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 bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Sarah and Jared share certain similarities that cause them to bond.

• Why are Sarah and Jared able to build a strong relationship? (topic sentence)
• Describe 3 ways in which Sarah and Jared are similar.
• In your concluding sentences, explain what they can offer one another because of their shared experiences.

2. Throughout the novel, various animals function as symbols.

• Why are animals important in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Describe 3 animals and what each animal represents symbolically.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the symbolism of the animals affects your understanding of the scenes in which they appear.

3. The novel contains several italicized chapters that offer commentary in a different narrative voice.

• How are the italicized chapters different from the other chapters in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Provide 3 examples that show the italicized chapters’ influence on the reader’s perception of the story.