Annotating with Hypothes.is

Assignments focused on close reading and annotation are particularly effective teaching practices. They encourage students to engage meaningfully with primary and secondary source materials, promote critical thinking, and help students analyze and interpret multiple perspectives. The Who Built America? primary source documents, essays, and textbook chapters are all compatible with Hypothes.is, a free, open-source that allows students to highlight, annotate, and collaboratively discuss the texts.

Here’s how you can easily get started using Hypothes.is within the Who Built America? Open Educational Resource (OER):

1. Create (or Sign In to) a Hypothes.is Account

1. Visit the Hypothes.is website and click “Get Started.”
2. Sign up with an email address and password—or log in if you already have an account.

2. Install or Enable the Hypothes.is Extension

You have two options to use Hypothes.is on Who Built America:

1. Hypothes.is Chrome Extension
   • Install directly from the Chrome Web Store.
2. Hypothes.is Bookmarklet
   • For Firefox or other browsers, or if you prefer not to install an extension or use a school device where you can’t install software, you can use the bookmarklet (see Step 2 on this link). Just drag the Hypothes.is button to your bookmarks bar.

3. Open Who Built America and Activate Hypothes.is

1. Go to Who Built America in your browser.
2. Click the Hypothes.is extension (or the bookmarklet) in your toolbar. A small Hypothes.is sidebar will appear on the right-hand side of the page.

4. Highlighting and Annotating

1. Select Text: Click and drag your cursor over any text you want to highlight.
2. Choose Highlight or Annotate: A small popup will appear.
   • Highlight: Marks the text in yellow (private by default).
   • Annotate: Opens a text box in the Hypothes.is sidebar where you can add notes, tags, or links.
3. Add Tags or Links: Use tags like #history or #primarysources to organize your annotations. You can also paste URLs to external references and images.
4. Save: When finished, click “Post to Public” (for public annotations) or “Post to [Private Group]” (if you’ve created or joined a group—see below).

5. Working in Groups 

1. Create a Private Class Group:
   • In the Hypothes.is sidebar, click on your profile and select “Groups.”
   • Click “Create New Group” and give it a name like “WBA_Class_Spring2025.”
2. Invite Students: Share the group link with your students. When they join, they’ll be able to see and respond to annotations posted to that group.
3. Annotate Collaboratively: Select your group from the drop-down menu at the top of the sidebar before posting any annotations to keep the discussion private to your class.

6. Tips for Teachers and Students

• Start with a Prompt: Provide a question or a short activity for students to guide their annotations. For example, use Reflection Questions provided in the Closer Look essays to initiate thoughtful discussions.
• Model Good Annotations: Show students what thoughtful and concise annotations that engage with the text look like. E.g., ask questions, connect ideas, or share relevant links.
• Remind students they can reply to each other’s notes to build a conversation.
• As a teacher, you can check the group feed to see who is participating and the nature of their annotations.

7. Troubleshooting & Support

• If you run into issues using Hypothes.is (e.g., the sidebar not appearing), visit the Hypothes.is Help Center.