96 pages • 3 hours read
Brian YoungHealer of the Water Monster
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Questions
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. Nathan’s mentors help him find the hero within himself.
- Who is one character who acts as a mentor to Nathan, and what does this character teach Nathan about himself? (topic sentence)
- Give details from the book to show what the character’s relationship with Nathan is like and how Nathan applies the lessons he learns from this mentor.
- In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your ideas about the mentor character to the novel’s theme of Finding the Hero Within.
2. Pond and Nathan’s friendship helps the author convey a message about people and nature.
- What does Pond symbolize, and what does he teach Nathan about nature? (topic sentence)
- Offer evidence from the story that shows how Nathan attempts to help his friend and how Nathan changes because of their friendship.
