Containing a review of recent research on critical reading and six appendixes detailing course tasks and assignments in an introductory literature course, this essay aims to help teachers develop students' ability to read and write about literature critically. The essay, which focuses on how these course tasks coincide with the findings of recent reading research, defines critical reading and applies the definition to the problem of American teenagers' critical reading of literature, citing findings and suggestions from the works cited. The paper also addresses the benefits of the in-depth study of a significant literary work to students' understanding and enjoyment of the reading. The appendixes comprise the bulk of the document and prescribe class activities designed to complement and enrich students' reading of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms." Appendix 1 lists 20 tasks that students must complete in the term; the remaining appendixes spring from these requirements. Appendix 2 provides study questions--to be answered after the first complete reading--that solicit analytical paragraphs about the reading. Appendix 3 requires students to form a thesis statement from a list of specific passages, Appendix 4 contains a sample of a final essay based on this statement, Appendix 5 provides a sample page from a background project assignment list, and Appendix 6 lists bibliographical materials for students. (JD)