Annotations are an important tool for the close reader, as they allow you to carefully analyze the material you read. Getting into the habit of annotating, even when you're not required to, is the best way to become a skilled critical thinker. Below, you'll find an example annotation to pages 8 and 9 in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird; I encourage you to use this example as a guide for coming up with your own annotation.
In pages 8-9, one the major trends I observe is a theme of family and reputation. Effectively, in these pages Lee introduces us to the Finch family, providing us with a brief survey of the family's beginnings and an origin story for Atticus, Jem, and Scout. I think that Lee is trying to describe how important family history is here, because she alludes the "shame" of not being able to trace one's family back to "the Battle of Hastings," (which happened a very long time ago) and she also focuses on the fact that the Finch family is rich, has land, and has history. Her focus on these themes leads me to believe that they will be important in the novel.
I also notice that reputation is important. Lee describes the Haverfords as a family known for being "jackasses," and so it becomes clear that, in the culture of the small-town South, a family's reputation sticks. Her focus on this detail also leads me to believe that it will be important later on.
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