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. The importance of family and community is a common theme in literature.

• In Sarah, Plain and Tall, how do characters think about family?
• Examine 2 characters whose need for or finding of family drives their development. Include at least 1 direct quote from the text to support your discussion of each character.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss what these characters’ arcs suggest about the nature of family.  

2. Epistolary literature uses written communication like letters, emails, or text messages to tell a story.  

• In Sarah, Plain and Tall, how and where does the author employ the epistolary format?
• Discuss 3 ways letters are used as a narrative device in the story. Be sure to analyze the effect of the inclusion of the letters.