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 novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Caitlin Smith, as a first-person narrator, serves as the novel’s principal focus. Her father, however, is a dynamic character whose emotions change radically during the novel.

• What is the nature of Harold Smith’s transformation? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 passages that, taken together, illustrate a change in Harold’s character. Analyze each, noting not only how Harold is changing but why.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Harold’s character arc demonstrates The Need for Closure.

2. In addition to exploring how a child with Asperger’s negotiates her family, friends, and school, the novel is about a mass shooting in a middle school.

• How does the novel depict the school shooting? (topic sentence)
• Choose 3 passages related to the shooting.