Students explore the American experience through the eyes of a young Latina girl as she struggles to define herself in relation to her community.
Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street is the story of Esperanza, a second generation Chicana (Mexican-American) girl living in a low-income neighborhood in Chicago. The novella spans a year in the life of twelve-year-old Esperanza, allowing the reader a window into her world through first-person narration.
In this unit, students will begin to discuss foundations of style because the text is a strong piece to analyze how authors manipulate their writing to achieve a purpose and desired effect. While The House on Mango Street is accessible to young adult readers due to relatively straightforward language and a structure of short vignettes, Cisneros nevertheless conveys complex themes about poverty, dreams, gender, and power through intricate reflections and figurative language.
Importantly, The House on Mango Street is a deeper dive into the Mexican-American experience, which students began studying in the fifth grade with Julia Alvarez’s Return to Sender. While Esperanza does not explicitly discuss what it means to be a second generation immigrant, students will read between the lines in order to continue their study of American identity.
In this unit, students will have the opportunity to experiment with personal narratives using the format of the vignette. As students study Cisneros’s understated, evocative narrative style, they will experiment with their own authorial voices. Using the structure of one vignette from The House on Mango Street, students will write the story of their own names, developing their unique voice as a narrator (W.7.3.A) and strengthening their facility with figurative and descriptive language (W.7.3.D). Additionally, students will explore the impact of a written conclusion within a slightly nontraditional narrative form (W.7.3.E). Students will continue their year-long study of both literary analysis and what it means to be American in their second essay, in which they will reflect on Esperanza’s dreams in the context of the larger concept of the American Dream. Because The House on Mango Street does not directly reference the American Dream, students will need to think critically about the schema they have developed thus far in the year as they craft strong thesis statements (W.7.1.A). In addition to providing strong evidence and appropriate introductory and concluding statements, students will begin to explore what it means to establish and maintain a formal tone within their writing (W.7.1.D).
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Book: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Second Vintage Contemporaries Edition, 2009) — 870L
Article: “Little Things are Big” by Jesús Colón (CommonLit.org)
Article: “Latinopia Book Review Sandra Cisneros "House on Mango Street"” by Dr. Thelma Reyna (Latinopia)
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This assessment accompanies Unit 4 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
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HOMS pp. 3 – 9
RL.7.3
Explain how Esperanza views her home and how living there impacts her identity.
HOMS pp. 10 – 16
RL.7.4
L.7.5
Explain how specific literary devices, words, and phrases—and their connotations—develop mood and reveal aspects of characters.
HOMS pp. 17 – 25
RL.7.6
Explain how Cisneros develops and contrasts Esperanza’s point of view with that of other characters.
HOMS pp. 26 – 38
RL.7.3
Explain how setting (including social expectations) shapes characters’ lives in The House on Mango Street.
“Little Things are Big”
RI.7.6
Determine an author’s purpose and point of view in a short piece of memoir and explain how it is conveyed.
HOMS pp. 39 – 55 — focus on “The Family of Little Feet"
RL.7.5
Identify the features and structures of “The Family of Little Feet” that are similar to and different from a fairy tale, and how this impacts meaning.
Narrative Writing
HOMS — "My Name"
RL.7.5
W.7.3
W.7.3.d
Describe the structure of the first and last paragraphs of “My Name” and use descriptive, figurative language in own writing.
Narrative Writing
HOMS — "My Name"
W.7.3
W.7.3.a
Establish a narrator’s point of view and introduce at least one additional character to a vignette.
Narrative Writing
HOMS — "My Name"
W.7.3
W.7.3.e
Draft a strong conclusion to vignettes.
HOMS pp. 56 – 64
RL.7.4
L.7.5
Explain how Sandra Cisneros uses literary devices to develop mood and meaning.
HOMS pp. 65 – 75 — Focus on “Geraldo No Name” and “Four Skinny Trees.”
RL.7.6
Explain how Cisneros develops and contrasts characters’ perspectives on the world around them.
HOMS pp. 76 – 85
RL.7.6
Draw conclusions about character perspectives in The House on Mango Street.
HOMS pp. 86 – 98
RL.7.4
L.7.5
Determine how Cisneros’s word choice develops tone and helps the reader better understand the characters in The House on Mango Street.
HOMS pp. 99 – 107
RL.7.6
Explain Esperanza’s perspective of Mango Street, how it is developed, and how it differs from other characters in the text.
HOMS pp. 108 – 110
RL.7.5
Explain how the structure of the final chapters of The House on Mango Street develop the reader’s understanding of Esperanza’s understanding of her identity and dreams for the future.
“Latinopia Book Review Sandra Cisneros "House on Mango Street"”
RI.7.6
Explain writer Thelma Reyna’s point of view on the book The House on Mango Street and how she supports this point of view.
Socratic Seminar
HOMS
Socratic Seminar Guide
RL.7.1
SL.7.1.a
Take a clear position on a question and share evidence to support that point of view for a Socratic Seminar on The House on Mango Street.
Literary Analysis Writing
HOMS
W.7.1
W.7.1.a
W.7.1.b
Draft a strong thesis statement and gather evidence to support that thesis.
Literary Analysis Writing
HOMS
W.7.1
W.7.1.a
W.7.1.e
Draft strong, logical introductory and concluding statements.
Literary Analysis Writing
HOMS
W.7.1
W.7.1.d
Revise own essay to establish and maintain a formal academic tone.
2 days
Assessment