Final answer:
The given activities aim to enhance students' reading comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking, and visual analysis skills, preparing them for in-depth literary analysis and academic success.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of identifying story elements, defining unknown words, eliciting inferential and literal information, and analyzing illustrations is multifaceted. Firstly, it is to improve reading comprehension skills, making sure students can grasp the meaning and nuances of the text. Secondly, this practice serves to enhance vocabulary, giving students a chance to encounter, understand, and use new words. Thirdly, it is designed to develop critical thinking skills by encouraging students to think deeply about what they read and why it matters. Lastly, this analytical approach aims to enhance visual analysis abilities, as many literary works include visual elements that complement and deepen the written content. By doing these activities, students not only get a better understanding of the reading through informal analysis but also comfortably practice close reading, preparing them for more formal and detailed analysis and essay writing.
Engaging with literature at a college level involves dissecting passages to explore literary elements such as tone, diction, syntax, style, imagery, and figurative language. This critical engagement with the text equips students with the ability to read for inquiry and analyze reasoning strategies, which are essential skills in academia and beyond.