New
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Lesson 4 of 18
  • Year 11

Effective annotation: supporting each other to record the process

I can participate in collaborative annotation and take ideas forward from synthesised insights.

Lesson 4 of 18
New
New
  • Year 11

Effective annotation: supporting each other to record the process

I can participate in collaborative annotation and take ideas forward from synthesised insights.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Defining what you want to achieve with your annotations is a useful starting point.
  2. Annotations can be used for different purposes including summarising a text, highlighting key themes or reflecting.
  3. Digital platforms can be used for real-time collaboration when annotating, allowing multiple people to contribute.
  4. Annotations should be regularly discussed either through group meetings or online chats.

Keywords

  • Participate - to take part in or be actively involved in an activity

  • Reflect - to think carefully or deeply about something, often reviewing experiences, ideas, or actions

  • Shared - contributed to by more than one person

  • Synthesise - combine different ideas, or perspectives to form a coherent whole or new understanding

Common misconception

A common misconception about collaborative annotation is that it’s just about leaving individual notes side by side.

In reality, the purpose is not only to make comments but to interact with each other's ideas, responding, questioning and building connections so that understanding is developed collectively rather than in isolation.


To help you plan your year 11 art and design lesson on: Effective annotation: supporting each other to record the process, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Model the process by adding your own annotations that ask open-ended questions or connect different comments. This shows pupils that annotation is about conversation, not just marking the text, and encourages them to participate more actively.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Digital software, pens, pencils, sketchbooks, sticky notes, cameras

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Why is reflecting on your own contribution to a group artwork important?

Correct answer: It helps you understand how your work fits into the whole piece
It shows that only your ideas matter
It makes the artwork identical to others’ work

Q2.
What is collaborative annotation?

A single artist writing notes on their own work only
Correct answer: A group reflecting, discussing, or analysing together on a shared artwork
Copying annotations from other artists

Q3.
Which of these are examples of collaborative annotation methods?

Correct answer: Shared sketchbook or journal
Working completely in isolation
Correct answer: Digital tools
Correct answer: Photographic annotations
Ignoring feedback from others

Q4.
Why might video or voice notes be useful in digital annotation?

Correct answer: They allow artists to explain ideas in more detail and with tone of voice
They prevent others from responding
They are only useful for people who cannot write

Q5.
Once collaborative annotations have been shared, what should happen next?

They are thrown away after the reflection process
They sit unused in a sketchbook forever
Correct answer: They are used to identify key themes and inspire new work

Q6.
True or False? Synthesising insights means looking for patterns, themes, or links between different annotations so they can guide future work.

Correct Answer: True, Correct

Additional material

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