The Screaming Staircase

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. Lucy strongly dislikes George when she meets him, and George seems to feel the same way about Lucy. Identify at least three separate stages of their relationship and use examples from the text to illustrate your discussion.

• How does the friendship between Lucy and George evolve throughout the novel, and what events lead to the changes that occur between them? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, examine Lucy and George’s relationship and interactions when they first meet, any conflicts that arise along the way, and how these two supposed opposites learn to create a friendship. Be sure to include at least two direct quotes.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss any predictions you have for how George and Lucy’s friendship will continue to evolve.