Break a scary-looking chart into three simple boxes.
Every approach plate has a Plan view (looking down), a Profile view (side view of the descent), and a Minimums section. Read them in that order and the plate stops being intimidating.
Top-down map of the approach. Find the Initial Approach Fix (IAF), the Final Approach Fix (FAF), and the runway. Trace the route with your finger before you fly it.
Shows step-down altitudes and the glidepath angle (usually 3°). The FAF is where the final descent begins. Note any crossing altitudes — those are hard restrictions.
DA (decision altitude) for precision approaches; MDA (minimum descent altitude) for non-precision. Below this altitude you must have the runway environment in sight or execute the published missed approach.
Always read the missed approach text before starting the approach. If you get to minimums and can't land, you fly it from memory — climbing, then turning to the holding fix.