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. Several times the novel flashes back to Kissin’ Kate and Stanley’s great-great-grandfather.

• How do flashbacks impact the story? (topic sentence)
• Explain why the author uses flashbacks, the impact flashbacks have on the story, and when flashbacks are used in the novel.
• In your concluding sentences, describe how the author’s use of flashbacks connects to the novel’s theme of The Past Has a Strong Influence on the Present.

2. Camp Green Lake and the Warden play an important role in the fate of Stanley.

• How do the histories of Camp Green Lake and the Warden connect to Stanley’s story? (topic sentence)
• Explain how Camp Green Lake is connected to Stanley and to the Warden’s family. Then describe how the Warden’s actions are motivated by Camp Green Lake’s past.