cedar chavez it's linked right down in the description fun fact number one this reading comes from the 2015 ap lang exam fun fact number two i scored the responses to this prompt if you're like my students when it comes to annotating you might be thinking why do we have to do something so meaningless what if i told you that the proper annotations may help you answer almost all of your multiple choice questions on your exam the first step in annotations is actually quite easy so easy a caveman can do it absolutely not only that but apes can do it too ap english students
• 01:30 - 02:00 step one you're gonna mark transitions in the text as you read it if you think the author makes any changes while he or she's writing all you need to do is just mark it mark where you think the transition or the shift happens while you do you need to remember this line good authors give a shift we've got a poster for that you could check it out in the description looks kind of like this here are the transitions you can mark try to find transitions in chronology that's the order of the events that are happening you can find transitions between topics you can find transitions between images or word
• 02:00 - 02:30 connotations transitions between audiences reagan's challenger speech is an excellent example of this you should try to find it on the internet and check that out too you can mark any changes at all just make sure you can explain why you think the text is transitioning at that moment while reading you may only see five transitions someone else will see nine others might only find three it's not a problem just be thoughtful while you're reading and look for the shifts no matter how many shifts or transitions you actually see when you locate the movements all you need to do
• 02:30 - 03:00 is draw a line where they appear i'll give you an ap exam hit on essay question 2 which is the rhetorical analysis essay i'm going to encourage you to try to settle on three or four shifts throughout that particular passage while you read even if you think there are more and the reason why is because it's going to make writing that essay much easier on exam day if this is new for you right now you're gonna need to try this out pause the video click on that link in the description to the chavez piece that's found right below here read the piece and then just draw lines where you think you see him
• 03:00 - 03:30 transitioning i recommend that you do this on your own but let's be honest you all know i'm going to show you my example in a second here's another hint you're going to jot down your observations with this template that you're going to see right across the bottom of the screen here and if you fill that in you're going to have a much better understanding of how the author moves throughout the text let's pretend that you actually read the piece and marked it up yourself let's see how your notes compare to mine if you mark different transitions don't worry there's no wrong answer here as long as you can justify your markings but let me clarify the separations made so that
• 03:30 - 04:00 when you look at this on the screen i can explain to you what i was seeing as i read section one exemplifies dr martin luther king jr's legacy and how it compares to chavez's farm workers movement section two defines the foundational principles of the farmworkers movement section three contrasts the negative outcomes of violence with the positive outcomes of protesting non-violently section 4 works to concede to those who want immediate action and then assuage those who are frustrated with how long it takes for non-violence to actually work section 5 exemplifies the ways that non-violence is inherently democratic section 6
• 04:00 - 04:30 highlights the multiple cyclical dehumanizing consequences that stem from violent action and section 7 offers an empowering solution and there you have it you have just begun effectively annotating if you want to learn what to do next in the process you're going to want to like and subscribe to the garden of english and then you want to check out this video right here