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. Hermione plays an important role in the novel as one of Harry’s closest friends.

• What are 2-3 traits Hermione displays throughout the story? (topic sentence)
• What are 2-4 examples from the story when Hermione displays these character traits? In other words, how does the reader know Hermione has these traits?
• As you conclude, how do these aspects of Hermione’s character help Harry accomplish the mission in the novel?

2. Home can have different meanings for different people.

• What does home mean to Harry, and where does he feel most at home? (topic sentence)
• Explain 2-3 examples from the story when Harry shows he feels at home in this particular place. Be sure to explain how and why Harry feels this is his home.