- Create a short summary of your text(s). (one or two paragraphs)
- Discuss three or four of the most important ideas/themes. Provide textual evidence. Be able to point to sections of the text to read aloud. These sections of the text should support your ideas about themes.
- Decide on three important sections of the text to read aloud. Be able to explain why you chose those passages. You could choose for various reasons--you like the mood created, the writing style, the narrative pace, the similes/metaphors, the characterization, the dialogue (basically any literary element). If nonfiction, focus on rhetorical devices and how those devices support different sections of the text.
- Comment on how the text is organized/structured and why the organization is effective. Note any shifts in the text and explain their significance. Why did the author choose to put the scenes in the order that he/she did? Why was this organization effective? What was the function of important scenes? Are there shifts in the mood? Cite specific sections of the text. If nonfiction, explain why the author presents the information in the way he/she does.
- Cite examples of rhetorical or literary devices. Explain/elaborate on why the use of these devices is effective.
For Ideas on How to Summarize (Useful for Fiction and Nonfiction)
Another Link Helpful for Analysis
How to Annotate a Text
Additional Ways to Take Notes
Taking Notes if the Reading Assignment is Fiction
