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. Mrs. Peters is a dynamic character, one who changes over the course of the story.

• How does Mrs. Peters change from the beginning of the story to the end? (topic sentence)
• Support your topic statement with 2-3 passages that inform the reader about Mrs. Peters. Consider her dialogue at the beginning and her actions near the climax.
• In your concluding statement or paragraph, explain how Mrs. Peters is a dynamic character. Consider connecting this change to the theme of Gender Roles, Duty of Neighbors to Help One Another, or The Law Versus Justice.

2. The canary is a multifaceted symbol in life and death.

• What does the canary symbolize, and how does this symbol evolve? (topic sentence)
• Describe 2-3 ways in which the canary is a symbol throughout its life and death.