view_context: Dynamic page
Finding Home: The House on Mango Street
Students explore the coming-of-age experience through the eyes of a young Latina girl as she struggles to define herself in relation to her community.
ELA
Unit 4
7th Grade
Unit Summary
Please Note: In July 2026, this unit and its lesson plans received a round of enhancements. This unit is now 26 instructional days (previously 23 days). The overall content, sequencing, and writing projects of the unit have been adjusted significantly. Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for the updates.
Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street is the story of Esperanza, a second-generation Mexican-American girl living in Chicago. The novella, structured as a series of vignettes, spans a year in the life of young teen Esperanza, allowing the reader a window into her world through first-person narration.
Through this text, students study the relationship between a person's environment and the formation of their identity. They think about the way that Cisneros develops the reader's understanding of the physical and cultural setting that Esperanza inhabits, and also how she develops Esperanza's unique perspective about the world around her.
Because this is a shorter text, students spend a significant amount of time engaged in close reading and rereading, thinking about the way that analysis of the author's craft leads to a deeper understanding of the text's meaning. 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 nuanced events in a character's life. The unit also contains informational texts about the author, gender norms and stereotypes, and Latinx communities in Chicago to build knowledge around key topics in the unit.
Students complete two writing tasks in this unit. First, students write their own personal vignette about their name or their home, inspired by the writing style of Cisneros. Students analyze and then craft their own figurative language to enhance their ideas in their vignettes. At the end of the unit, students complete their second, and final, literary analysis essay. They analyze one of the symbols that they have been tracking throughout the novel in a four-paragraph essay.
The House on Mango Street continues students' year-long study of what it means to belong, as it provides a nuanced picture of the Mexican-American experience, as well as raising questions about what it means to be young and female while growing up in the 1960s and 1970s.
Fishtank Plus for ELA
Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.
Texts and Materials
Some of the links in the sections below are Bookshop affiliate links. This means that if you click and make a purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which supports our non-profit mission.
Core Texts
-
Book: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Second Vintage Contemporaries Edition, 2009) — 870L
Supporting Texts
-
Article: “How Did Sandra Cisneros Overcome Challenges to Become a Writer?” by Quill.org
-
Article: “Two Men and Two Paths” by Nicholas Kristof (The New York Times)
-
Poem: “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” by Mother Goose
-
Article: “Gender Norms and Stereotypes” by Fishtank Staff
-
Poem: “Abuelito Who” by Sandra Cisneros
-
Article: “How Do Neighborhoods Like Humboldt Park Reflect the Identities of Their Residents?” by Quill.org
-
Essay: “Dear Brown Girl” by Prisca Dorcas Mojica RodrÃguez
- Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Rubrics
Resources for Lessons and Projects
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Unit 4. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments and Assessments Accommodations & Modifications Teacher Tools.
Warm Read Assessment
The Warm Read Assessment measures students' ability to apply the core reading standards and their knowledge from the unit to comprehend new, topically or thematically aligned texts. It includes both multiple choice and short written response questions and should serve as the primary assessment for the unit.
Vocabulary Assessment
The Vocabulary Assessment measures students' acquisition of text-based vocabulary words from the unit.
Fluency Assessment
The Fluency Assessment measures students' oral reading fluency with a passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. See the Assessing Reading Fluency Teacher Tool for more guidance.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.
Essential Questions
- How does a person's environment shape their identity and their sense of belonging?
- How do gender expectations impact a person's experience of the world and their dreams for the future?
Enduring Understandings
- "Home" can be both a physical place and also a symbol of larger ideas about belonging, independence, and empowerment.
- Challenging life experiences can motivate a person to seek out a different future for themself.
- Sexism can profoundly shape a young person's life, their sense of self, and their understanding of the world.
Vocabulary
Text-based
affirmedashamedauthoritycontentdespairingdismantledistantferociousfondlyimitateordinaryrigidsorrowstereotypesstrutted
Literary Terms
allusionanecdotecoming of ageimageryunreliable narratorvignette
Writing Terms
contextcomplex sentenceindirect characterizationlead
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 4, view our 7th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Notes to the Teacher
- Students will be introduced to the Literary Term "symbol" and the Symbolism Note Catcher (G7, U4) in Lesson 2. Students will be prompted to fill in their Symbolism Note Catchers throughout the units in the additional supports in Key Questions. This Symbolism Note Catcher is an essential tool for students to complete their literary analysis on symbols in Lesson 18 at the end of the unit. If needed, reference the Sample Symbolism Note Catcher (G7, U4, L18) as a guide.
- The House on Mango Street contains incidents of emotional, physical, and sexual violence. These instances have been noted at the top of relevant lesson plans with supportive resources for teachers to consider in their intellectual preparation. Teachers should take care to pre-read chapters and create a safe atmosphere in which students can discuss the book and the issues they raise. In particular, we recommend skipping the vignette "Red Clowns" on pages 99–100, which includes Esperanza's description of a sexual assault.
- Have students listen to the Spanish pronunciation of "Esperanza" to be sure they are pronouncing her name correctly throughout the unit.
- Through a partnership with Quill.org, free, optional activities with aligned themes, topics, and skills are provided within this unit. If you use Fishtank Student, links will take you to assign the activities on the platform. If you opt to use the Quill.org interface, you can create an account to view student data.
- Sandra Cisneros Quill Extension Activity (connected to Lesson 2)
Content Knowledge and Connections
Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
Future Fishtank ELA Connections
Lesson Map
Write a personal vignette using descriptive details and figurative language to indirectly characterize the narrator.
Writers brainstorm descriptive details that indirectly characterize the narrator and draft the first paragraph of a personal vignette.
- Narrative Brainstorming Page (G7, U4, L4)
- Descriptive Details Brainstorming Page (G7, U4, L4)
Standards
W.7.3.aW.7.3.bW.7.3.d
Writers draft anecdotes to indirectly characterize the narrator.
Standards
W.7.3.bW.7.3.d
Writers finish their drafts adding figurative language to reveal the narrator's thoughts and feelings indirectly.
- Figurative Language Brainstorming Page (G7, U4, L4)
- Descriptive Details Brainstorming Page (G7, U4, L4)
Standards
W.7.3.bW.7.3.d
Writers revise personal vignettes to add variety and clarity by using complex sentences to connect ideas.
Standards
L.7.1.bW.7.3.dW.7.5
Write a literary analysis that argues a claim supported by a strong introduction and context to explain embedded quotations.
Draft an outline including a strong claim and evidence to support the claim.
- Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G6–8)
- Symbolism Note Catcher (G7, U4)
- Non-Exemplar Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G7, U4, L18)
Standards
W.7.1W.7.5W.7.9
Draft an introduction that includes a lead, necessary context, and a clear claim with supporting reasons.
- Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G6–8)
- Symbolism Note Catcher (G7, U4)
- Argumentative Mentor Text—Day 2 (G7, U4, L18)
Standards
W.7.1W.7.1.a
Draft body paragraphs that use context and embedded quotations to develop the argument.
- Argumentative Multi-Paragraph Outline (G6–8)
- Symbolism Note Catcher (G7, U4)
- Argumentative Mentor Text—Day 3 (G7, U4, L18)
Standards
W.7.1.aW.7.1.bW.7.9
Writers revise essays by adding in complex sentences that strengthen the argument.
Standards
L.7.1.bW.7.5
Projects
These projects are optional and serve as a great way to enrich students' experience and deepen their content knowledge in this unit. If teachers have flex days in their schedules, we strongly recommend any of the below options.
