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. Stewart indicates at one point, “I didn’t have many friends. The only birthday parties I went to were the ones where the whole class was invited.”

• What makes Stewart different from his peers? (topic sentence)
• Explain and discuss any physical, emotional, or other characteristics that make fitting in difficult for Stewart. Evaluate which factors seem to impact exclusion more than others.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain why the author chose to use a character like Stewart in his novel to exemplify inclusion.

2. Ashley and Stewart perceive Jared and his behavior in very different ways.

• Why do Ashley and Stewart have varying perspectives on Jared? (topic sentence)
• What is Stewart’s true opinion of Jared, and how is this opinion different than Ashley’s?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what Ashley and Stewart’s perspective on Jared indicates about their characters.