Across the street, a string of colored Christmas lights wrapped around a porch railing glow beneath a blanket of thick snow.
This annotation helps the reader build an image in their head. This is because, the author uses words such as "thick" and "string of colored". These words help the reader build a picture of the setting in their head.
He digs a piece of yellow chalk from his bag and scrawls on the board:
This annotation helps the reader build an image in their head. This is because, the author describes the chalk when he says "yellow" and "scrawls" by using imagery.
He stares out the window that faces the street; it’s a still December night—no traffic, no sirens, no obnoxious noise or light.
This annotation creates an image for a reader, because it describes the night of December having no noise. The author uses words like "no obnoxious noise" and tells the reader there are no traffic and sirens.
—a skinny young man in a Bob Dylan t-shirt, skin-tight jeans, and checkerboard-patterned Vans sneakers. Stevens looks down at his class roster.
This annotation builds a strong image for a reader. This is because in this annotation the author uses "skinny" and"young" to help describe the man.
Dumbfounded but hardly surprised, Stevens shuffles back to the table in front of the room, noisily pulls the chair out, and plops down into it.
Based on this annotation, the author describes Stevens as dumbfounded but hardly surprised. The author also describes how Steven makes noise pulling out his chair. These descriptions allows a reader to have a better understanding of the story and the character Steven. The words such as "noisily" and "plops" creates an image for the reader as well.