Shared Annotation
Shared Annotation is a guided close read where the teacher reads a new excerpt aloud and the class marks it up together in response to sequenced prompts. TeacherHero builds it as a We Do with a close-read sheet, the questions in order, and the misreading most likely to come up.
Annotate a new excerpt through sequenced teacher prompts.
Close Read: Ada’s Obligation
The We Do phase of a Grade 6 ELA lesson, as TeacherHero generated it. Planned for 9 minutes.
Teacher directions
- Minutes 0–1: Distribute the Obligation Close-Read Sheet and ask students to follow the shared annotation routine.
- Minutes 1–4: Read Paragraphs 1 and 2 aloud. Ask students to mark clues about Ada’s promises and the pressure she faces.
- Minutes 4–6: Read Paragraph 4 aloud. First ask what “obligation” means from the surrounding words; then ask students to connect the word to what Ada owes.
- Minutes 6–8: Read Paragraph 5. Ask students to use the marked evidence and sentence frame to complete the obligation card together.
- Minutes 8–9: Invite students to read the shared card aloud. Listen for a clear meaning, a promise to her brother, and a connection to Ada’s choice.
Student directions
- Together with me: Read each labeled paragraph and mark one clue about Ada’s responsibilities.
- Use the shared frame to explain how obligation connects her promise and choice.
Questions to ask
- What commitments does Ada name, and where is Tomas when the story begins?
- What makes Ada’s papers dangerous, and what does she do to conceal her trembling?
- What does obligation mean here, based on what Ada says she owed?
- What does Ada do after the whistle, and what happens to the ferry?
- How does Ada’s promise to her brother create an obligation that influences her choice?
Misconceptions to expect
- Students may read “falter” as only meaning to trip, missing that Ada does not hesitate or lose confidence when she chooses to find Tomas. If this comes up, ask what Ada does after the whistle and whether the text describes a trip or hesitation.
Frequently asked questions
How is shared annotation different from independent annotation?
The teacher sets what to mark and when. Students annotate the same clue at the same moment, prompted by a question, so the class builds one reading together. Independent annotation comes later, once students know what kind of clue is worth marking in this text.
What do the questions build toward?
A single idea the lesson is targeting — in the example, what a character's sense of duty means and how it shapes her choice. The questions move from what the text says to what a word means in context to what the character does, one paragraph at a time.
What misreading does the example prepare for?
Reading a vocabulary word in its most literal sense, so falter is taken to mean trip. The example gives the teacher a question to ask when it appears, which sends students back to what the character actually does after the turning point in the story.
Strategies that pair with it
First Chart Row
We Do · Complete the first row of an organizer together.
See the exampleGuided Practice
We Do · Complete a parallel task with decreasing teacher support.
See the exampleHinge Questions
We Do · Pause at key decisions to check the whole class.
See the exampleRevise a Weak Example
We Do · Improve a weak response through guided revision.
See the exampleOne move out of six phases.
A TeacherHero lesson generates all six with your course, unit, week and text in context, so the We Do phase continues the one before it instead of starting over.
Explore a whole example lesson