Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv.

Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Unit Plan
La casa en Mango Street (Sandra Cisernos) Overview:
In teaching of this novel, my emphasis is placed on theme, symbol and style. For the purposes of organization, the novel is divided into eight thematic sections outlined below. Prior to reading each section, students complete a pre-reading assignment related to their own lives and/or society at large; these pre-readings provide a thematic framework from which to discuss the chapters in that section. They also serve as a vehicle to help students address the essential questions from different angles. Any one of the sections could be expanded or developed to really focus on a particular theme or issue, as you will see with the Geraldo No Name vignette. NOTE: This is a unit I have taught and found great success with over several years, but I did not develop the majority of it. Many of the handouts available here were created and passed on to me by the English Department at Castro Valley High School. Main Assignments for Unit 2: La casa en Mango Street Assignment Rough Draft of La vida es sueo essay Due Date Th 12/1 - first Thursday after Thanksgiving Break *This will also be a peer review day. Students should send an electronic copy of the essay to Ms. Duncan and bring two clean, print copies for peer review. Tues 12/20 Tues 12/20 - last class before Christmas break Th 1/5 - first Thurs after Christmas Break *This will also be a peer review day. Students should send an electronic copy of the essay to Ms. Duncan and bring two clean, print copies for peer review. To be taken over the weekend of 1/20 - returned to Ms. Duncan by 1/24 (Tues)

Final Draft of La vida es sueo essay Creative essay proposal Rough Draft of creative essay

Quarterly Exam *Imperatives *Subjnctv after verbs of influence/emotion, personal expressions *Imperfect Subjunctive Final version of Creative Essay

Tues 1/31 - to be presented in class

Essential question

De dnde viene y cmo se forma nuestra identidad? Qu significa medio ambiente? Cmo nos afecta/cambia nuestro medio ambiente? Cules identidades son permanentes y cules tenemos el poder de cambiar?

Related questions:

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Cules roles juegan nuestro barrio y comunidad en la formacin de nuestro ser? Cules temas e ideas se enfoca Cisernos en La casa en Mango Street? Cmo logra estos propsitos?

Day 1: Introduction of the Unit

Tuesday, 12/6/2011 Materials: (1) Character chart for Soy Yo Actividad *Always write vocab down on the board at the beginning of each class before the students enter. 1. Write the essential question and the related questions on the board and invite the students to respond and discuss. (Finish by: 11:45 - 25 mins) 2. Hand the Students character charts for themselves and have the create a picture of who they are by using the character chart. Explain that youll be using character charts like these for other characters in the story. (Finish by: 12:05 - 20 mins) RECREO - 5 mins 3. Invite them to ask the question: Qu significa la palabra identidad? Also discuss: Cmo nos ayuda este grfico del personaje nos ayuda entender o explicar nuestra identidad? Cmo no es til? Explain that this unit will be rather introspective because well be examining identity as it relates to the characters in the story through comparison and analysis with our own personal experience. (Finish by 12:25 - 15 mins) 4. Read the first chapter, The House on Mango Street, aloud as a class and discuss what is revealed about the main character. Who do you think he/she is? How would he/she answer the essential questions at this point? Other key questions written in the text. Students can also share their initial reactions to the text. (Finish by: 12:50 - 25 mins) Homework: La casa en Mango Street, Pelos, Nios y Nias, Mi Nombre (pp. 3-11).

Section One: Self Definition and Identity Day 2

Tuesday 12/13/2011 Students must have read pp. 3-11: La casa en Mango Street, Pelos, Nios y Nias, Mi Nombre

1.

Answer questions/confusions. Begin discussion of the text. (Finish by 12:00 - 45 mins)

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

RECREO - 5 mins
2.

Unit 6 (Grammar): Subjunctive after verbs of influence. (Finish by 12:20 - 15 mins) Pop Vocab Quiz Bananagrams (if time left over)

3.

4.

Homework: Cathy reina de gatos; Nuestro da bueno; Risa; Gil compraventa de muebles; Meme Ortiz; Louie, su prima y su primo (pp. 12-25); Study for Unit 6 (Grmmr) Quiz Possible Follow-up activity #1: (Useful, but will probably not do this exactly.) As an on-going project throughout the book, students identify and record examples of simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, etc. on a sheet of binder paper. Depending on whether or not they have books to take home, you might want to give them time in class to do this; this works particularly well as a group assignment.

