Lit Craft & Structure: Checklist (A)

Identify The Author's Purpose

First read the book/chapter title and first paragraph. Ask yourself what you will learn and what the author is trying to tell you.
Is the author telling a story? Describing an event or sequence of events? Trying to convince you of something? Or giving you factual information?
If you are not sure, re-read the last paragraph of the previous chapter or think about how this reading relates to what you are learning in class.
Jot down what you think the author's purpose is and what you might expect to read in the book/chapter.

Pause on words that are in bold, italics, underlined or have any unusual symbols such as an asterisk. Authors use these formats for emphasis, so ask yourself why they are important.
Pause on figures of speech, words you do not recognize or phrases that surprise you while reading. Often these are carefully chosen by the author and will likely be a key to a deeper meaning.
Try to understand the meaning in context of why the author included these elements. Does it add description to a story? Does it reinforce an argument?