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. The friendship between Claudia and Monday drives the novel.

• What builds their friendship? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate 3 to 4 quotations from the novel to develop your analysis.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain the biggest strength of their friendship.

2. Dance features prominently in numerous scenes.

• What is the significance of dance in Claudia’s life? (topic sentence)
• Include at least 3 details and quotations as well as analysis to prove your arguments.
• In your conclusion, explain how dance helps build the theme of Coming of Age.

3. Eventually, the community in the novel is forced to reckon with Racism and Gentrification.

• What role does racism have in Monday’s death? (topic sentence)
• Incorporate at least 3 quotations and details and explain how each builds your analysis.