New Kid

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 story over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Explain how Jordan’s relationship with his grandfather helps him make positive choices in his life.

• How does Jordan apply advice from his grandfather to make a positive choice or choices? (topic sentence)
• Explain what problem Jordan is facing, what his grandfather tells him about it, how Jordan applies the advice, and what the positive outcome is for Jordan.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how these ideas support the novel’s theme of Finding Confidence in Middle School and Balancing Friendships Across Social Class.

2. Explain how microaggressions by other students and staff at RAD impact Jordan.

• What impact do the microaggressions that Jordan faces at RAD have on him? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three examples of microaggressions by students and staff and show how these microaggressions impact Jordan.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how these situations impact Jordan’s ability to Maintain a Black Identity at School and Find Confidence in Middle School.

3. Explain what Jordan learns about judging others through his interactions with Ashley and Alexandra.

• What does Jordan’s changing relationship with Ashley and Alexandra teach him about judging others? (topic sentence)
• Explain Jordan’s opinions of Ashley and Alexandra early in the novel, and then show how his understanding of the two girls evolves over the course of the novel.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe what his changed understanding about the girls teaches him that he can apply to other people or situations.

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. How do Jordan’s and Drew’s experiences at RAD differ? How do their family circumstances affect their school experiences? Why does it matter that Drew has darker skin? How are the reactions the boys get at school different? How do these reactions cause them to behave differently from one another? How does Jordan’s sketchbook make his school experience different? After you think about these questions, write an essay that shows how the two boys’ experiences and reactions differ, and why. Show the relationship between your observations and the novel’s themes of Maintaining a Black Identity at School and Finding Confidence in Middle School. Support your ideas with evidence from at least three different places in the book.

2. What messages does New Kid convey about the differences between the Black community’s perceptions of itself and other groups’ perceptions of the Black community? How do the staff and students at RAD seem to think about the Black community? What things do they say and do that show this is true? How does this make the Black characters feel, or affect how they see themselves? What do Jordan’s father’s efforts at keeping Jordan grounded in Black culture show about his perception of being Black? How does Jordan react to his father’s efforts, and how do Jordan’s neighborhood friends think about this issue? After considering these questions, write an essay that compares and contrasts the way Black and non-Black characters in New Kid convey ideas about Blackness. Show the relationship between your observations and the novel’s themes of Maintaining a Black Identity at School and at Home.

3. How does Jerry Craft use art to convey ideas in New Kid? Why is art important to Jordan? How does art shape his experiences? What does he learn about himself and the world through art? How do the book’s illustrations convey information about what people are thinking and feeling? How do they help you understand what the story means? Why is a graphic novel the best way to tell this particular story? After you think about these questions, write an essay that demonstrates the importance of art to Craft’s novel and explores how its subject matter, themes, and format are interrelated.