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. After Connor dies, the author includes scenes from his perspective.

• What does the author reveal about who Connor was through these scenes in his voice? (topic sentence)
• Include specific details from Connor’s voice and explain how they build a fuller picture of who he was.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, interpret a lesson readers can learn about our judgments of other people.

2. Evan, Alana, and Jared start The Connor Project, and soon, thousands of people are participating in some way.

• What does the Connor Project reveal about human nature? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate specific examples of characters interacting with the project and how that reveals larger comments about society.
• In your conclusion, explain whether overall the Connor Project was a more positive or negative force in the community.