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The novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz-Ryan, presents a touching view of the mass migration north of Mexican citizens, through the eyes of a young girl. Over the course of the novel, Esperanza has to deal with the triumphs and tragedies of becoming a woman while at the same time seeing her family torn apart by death, destruction, illness, and separation, all set against the backdrop of depression-era Southern California migrant-labor camps.
In Esperanza Rising, Munoz-Ryan has created a story that resonates with students young and old, male and female alike. Her triumphs are celebrated as a girl growing into a woman, but can just as easily be understood as a human acclimating herself into adult society. There are countless themes that can be discussed with all levels of students from early middle school to late high school.
The novel would prove to be a wonderful lead-in to topics ranging from the loss of a parent to moving to a new place. It touches on many of the issues that face teens today such as caring for loved ones, trying to "fit in," looking for work, and overcoming a language barrier. The novel would work well as a stand-alone, or in conjunction with many novels from the canon.
This site was developed as an aide to assist in the teaching of this novel. The lessons are designed to assist in the planning of a five-week unit, and touch on grammar, vocabulary, writing, group planning, and reading comprehension. Each of the activities can be done in whatever fashion the instructor sees fit, however for those that are unsure exactly how to progress with the instruction, I have included a set of pages entitled "Daily Lesson Plans" that outlines exactly what I would use on a day-to-day basis.
As is the case with all teacher materials, the material here is provided as ONE TOOL in your teaching arsenal. The materials here are by no means meant to be presented without instruction, but merely to supplement the instruction provided by the teacher. The grammar assignments illustrate this point perfectly as they provide brief explanations of the parts of speech being used, but the actual teaching of those parts is left to the instructor.
I welcome ALL suggestions as to how to make this site better, as in the end, the site is not about my ego, but about assisting other instructors. If another instructor has a site that they believe would be just as valuable, please email me the link and I will post it on this site.
Lastly, if you are able to convey nothing else to the students, try to pass along that this is an amazing read. Personally, I have "lost" almost 20 copies of this book to students who loved it so much that they "couldn't find it," although I would often times see them reading it a week later. Replacements can easily be purchased through Scholastic Books, sometimes for as little as ninety-five cents each!
Enjoy the unit and enjoy the students' reactions.