How do students annotate? Can students highlight and add notes or annotations to an assignment?

Yes! Students can use the CommonLit Annotation Tool to highlight or add notes in the margin of any assignment.

To get started, have a student go to an assignment and select any portion of the text with their cursor. It will pull up the annotation options. If your student is using a touchscreen device, have them go to an assignment and use their finger to press and drag the cursor to select the text.

Desktop Devices:

Touchscreen Devices:

To highlight the selected text, hover over the highlighter icon and click on one of the six colors. If using a touchscreen device, simply tap on one of the six colors on the annotation tool.

Desktop Devices:

Touchscreen Devices:

To remove a highlight, select the highlighted text again and click Remove Highlight or if using a touchscreen device, tap the pink eraser on the far right.

Desktop Devices:

Touchscreen Devices:

To add a note, select any portion of the text and click or tap (if using a touchscreen device) on the Text icon.

Desktop Devices:

Touchscreen Devices:

Type your note into the text box and when finished, click or tap on Done. All annotations are automatically saved for the student and teachers can access their students' annotations from their Student Annotations page.

Desktop Devices:

Touchscreen Devices:

To edit or delete a note, click or tap on the three stacked dots on the right corner of the note.

Desktop Devices:

Touchscreen Devices:

To view your student's annotations, check out the following FAQ article: How can I view my student's annotations on their assignments?