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. Although their actions are illegal under Nazi German laws, The Churchill Club’s members are undeterred in their mission to resist their occupier.

• What is the general reaction of The Club’s friends and family to their resistance activities? (topic sentence)
• Select one person/group of people close to the members of The Club in the text and provide an example of their reaction.
• Does this person/group of people support the concept of Justified Disobedience in Wartime? Why or why not?

2. Throughout the text, each of the characters is affected by the Nazi invasion.

• How does war affect the youth of Denmark generally? (topic sentence)
• Select one of the youth and briefly describe the effect of the Nazi German invasion on their development throughout the text.