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. In Chapter 3, Wallace’s mother suggests that insulting Old Shep, My Pal is the same as insulting Mr. Fogelman since he likes the book so much.

• Do you think insulting something that someone likes is the same as insulting the person? (topic sentence)
• Explain why you believe Mr. Fogelman likes Old Shep, My Pal. Then explain why you think he may be offended when Wallace attacks the book.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe Mr. Fogelman’s reaction to Wallace’s dislike of the book is reasonable, and explain why.

2. Trudi serves an interesting role in the novel, as her support for Wallace suddenly shifts.

• Does Trudi’s point of view feel necessary to the story? (topic sentence)
• Explain why you believe the author includes Trudi in the story, what Trudi’s character represents to the story, and whether you believe her perspective is necessary for illustrating the author’s point.