Grade 5: Module 1: Unit 2

Overview

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GRADE 5: MODULE 1: UNIT 2: OVERVIEW

Case Study: Esperanza's Story

In this second unit, students will use what they learned about human rights to study a made-up character who faces human rights challenges. This unit focuses on reading fiction stories, using the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Students will also read true (informational) texts that explain the history behind the story. They will follow Esperanza, a girl who grows up wealthy and comfortable in Mexico in the 1930s. Suddenly, she must flee to California and find the strength to overcome hard times.

This unit is designed to help students practice writing regularly so they can learn better. Almost every day, students will write short pieces in their reading journals. In these journals, they will explain what they think about important details and quotes from the book. They will study how characters react to challenges, and they will look at how Esperanza changes as the story goes on.

For the mid-unit test, students will read and study a new chapter on their own. They will focus on the challenges Esperanza faces, how she deals with them, and what this reveals about her character.

In the second half of the unit, students will compare Esperanza to other characters in the book. They will look closely at how different characters handle the challenges in their work camp, and whether the migrant workers (farm workers who move from place to place for jobs) should go on strike. Students will write a two-voice poem, which shows how two different characters react differently to the same challenge. Then they will write a formal essay explaining how Esperanza changes throughout the novel.

Note to teachers: This unit assumes the teacher has already read Esperanza Rising carefully. The novel is written at a level that should be manageable for most readers this age. However, the ideas and themes in the book can be complex, so teachers should think carefully about how to guide discussion.

Guiding Questions and Big Ideas

• What are human rights?
• What lessons can we learn about human rights through stories and real life?
• We learn lessons about human rights from the experiences of real people and made-up characters.
• Characters change over time as they respond to challenges to their human rights.
• People respond differently to similar events in their lives.
• Authors do research and choose their words carefully to affect how readers feel and think.

GRADE 5: MODULE 1: UNIT 2: OVERVIEW

Case Study: Esperanza's Story

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment

Analyzing Sections of Esperanza Rising on My Own

This test checks whether students can read and understand a chapter of the novel by themselves. Students will read a chapter of Esperanza Rising for homework and then show that they can study a difficult text on their own. They will explain the challenges Esperanza faces and how she responds, using evidence from the text to support their ideas. They will also answer questions about important vocabulary words and figurative language (language that means something different from its literal meaning, like similes and metaphors). This test focuses mainly on reading skills, not writing skills—though most students will write out their answers. If needed, students can say their answers out loud to an adult instead of writing them.

End of Unit 2 Assessment

On-Demand Analytical Essay about How Esperanza Changes Over Time

For this test, students will write an essay explaining how Esperanza changes over the course of the story. They will look closely at how she grows by comparing her reactions to events early in the book with her reactions to events later in the book. Each student will choose two or three key events that best show Esperanza's growth.

Content Connections

This module focuses on English Language Arts skills. However, it also connects to Social Studies topics that many teachers cover during other parts of the school day. Here are some of those connections:

• The rights of citizens in the United States are similar to—and different from—the rights of citizens in other countries in the Western Hemisphere (North and South America).
• Constitutions, rules, and laws are created in democratic societies to keep order, provide safety, and protect people's individual rights.
• Different people in the Western Hemisphere may see the same event or issue in different ways.
• When groups of people move within the United States, Canada, and Latin America, they bring their ideas and ways of life with them. This sharing of ideas and customs between cultures is called cultural diffusion.
• There are strong connections between the people of Europe, Africa south of the Sahara Desert, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. These connections include shared culture, migration (people moving from place to place), and science and technology.

GRADE 5: MODULE 1: UNIT 2: OVERVIEW

Case Study: Esperanza's Story

Central Text

1. Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising (New York: Scholastic, 2002)

Secondary Text

1. United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Plain Language Version

GRADE 5: MODULE 1: UNIT 2: OVERVIEW

Unit-at-a-Glance

This unit takes about 3 weeks, or 18 class sessions.

