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

1. In The Energy Bus, the ninth rule Joy gives George is “Drive with Purpose.” George asks his team to develop a shared purpose.

• How does a sense of purpose improve the workday experience? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples of what a shared purpose accomplished for George and his team.
• In your concluding sentences, explain the research behind having a shared purpose at work and why it is important to achieving the desired outcome.

2. At the beginning of the book, George does the right things for his team, but the people on the Energy Bus tell him he is missing the essential element of leading with heart.

• How is love essential to building teams and achieving goals? (topic sentence)
• Explain how George exhibits love toward his team, why trophies and raises are insufficient for his goals, and what research supports the rule of leading with heart.