Section Two: Friendship, Neighborhood, Home Day 3

Thursday, 12/15/2011

Students must have read pp. 12-25 Cathy reina de gatos; Nuestro da bueno; Risa; Gil compraventa
de muebles; Meme Ortiz; Louie, su prima y su primo

Pre-reading questions: Is living in a house your family owns different from living in a house or apartment your family rents? How? Are renters, owners and homeless people all considered equal citizens in America? Why or why not?

Begin class by having students share their "Hairs Modeling" assignments with a partner or small group. Invite some to share either their own or their partners with the whole class. Collect the assignments and give feedback so that students can later do a final draft. Collect pre-readings and read Cathy Queen of Cats; Our Good Day; Laughter; and Gils Furniture Bought and Sold together as a class. I would suggest giving student volunteers a highlighted script of Our Good Day to read in a readers theater format. The teacher can play the role of the narrator, or that part can be assigned to a student.

Day 4

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Tuesday, 12/13/2011 Read and discuss the remaining chapters Meme Ortiz; Louie, su prima y su primo Suggested activity: Chapter Titles Note: This assignment is designed to lead into the writing of an autobiographical incident essay or some short, creative pieces imitating Cisneros style; the assignment can also stand alone if the students just need an artistic reprieve. Review together the Table of Contents from House on Mango Street. Have students share observations about the titles, which chapters they are most interested in reading and why, predict what they will find in those chapters, etc. Discuss the creativity of Cisneros "chapter titles" and the impact of a title such as "The Rice Sandwich" on a readers interest level and curiosity. Using Cisneros as a model, students should brainstorm a list of 10 ACTUAL significant events from their lives which helped shape their sense of identity (the more interesting and concrete the memory, the better!) and title them accordingly. Once the rough draft of each students "Chapter Titles" has been approved, students create a personal table of contents for their own lives. They should come up with a title for their table of contents. The final draft should be artistically/creatively displayed and illustrated; one of these "titles" can become the foundation for an autobiographical incident essay. Homework: Final assessment option #1: Autobiographical Incident Essay Prior to assigning the essay I usually have students practice telling the story of one of their titles to their peers and/or in free-writes. Go over the writing prompt one day in class and give students the remainder of the period to complete the cluster chart and begin drafting. Have the rough draft due a few days later and spend another day on the peer evaluation and revision strategies.

Technology Note: If possible give students computer access through the drafting process. Some students think much better if they can type rather than handwrite their drafts. The final draft should be typed.

Writing prompt autoincidentessay.doc Cluster Chart Cluster chart.doc Peer Evaluation autobiincidentpeer.doc Revision Strategies autoessayrevis.doc Evaluation Rubric autobiog_rubric.DOC Student work: Autobiographical Incident Paper

Section 3: Freedom and Entrapment Day 5

Thursday, 12/15/2011 Students must have read pp. 23-43 Marn; Los que no; Haba una viejita...; Alicia que ve ratones; Darius y las nubes; Y algunas ms; La familia de pies menuditos

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Pre-reading questions: In what areas of your life are you most free to do what you like? In what areas of your life do you have the least freedom? Consider the roles gender, race, religion, education, class, age, and upbringing play in limiting an individuals personal freedom. Give students time to complete pre-reading #3 in class. The question invites them to consider "the roles gender, race, religion, education, class, age, and upbringing play" in determining an individuals freedom. While students can write about each of these areas, encourage them to focus on one or two that most directly impact their lives. Read and discuss the suggested chapters, either as a whole class or in pairs. (And Some More works fabulously in readers theater format!) Depending on time, you can have students work on pre-reading #4 or begin the Houses in the Book chart. (below). Homework: Optional activity: Houses in the Book (1 class period) Students work in small groups or pairs to complete the Houses in the Book Chart, Houses_Chart.doc an assignment which requires them to find details from the story about several key places on Mango Street, as well as identify a significant quotation that captures something important about that place or what happens there. This is a good scaffolding assignment for the map project (below) as well as another good opportunity to practice close-reading.

