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. Nathan’s mentors help him find the hero within himself.

• Who is one character who acts as a mentor to Nathan, and what does this character teach Nathan about himself? (topic sentence)
• Give details from the book to show what the character’s relationship with Nathan is like and how Nathan applies the lessons he learns from this mentor.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your ideas about the mentor character to the novel’s theme of Finding the Hero Within.

2. Pond and Nathan’s friendship helps the author convey a message about people and nature.

• What does Pond symbolize, and what does he teach Nathan about nature? (topic sentence)
• Offer evidence from the story that shows how Nathan attempts to help his friend and how Nathan changes because of their friendship.