The thought questions in this lesson plan provide potential prompts that students can use to write short original essays that develop their close reading skills. The questions provided for the final paper are most suitable for longer student essays. Teachers should encourage students to write on topics that have been discussed in class. Though the prompts provided here are quite useful, students can be encouraged to develop their own research questions. Remember that grading an essay should not depend on a simple checklist of required content, but should instead analyze a student's ability to comprehend the text and make a well-reasoned, clear argument. Use the rubric provided.
Students...
