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. Miguel’s family background of a white mother and a Mexican father impacts not only his identity but his interactions with others.

• How does Miguel’s ethnicity influence his sense of belonging in society? (topic sentence)
• Provide 3 examples of how Miguel’s sense of belonging is influenced by his background.
• In your concluding sentences, summarize how Miguel’s ethnic background influences the way he interacts with others in the novel.

2. The author chose to present Miguel’s story in his own words instead of using a third-person narrator.

• Overall, what would have changed in the novel if it had been written as a third-person narrative? (topic sentence)
• Give 3 specific examples of how the novel would have been different if written in the third person.