That's correct - I would like to learn that way. I was wondering if there is any code teaching resource that actually bridges the gap between the relatively basic and abstract content on e.g. Codecademy, and actual implementations 'in the wild'. Ideally something like the annotated Backbone documentation linked by bzalasky, but for a complete website (although the Backbone links are a great resource and I will be checking them out).
Your suggestion and the other commenters' are great - thanks!