Esperanza's Story

This is a school unit. It is about a book. The book is called Esperanza Rising.

Esperanza is a girl. She lives in Mexico. It is long ago, in the 1930s.

Esperanza has a nice life. She has a big house. She has many nice things.

Then hard things happen. Esperanza must leave her home. She must go to California.

Life gets very hard. Esperanza must be strong. She must learn new ways.

Kids read this book. They read one part each day. They write about what they read.

Kids think about Esperanza. How does she feel? How does she change? How does she grow?

Kids also learn true facts. They learn about Mexico. They learn about California. They learn about hard times long ago, called the Great Depression.

Big Questions

What are human rights? Human rights are things every person should have.

We learn about human rights from stories. We learn from real people too.

People change when hard things happen to them. People do not all act the same way.

Writers pick their words with care. Good words help us feel the story.

Showing What They Learned

First, kids read a new chapter by themselves. They tell what happens. They tell how Esperanza acts.

Later, kids write a paper. They tell how Esperanza changes. They use parts from the book to show it.

The Book and More

The main book is Esperanza Rising. A writer named Pam Muñoz Ryan wrote it.

Kids also read a paper about human rights. It comes from a group called the United Nations.

Reading the Book, Step by Step

Kids read one chapter at a time.

First, they learn where the story happens. They learn when it happens too.

Next, they meet Esperanza. They learn what she is like.

Then, hard things happen to Esperanza and her family. Kids think about how each person acts.

Kids look for tricky words. They figure out what the words mean.

Kids write down their ideas each day. They talk with their classmates too.