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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. At the beginning of the novel, Scoob’s relationship with his dad is strained.

• How does their relationship change over the course of the novel?: (topic sentence)
• Choose 3 examples of the text that illustrate how Scoob begins to think differently about his father while he’s on his trip with his G’ma and how their relationship might be different after they are reunited.
• Summarize how their relationship is different by the end of the book.

2. G’ma gives Scoob the Green Book so that he might learn something.

• How does Scoob use the Green Book throughout the novel? (topic sentence)
• What might the Green Book teach Scoob? Use 3 examples from the text to support your argument.
• Within your conclusion, connect the concept and purpose of the Green book to the theme of Racism Towards the Black Community in the United States.