Cajas de Carton

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. In “Inside Out,” a pinnacle moment in the story occurs when the narrator gives Curtis his award-winning drawing.

• What does this gesture reveal about the narrator’s character? (topic sentence)
• What does this act reveal about the lessons he learned about pride, privilege, and charity since arriving in California?
• In your conclusion, discuss how this moment of Charity helps the narrator create and strengthen his Community as the narrator establishes himself in California.

2. Though Papa and Mama can’t often give their children literal gifts, they do pass on their value systems to their children.

• What are the primary values that Papa and Mama try to instill in their family? (topic sentence)
• How does the narrator demonstrate that he shares these values? Cite no fewer than three moments in the text when the narrator demonstrates his parent’s family values.