How can annotating help you and how do you "talk to the text"?

This is what i would put You should hear yourself responding, reacting, and reflecting upon the text. Annotations are simply notes about those thoughts on the page. Annotating is a way for you to ensure that you're actually thinking about what you're reading. It's also a way for the teachers to determine how well you've read

Ghana, first of the great medieval trading empires of western africa (fl. 7th–13th century). it was situated between the sahara and the headwaters of the sénégal and niger rivers, in an area that now comprises southeastern mauritania and part of mali.