A note for teachers: Esperanza Rising is a long novel. During Unit 2, students usually read one chapter each night for homework and then discuss important parts of it in class. Students may need extra time during the day to keep up with the reading. Later, in Unit 3, students will look back at and discuss many key parts of Esperanza Rising again. This means students' understanding of the story will keep growing across both Unit 2 and Unit 3—about six weeks in total.

Lesson 1: Building Background Knowledge
Learning about the Historical and Geographical Setting of Esperanza Rising
(Chapter 1: "Aguascalientes, Mexico, 1924")

Goals for this lesson:

• Summarize a story.
• Figure out the meaning of figurative language, like metaphors and similes.
• Find the main idea of a true (informational) text using key details.
• Summarize an informational text.
• Explain what historical fiction is (a made-up story set in a real time period from the past).
• Describe the setting of Esperanza Rising—both where and when it takes place.

How teachers will check understanding:

• Class discussion
• Sticky notes showing what students notice and wonder
• Notes from a "jigsaw" activity, where small groups each study part of the material and then share what they learned

Lesson 2: Getting to Know Esperanza
(Chapter 2: "Las Uvas/Grapes")

Goals for this lesson:

• Take part in a discussion with classmates.
• Explain what the text says by using quotes.
• Make inferences (educated guesses based on clues) using quotes from the text.
• Compare and contrast story elements, like characters' points of view, settings, and events.
• Figure out the meaning of figurative language.
• Discuss answers with a small group and use evidence to explain ideas.
• Answer questions about the setting of the novel, using evidence from the text.
• Answer questions about Esperanza, the main character, using evidence from the text.

How teachers will check understanding:

• Watching where students place their evidence flags (markers showing important text)
• Small group discussions

Lesson 3: Inferring about Characters Based on How They Respond to Challenges
(Chapter 3: "Las Papayas/Papayas")

Goals for this lesson:

• Explain what the text says using quotes.
• Make inferences using quotes from the text.
• Figure out the meaning of figurative language.
• Write informative and explanatory texts (writing that teaches or explains).
• Answer comprehension questions about a chapter read independently.
• Identify moments in the story where a character's human rights are challenged.
• Make inferences about Esperanza, Mama, and Abuelita (grandmother).
• Use context clues (hints from surrounding words) to figure out word meanings.
• Write to explain your thinking about the characters.

How teachers will check understanding:

• A short quiz on Chapter 3 (given at the start of class)
• Small group discussions
• Exit ticket: a written answer to a question about the text, done independently

Lesson 4: Inferring about Characters Based on How They Respond to Challenges
(Chapter 4: "Los Higos/Figs")

Goals for this lesson:

• Explain what the text says using quotes.
• Make inferences using quotes from the text.
• Compare and contrast story elements, like characters' points of view, settings, and events.
• Figure out the meaning of figurative language.
• Write informative and explanatory texts.
• Answer comprehension questions about a chapter read independently.
• Identify moments where a character's human rights are challenged.
• Make inferences about the characters.
• Use context clues to figure out word meanings.
• Write to explain your thinking about the characters.

How teachers will check understanding:

• A short quiz on Chapter 4 (given at the start of class)
• Anchor charts (class reference charts): one T-chart made by small groups about Mama, Abuelita, and Miguel, and a second T-chart made from individual notes about Mama, Abuelita, Miguel, and Esperanza
• Small group discussions
• Exit ticket: a written answer to a question about the text, done independently

Lesson 5: Connecting Informational Text with Literature
Building Background Knowledge about Mexican Immigration, California, and the Great Depression
(Chapter 5: "Las Guayabas/Guavas")

Goals for this lesson:

• Use quotes to explain the meaning of the story.
• Find the main idea of an informational text using key details.
• Summarize an informational text.
• Answer comprehension questions about a chapter read independently.
• Summarize the main ideas in an informational text about...