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. Chittim functions as currency for Leopard people, but it is not acquired in the ways Lamb money is usually acquired.

• What important Leopard value is reflected in the process of acquiring chittim? (topic sentence)
• Give three examples from different parts of the story that show that your interpretation is correct.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how the process of acquiring chittim supports the text’s larger concern with The Value and Power of Knowledge.

2. One source of stress that Sunny faces is having to keep her Leopard identity a secret.

• Why is it especially stressful to Sunny to have to keep her Leopard identity a secret from her family? (topic sentence)
• Give three examples from the text that show the impact on Sunny of keeping her identity a secret from her family.