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 throughout your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Fleur and Pauline personify a conflict between Traditional Chippewa/Ojibwe Beliefs Versus Christianity.

• How do Fleur’s or Pauline’s beliefs influence the character’s development? (topic sentence)
• List three beliefs of the character, noting whether they are traditional Chippewa/Ojibwe or Christian. How does each belief manifest itself in the character’s life? What is the outcome of each belief for the character?
• In your closing sentences, analyze the author’s message about traditional and Christian beliefs within the Chippewa tribe.

2. Survival is an important theme in the novel. The Chippewa are trying to survive, but so are the individual characters.

• Choose a main character. In what ways is this character trying to survive? (topic sentence)
• Discuss each strategy the character uses, using evidence from the text to support your claims.