Esperanza Rising Lesson Plan - Chapter Titles and Mood

In this lesson, students will explore the relationship between the unique chapter titles and the mood changes in the novel Esperanza Rising. Students will identify several instances of the element of mood in Esperanza Rising. Students will identify the metaphors within the chapter titles of Esperanza Rising. Students will reflect on why an author such as Pam Munoz Ryan might choose an alternative method of splitting a book in sections. Students will understand why Pam Munoz Ryan uses metaphor and mood to demonstrate Esperanza's growth and the lessons she learns during the Esperanza Rising. Students will use metaphors to write about three distinct stages or "chapters" of their lives

Links to other content areas

-Students will learn the names for several Spanish fruits and vegetables

-Students will understand the context of harvest seasons in Esperanza Rising

-Students will demonstrate artistic skill and creativity by illustrating their "chapter books."

Advance Preparation

-Create the short workbooks (including a completed model book) ahead of time

-Classroom set of Esperanza Rising

Management:

-Before lesson begins, pass out sets of Esperanza Rising books to each group leader, who will pass the books out to other group members.

- Pass out blank "chapter books" to students after giving them instructions and modeling your example

-Students will complete work at their "pods," and then share their completed work with the other group members

Introduction:

"We have read several chapters in this Esperanza Rising and I have begun to notice an interesting pattern. Has anyone else observed patterns throughout the first several chapters of Esperanza Rising?

Students answer and discuss

"Open up your books and look at the first page of each chapter. How are the chapter titles in Esperanza Rising different from those of most novels? Why would the Pam Munoz Ryan choose to name chapters after fruits and veggies instead of giving each chapter a number?"

Students discuss

"Pam Munoz Ryan is doing more than showing off her creativity. She decided to relate the fruit or vegetable in the title of each chapter to an important literary element that sets the background in each chapter: the mood. Can somebody tell me about a chapter title and how it relates to the mood of that chapter?"

Students volunteer ideas

Development:

"In naming chapters after fruits and vegetables, Pam Munoz Ryan has given us a great metaphor for the mood expressed in the chapter and the experiences Esperanza learns from. Although each chapter title certainly represents the harvest taking place at that point in the story, each title gives us valuable insights about Esperanza and her story."

"Today, we will use this same idea and link other ideas to certain stages of our lives. You will want to think of three important experiences you had, from your earliest memories up until this year. I would like you to choose experiences that taught you something important about yourself, someone else, or life in general. For example, somebody who gained confidence from starting a new hobby or sport or could write about that. Or you could write about something you did that caused you to lose somebody's trust, and what you learned from that experience. I will give you a minute to ponder and jot down some ideas."

"Now, you will be choosing one broad category and assigning sub-categories to your three memories. I want you to choose something other than fruits or veggies. It could be a different food category, such as ice cream flavors or Italian food. Or you could use different kinds of motorcycles, horses, colors or TV shows. Almost anything you can think of will work, as long as it can be split into three subcategories."

"Once you have thought of a category for your memories, I want you to write one or two paragraphs about each memory and in those paragraphs show what it is about that stage of life or memory that connects to the category you chose for it. For example, if you chose a memory of a family member's death and your category was weather patterns, you could choose a thunder storm."

Students work on writing about memories and share with each other

Closure:

"As you have demonstrated and seen in the work of your peers, there are many ways to represent ideas such as theme and mood. One such method is naming a chapter of a novel after an object or category that represents the mood expressed in that section of the book. This is certainly not the only way to show ideas, but is one very effective way to do so."