Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the graphic novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Heroes are a central motif in Roller Girl.

• What does Astrid see as heroic about roller derby and why does this inspire her to join? (topic sentence)
• Detail three places in the story where Astrid states or implies she finds something heroic about the game, a player, or herself while she’s playing.
• In your conclusion, evaluate the importance of heroes in the lives of young people like Astrid.

2. All the male characters in Roller Girl are little more than background characters.

• Why did Jamieson include so few male characters in the graphic novel? (topic sentence)
• Identify the male characters in the book and discuss why these characters are included in an otherwise all-female story. Use the text to support your discussion.