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. Over the course of the book, Sam grows closer to nature through his bonds with animals.

• How does Sam learn to communicate with the animals that frequently visit his camp? (topic sentence)
• Describe the animals that frequently visit Sam’s camp and provide one example of how he communicates with each of them.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe Sam’s relationship with the animals is realistic. Provide evidence from the novel to support your claim.

2. Sam’s journey into the mountains illuminates the differences between city and country life.

• What are the biggest differences between living in the city and the country for Sam? (topic sentence)
• Describe Sam’s thoughts on the city and on the country, then compare the differences between the country and city identified by Sam.