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. With the help of Mr. Beaver, Roz builds a home and names it the “Nest.”

• In what ways is the Nest an appropriate name for Roz’s home? (topic sentence)
• Explain Roz’s initial purpose in creating the Nest. Why is this an appropriate name for Roz’s home? Select the strongest examples from the text to discuss.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe how the Nest relates to the novel’s theme The Importance of Friends and Family.

2. Anthropomorphism is used in the novel to give the animals human characteristics.  

• How does the author anthropomorphize the animals in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Name some of the human qualities that are given to animals in the novel, and then provide three examples of anthropomorphism in the text.