Lesson Plan

Introducing the Unit: (1 class period)

Write the essential question and the related questions on the board and invite the students to respond and discuss. Invite them to consider the question of identity and perhaps generate a list of what they consider their identities to be. Explain that these are the questions they’ll be grappling with over the next several weeks, both as they relate to our own lives and to help them better understand Esperanza, the main character of The House on Mango Street. Pass out copies of the novel and have students preview the text. Record any observations the students make about what they see on the covers, flipping through the inside, etc. on the board or on chart paper. The students should then share their initial feelings about the text, and use their observations to generate predictions about what they expect to find in the novel. (15-20 minutes)

Read the first chapter, The House on Mango Street, aloud as a class and discuss what is revealed about Esperanza and her neighborhood. Consider how Esperanza might answer the essential questions at this point in the text. The teacher should record these observations on chart paper and add to them as the class progresses through the novel. (20-25 minutes)

Pass out the House on Mango Street Pre-readings worksheet Pre-readings.doc and go over the structure of the unit and the expectations for pre-readings. Depending on time, continue reading or have students work on pre-reading #1.

Homework: Complete pre-reading #1Pre-readings.doc

(Note: For purposes of organization I have included the pre-reading questions with each section; they are identical to the topics on the student worksheet).

[ continue to section 1 - 3 ]