“Notes in the margin” is a phrase that conjures up images of teachers adding comments to student essays or readers highlighting passages in a book. It’s a powerful tool that encourages thoughtful engagement with the written word.
By taking the time to jot down our thoughts, we can make connections between ideas and draw out the deeper meaning of a text. Notes in the margin are a valuable way to further our understanding and appreciation of literature, and can even help us find our own voice.
Whether it’s a single word, a few sentences, or a long paragraph, the notes we leave in the margin can be a source of insight and inspiration.
What Are Notes in the Margin?
Notes in the margin are your own personal thoughts and comments written directly in the space surrounding the text. This can range from writing single words in the margin to more elaborate sentences and full paragraphs.
You can use them to highlight key ideas, mark sections you might want to revisit, express your feelings towards the text, and more. You can write as much or as little as you want, and you can add your comments anywhere within the text, even if it is in the middle of a paragraph.
Keep in mind that these are not the same as using bookmarks or sticky notes to mark pages you want to revisit later. For example, if you come across a passage that inspires you and you want to come back to it later, use a bookmark.
But if you come across a passage that inspires you, but you don’t want to forget it as you continue reading, use a note in the margin.
Benefits of Taking Notes in the Margin
Reading is a highly personal experience, so no two readers will approach a text in the same way. Taking notes in the margin allows you to tailor your reading experience to your own interests and needs by helping you focus on what is most important to you.
Taking notes in the margin allows you to engage with the text on a more critical level than if you were just skimming the text. It helps you to see the text in a new way and make connections you might not have otherwise noticed.
You can also return to your notes at a later date, even years later, and see what insights you had when you first read the text, or see how your thinking has evolved since reading the text.
Tips for Taking Effective Notes in the Margin
- Use the reading experience as a way to further your own interests. What are you hoping to get out of the reading experience? What do you want to experience or gain from the reading? This will help you determine the type of notes you take in the margin.
- Read actively. Instead of simply reading the words on the page, actively engage with the text by asking yourself questions as you read. What are the author’s intentions with this text? What is this passage trying to say?
How does this passage make me feel? What is the significance of this paragraph within the context of the whole work? What parts of the text invite further exploration?
- Be intentional. What are you hoping to get out of taking notes in the margin? What do you want to get out of this reading experience? What do you want to experience or gain from the text? What do you want to explore or reflect on as you read?
What do you want to remember or be inspired by as you read? What do you want to come away with after reading this text?
Examples of How to Use Notes in the Margin
Here are a few examples of how you can use notes in the margin to further engage with the text and make connections you might not have otherwise noticed:
- Highlighting key ideas – If there is a single idea or concept that stands out to you as particularly important, highlight it. This can act as a reminder of the importance of that idea, and it can also help you explore that idea further.
- Making connections – If there is a particular sentence that resonates with you, even if it doesn’t seem to have much to do with the rest of the text, add a note in the margin to explore that connection further.
- Marking sections you want to revisit – If there is a part of the text that you want to go back and explore further, mark it with a note in the margin. This can be a particularly evocative or interesting passage, or a section that prompts reflection.
You can also use this to mark sections you want to come back to later for research or for use in a paper.
- Expressing your feelings towards the text – If you have a strong emotional reaction to a passage or section, mark it with a note in the margin.
This can be a great way to explore and process your feelings, and it can also help you identify the significance of that passage within the text as a whole.
How to Organize Your Notes in the Margin
There is no right way to organize your notes in the margin. The best organization system is the one that works best for you.
Some people choose to organize their notes in the margin by theme; others prefer to keep them in chronological order and jot down their thoughts as they come to them. You can also mix and match these organizational methods to find the system that works best for you.
However, it can be helpful to have some kind of organizational system in place to make sure you don’t lose any of your notes in the margin. Some people choose to use different-colored pens or highlighters to mark different themes or categories within the text.
Others use different-colored sticky notes, or even different notebooks to organize their thoughts. You can even organize your notes in the margin by page number and line number to keep everything together and make it easy to find.
How to Use Notes in the Margin to Find Your Own Voice
Reading is an excellent way to discover your own voice and find your place within the world of ideas. Taking notes in the margin is an effective way to explore and discover your own interests and values as you read.
As you read and take notes in the margin, you’ll notice certain ideas and themes emerging. These are the things that are most important to you, and they can help you discover your own voice.
Once you have a few notes in the margin, you can use them as the starting point for your own writing, whether it’s an essay, a journal entry, or something else entirely.
Using the notes in the margin as a launch pad for your own work can help you discover your voice, and provide you with a useful starting point for your own writing.
Taking notes in the margin and using them to spark your own ideas and writing can be a great way to use your reading as a springboard for your own ideas and writing.
How to Incorporate Notes in the Margin Into Essay Writing
If you’re reading for an essay, you’ll want to keep track of the authors and names of any texts you consult as you conduct your research.
You can use these to make a “Works Cited” page at the end of your essay that lists the texts you used, including the page numbers if they are relevant.
It’s important that you keep track of where you found the information in the text, because you’ll want to cite it accurately: where you found the information, the exact wording used, and so forth.
By keeping track of your sources as you read, you can also easily go back to the source texts to find any additional information you might need. You can use a simple binder with tabs to keep all your citations together, or you can use software like Zotero to help keep track of everything.
Long-Term Benefits of Taking Notes in the Margin
Taking notes in the margin is not something that you have to do only during your formative years. It can be an ongoing practice that provides a plethora of benefits throughout your life.
Taking notes in the margin is a great way to keep track of your own reading and continue growing as a reader throughout your lifetime. It can also be a helpful tool for engaging with the texts you read with your children, if you have any.
It’s a simple way to help them engage with and retain information from the texts they read, and it can be a valuable tool in the classroom. Notes in the margin can also be a helpful tool when you come across an interesting passage in a non-fiction book.
While fiction and poetry are generally easier to interpret because they are designed to be open to reader interpretation, non-fiction books are meant to be more factual and straightforward in their approach. Notes in the margin can help you keep track of important facts and information.
Conclusion
Notes in the margin are your own personal thoughts and comments written directly in the space surrounding the text. This can range from writing single words in the margin to more elaborate sentences and full paragraphs.
Taking notes in the margin is a great way to keep track of your own reading and continue growing as a reader throughout your lifetime. It can also be a helpful tool for engaging with the texts you read with your children, if you have any.