Section 4: Growth & Maturity Day 6

Tuesday, 12/20/2011 (Last Day before Christmas Break)

Students must have read pp. 44-56: Un sndwich de arroz; Chanclas; Caderas; El primer empleo Pre-reading questions: How is growing into a teenage body (physically, mentally and emotionally) like moving into a new house/apartment? Compare the experiences of moving into a new house/apartment to the experiences of being a teenager. Read and discuss the selections in class, paying particular attention to how Esperanza and her friends are changing as adolescence sets in. Hips works well as a readers theater piece. Homework for the Break: Outline for your creative ensayo; Unit 7 pre-work

Section Five: Gender Roles & Expectations Day 7

Tuesday, 1/3/2011

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Students must have read pp. 56-77: Pap que se despierta...; Mal nacida; Elenita...; Geraldo sin apellido; Ruthie de la Edna; El Earl de Tennessee; Sire; 4 rboles flaquititos (first day) Discuss pp. 56-67: Pap que se despierta...; Mal nacida; Elenita...; Geraldo sin apellido Pre-reading questions: Should parents/guardians raise their teenage girls in the same way that they raise their teenage boys? Why or why not? What rules should be the same for girls and boys? What should be different? Do you have brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. who are treated differently from you because of gender? For this section, I often have students jigsaw the chapters just to mix things up a bit. Depending on the needs of your class, you can do one or both of the following activities. If you decide to have the students read the chapters as a whole class, you might need to allot an additional day for the activity/activities. Suggested activity #1: Close Reading (1 class period) For this assignment, students work in pairs or trios to complete the close reading worksheet. Each set of students is assigned a different chapter to work through and then present to their classmates. Suggested chapters are included at the bottom of the worksheet, though the assignment will apply to many of the chapters in the novel. This activity can be done after students have read all the chapters, or as a way to jigsaw multiple chapters. NOTE: Students need to understand theme and symbol prior to attempting this activity.

Day 8
Thursday, 1/5/2012
(second day) Discuss pp. 68-77: Ruthie de la Edna; El Earl de Tennessee; Sire; 4 rboles flaquititos Suggested activity #2: Geraldo No Last Name (1 class period) Several of the chapters in Mango Street, including Geraldo No Last Name contain very subtle, yet powerful references to complex human rights issues; because of the subtlety, students often miss the message. In order to help students grapple with the issue of undocumented laborers presented in this chapter I intend to try the following next time I teach the novel. (Translation: I havent tried this one yet!) Read the chapter Geraldo No Last Name aloud together. Invite students to share their questions, reactions, confusions, etc. Some of the students who already have schema around issues of immigration and documentation will identify with this chapter, but many miss the reference. After this initial airing of reactions, have students complete a Before/After Reading Chartbefore_after_chart.doc based on what theyve read. In the "What I know after previewing" column, they should record the "facts" they know about Geraldoin other words, what literal information is supplied by the text about Geraldo. In the "What I need to know" column, they should record their questions, confusions, curiosities, etc. about the information in the first column. Once they have accomplished these two tasks, pose the following question to students: What is an undocumented worker? Who gets to be a citizen in this country? What rights do citizens have that non-citizens do not? Spend some time discussing the issues, inviting student to respond to these questions as well as generate some of their own. When the conversation seems to be winding down, give students a copy of "The 9/11 Disappeareds" pdf version article to read silently or in pairs. This article talks about the undocumented workers who were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center and the work being done by some organizations to contact the families. As the students read, they should record any information from the article or discussion which helps them answer their questions in the "What I now know" column. Finally, any additional questions that were generated or questions which remain unanswered should be written in the "What I still need to know" column. Homework:

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Section Six: Fitting in Day 9

Tuesday, 1/10/2012
*Rough Drafts due to Ms. Duncan today

Students must have read pp. 78-89: No Speak English; Rafaela que...; Sally; Minerva escribe poemas; Vagabundos en el tico Pre-reading questions: Describe a situation where you once felt really out of place or uncomfortable. Why did you feel this way? What does the word "outcast" mean? What kinds of attributes make people into outcasts? Why must society have outcasts? Discuss the pre-reading assignment from the night before, then read and discuss the indicated chapters. Add ideas to your list about Esperanzas identity development after reading The Four Skinny Trees (35-40 minutes) Give students a copy of the Double Entry Journal Mango Street DEJ.DOCand go over the requirements very carefully. This is an assignment that students often struggle with, but is one that I feel is important for them to wrestle with in preparation for the interpretive essay. I have found it helpful to really walk them through the example and perhaps to work through one of the blanks as a whole class. This assignment can also be used at any point with different passages of text. (15-20 minutes) Homework: Finish Double Entry Journal

