Anna explains markers

Anna always says that Jonathan and myself do not provide enough details for our markers. Below is a true conversation between Anna and a student whom we will call KL recorded at Anna’s Skype session. Please notice the following aspects:

• Use of 5WH questions
• Importance of prereading
• Visualize the marker at the end of reading

Here is the full text.

KL: ‎Hi Anna, would you be able to give me a few examples of very specific questions? Just want to make sure the questions I am asking myself are specific enough.‏

Anna: ‎WH Questions that can be asked in every article are generic. But if you combine them with a word or marker from the text you have a specific question.

Send me an article or a paragraph with markers from pre-reading and some questions that you can ask and assume on them…. Is it helpful?‏

KL: What is WH??‏

Anna: What, where, who, when…?‏

KL: Oohh, okay makes sense.‏ So I think I understand markers better. Every person reading an article may have a different set of markers depending on which words/images help them remember the most details? Is this correct?‏

Me: Yes. But they should be around the same specific important idea…‏

KL: Ok‏. Napoléon Bonaparte (French pronunciation: ​[napɔleˈɔ̃ bɔnaˈpaʁt], born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815.

Marker: French Revolution

Questions:‏

– What strategy did Napoleon use to lead the French through the French revolution

– Where did the start of the French revolution take place? Which city?

– Which date did the French revolution start? When did it end?

– How did Napoleon become the leader of the French Revolution?‏

‎
Marker: French Revolution—> reminds me of an image of when I was walking near the arc de triumph in Paris and I imagine a crowd of people protesting and fighting 20 feet from the monument.‏

Anna: See that two of the questions the answer is name and number so you can find that info from scanning. You need an article to raise specific questions because your knowledge might not be enough…‏

KL: Okay, so the questions I would need to raise would need answers that include the entire concepts in the paragraph?

Anna: Yes!‏

KL: Got it. And if they do not, then I should not be using the word as a marker.‏ Would you be able to give me a good, specific question based on the paragraph I just sent you?‏ Ahh, I feel like this is getting much easier. I think I am starting to understand.‏ The questions will be made towards the general concept of the article (deduced from the questions asked when reading the title).‏

Anna: Yes! I didn’t get the paragraph…‏

KL: Napoleon Bonaparte (Wikipedia page) Napoléon Bonaparte (French pronunciation: [napɔleˈɔ̃ bɔnaˈpaʁt], born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815.

Anna: The marker of this par.: political leader

1. What kind of a leader? French military and political leader

2. How he became a leader and when? Rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars‏.

3. What was the pic of his leadership? He was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815‏.

This is one way….‏ This was after reading…‏

KL: Okay this makes a lot of sense.‏ So in general, marker—> the word that allows you to remember the highest amount of details in a paragraph. Specific questions on the marker—> help you remember the specific details and provide questions that can be potentially be answered later in the article.‏ And at the end of each paragraph, I visualize the chosen marker as specific, detailed as possible.