Fish in a Tree

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. The title of the book is derived from an Albert Einstein quote that Mr. Daniels paraphrases: “Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid” (159).

• Why do you think the author chose this quote as inspiration for the book’s title? (topic sentence)
• Where in the story does this quote appear? What does the analogy mean, and how does it apply to Ally’s experiences? Does it apply to any other character’s experiences in the book?
• In your conclusion, summarize the reasons why the book’s title is an apt one.

2. Albert makes an observation about killer whales, noting how, despite their scary name, they never attack people in the wild; if the killer whale had a different name, people would view them differently.

• What idea or theme in the book does Albert’s observation allude to, and how is it related? (topic sentence)
• What are some of the labels different characters in the book have to contend with? How accurate or limiting are these labels? How are different characters affected by their labels, and how do they navigate them?
• In your conclusion, note how the use and experience of labels demonstrates the theme of The Power of Words.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Mr. Daniels strives to make every student in his classroom feel unique because of their abilities. Which of the classroom strategies that he employs works best to ensure this? How does he focus on students’ strengths and willingness to try, rather than on their mistakes? Illustrate your answer with at least three examples from the text.

2. Different characters in the book understand the world around them in different ways: Albert uses analogies, for example, while Ally processes the events through symbols and images. These strategies give rise to a number of recurring symbols and motifs in the book, such as Ally’s “mind movies,” Alice's Adventures in Wonderland allusions, the act of baking, playing chess, use of words, and many more. Choose two particularly effective symbols or motifs and trace their appearances from beginning to end. What do they each symbolize? How do they change and develop across the story? What do they contribute to the overall effectiveness of the novel or to the reading experience?