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. In Chapter 29, Amy Anne compares herself to Smaug the Dragon.

• What does this metaphor communicate about Amy Anne and her books? (topic sentence)
• Explain where this metaphor comes from.
• Give at least three details from the story that support your idea about what the metaphor communicates about Amy Anne and her books.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the metaphor’s meaning helps support the larger meaning of the whole novel.

2. Amy Anne feels responsible when Mrs. Jones gets fired.

• Is Amy Anne right to feel guilty about Mrs. Jones losing her job? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three details from the story that support your opinion about whether or not Amy Anne should feel guilty.