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 The Tequila Worm, Sofia’s family celebrates several holidays.

• Which holiday celebration was your favorite and why? (topic sentence)
• Identify two traditions that Sofia’s family observes during this holiday and explain why you liked them.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe how you and your family celebrate this or a similar holiday.

2. The Tequila Worm is a coming-of-age novel.

• What is a coming-of-age novel? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least three ways that The Tequila Worm fits into the coming-of-age genre. Use text evidence to strengthen your points of discussion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Sofia’s story is similar to that of the average teenager.

3. The cover of The Tequila Worm is colorful and busy, but it also represents important symbols in the book.