Section Seven: Future Opportunities and Limitations Days 11-12

Thursday, 1/12/2012 Friday, 1/13/2012

Students must have read pp. 90-104 Bella y Cruel; Bien guila; Lo que Sally deca; El jardn del mono; Payasos rojos; Rosas de linleo Pre-reading questions What parts of your life would you most like to escape? Can you escape these elements at some point in your life? If so, how? If not, why not? (first day) Discuss pp. 90-95 Bella y Cruel; Bien guila; Lo que Sally deca (second day) Discuss pp. 96-104 El jardn del mono; Payasos rojos; Rosas de linleo

Read and discuss the suggested chapters. Keep in mind that the content of these particular chapters becomes increasingly intense as Esperanza recounts incidents of domestic violence and rape. (20-25 minutes) Suggested activity: Open Mind Diagram open mind.doc Homework: Finish Open Mind and pre-reading #8

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Section Eight: Finding Ones "Home" Day 13

Tuesday, 1/17/2012

Students must have read pp. 105-110: Las tres hermanas; Alicia y yo charlamos en los escalones de Edna; Una casa propia; A veces Mango dice adis

Pre-reading questions: What inspires you most in life? What do you see your future holding for you? What obstacles might stand in your way? In what ways will you attempt to overcome them and achieve your future desires? Share and discuss pre-reading #8, then read the chapters together; The Three Sisters makes more sense if read in parts. At this point, spend some time discussing the circular structure of the novel and where Esperanza is at the end of the text. Revisit the essential questions and the on-going record youve kept on chart paper and record how Esperanza might answer those questions now. (25-30 minutes) Suggested activity: Esperanzas Letter Home As a means of responding to the text as well as encouraging some creative writing, students write a letter from Esperanza back to someone shes left on Mango Street. (25-30 minutes) Directions for students: At the end of the novel Esperanza says, "One day Ill pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to MangoFriends and neighbors will say, What happened to that EsperanzaThey will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind" (110). Pretend that you are Esperanza and write a letter to one of the characters on Mango Street that you "left behind." Discuss some of your memories of Mango Street, particularly the ones that had a significant impact on how you view yourself and your community. Describe what you are doing now, and how your life on Mango Street prepared you for it. You should also include how you plan to "come back" for the others and how you intend to help them. (1-2 pages).

Student work: Esperanzas Letter HomeStudent_Sample_esperanz#81F.doc Suggested Activity: Interpretive Essay (2-3 class periods) This was the first real work on writing an interpretive essay for my students so I really scaffolded the process for them. We had practiced the various components of an interpretive essay, but this was the first time they had to put it together. To prepare them for this, we went over the format and structure of an interpretive essay and looked at some examples of past student work. (See handouts below). I then gave students four thesis statements to choose from as well as page references that might help them find evidence for that particular thesis. In addition, to support my struggling readers and tactile learners, I prepared two Power Point presentations to walk them through some of the passages they might use for their essay. Each student had a worksheet("Building an Interpretive Essay") building_interp_essay.DOC to help outline and organize their ideas as they viewed the presentations or reviewed the text. (Logistical note: I was able to load the Power Point presentations on laptops for the students to work through at their own pace; I realize this is a luxury, so modify accordingly!) Power Point presentations: Presentation #1: Esperanzas Sense of Home Presentation #2: Women in the Book

Based on: http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mango_street2/index.htm but adapted the needs of Adv. Spanish Literature Class Anna Duncan, New Hope Tutorials, Inc. 2011-2012

Technology Note: If possible give students computer/Alpha Smart access to write this in-class essay. Some students think much better if they can type rather than handwrite their papers. Interpretive Essay Handouts: building_interp_essay.DOC Writing Prompt Mango Interpretive Essay.DOC Interpretive Essay Notes interpretive essay_notes.DOC Building an Interpretive Essay Worksheetbuilding_interp_essay.DOC Evaluation Rubric interpretive essay rubric.DOC