Flipped

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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Friends of Juli and Bryce get little attention in the novel.

• Why does the author emphasize the influence of parents and family on the main characters instead of peers? (topic sentence)
• Describe the influence of Bryce’s family on his behavior and compare it to the influence of Juli’s family on her behavior. Then describe why you believe the author emphasizes the influence of family on behavior.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you agree with the author that parents influence character more than peers.

2. Seeing Uncle David and realizing the extent of her parents’ sacrifice for his care are important steps in Juli’s coming of age.

• How does Uncle David impact the plot, characters, or other story elements, other than financially? (topic sentence)
• Explain how Uncle David might have impacted the perspectives of the Baker family, how his story affects the Loski family, and how Uncle David impacts the plot and story elements.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Uncle David’s connections to the two families are related to the novel’s theme of Change as a Result of New Perspective.

3. Juli’s narrative dips into the past with recollections and backstories.

• What events in Bryce and Juli’s experience contribute most to their character development before eighth grade? (topic sentence)
• Describe the events that most contribute to Bryce’s character before eighth grade and the events that contribute to Juli’s character development. Explain how the events of the past resurface in expected or unexpected ways.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why you believe the characters’ development takes a dramatic turn in eighth grade.

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. Flipped’s dual narrative underscores how Juli and Bryce look at things differently. Write a compare and contrast essay examining how the dual narratives reveal the similarities and differences between Bryce and Juli. How are Bryce and Juli similar in how they think about things? Why might Bryce’s reactions to his environment differ from Juli’s, even if they agree?

2. Mr. Baker and Mr. Loski are dramatic foils because they have contrasting qualities and characteristics. How are Mr. Baker and Mr. Loski’s characters dissimilar? What does each character have that the other lacks? In what parts of the novel are their opposite natures most apparent? After analyzing the characters, examine their role in the novel. Why is it important to the story that they are dramatic foils?

3. Bryce displays a characteristic humor throughout his interior monologue that distinguishes it from Juli’s. Choose two instances where Bryce uses humor in the story and analyze why he chooses that moment to make a joke. Then, discuss whether his humor keeps him from growing as a character. Why or why not?