¡Viva Las Mariposas! Voice and Agency in In the Time of the Butterflies

Students examine how Julia Alvarez structures her historical fiction novel and gives voice to the four Mirabal sisters as they come of age under Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic.

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ELA

Unit 4

9th Grade

Unit Summary


Please Note: In July 2026, this unit and its lesson plans received a round of enhancements. This unit remains 29 instructional days, the same as the prior version of the unit. The writing projects of the unit have been adjusted significantly and additional assessment options have been added. Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for the updates.

In an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, Julia Alvarez quotes German novelist Novalis, who writes, "Novels arise out of the shortcomings of history." In the Time of the Butterflies arises out of the incredible true story of the four Mirabal sisters—Minerva, Patria, María Teresa, and Dedé—young women who came of age during the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.
Alvarez moves beyond the myth of the sisters to depict them as real women with their own individual motivations, desires, and reasons for becoming revolutionaries or not.

To begin the unit, students analyze Alvarez's reasons for writing the story of the Mirabal sisters as historical fiction and complete a webquest about Trujillo's rise to power and eventual demise to give them some of the historical context of the novel. For the most part, though, students learn about life during Trujillo's regime through the novel, considering the emotional impact of learning about events through historical fiction and characters rather than hard facts. 

While reading the novel, students analyze its nonlinear structure and narrative point of view. With each chapter being told from a different sister's perspective, students examine how and to what end Alvarez creates a distinct voice for each sister. Through their individual thoughts and actions as women living in a patriarchal society and under an oppressive dictatorship, the Mirabal sisters challenge students to think about what courage is and how it can be displayed in the face of adversity. After reading the first two sections of the novel, students rewrite a scene from the point of view of a different Mirabal sister, channeling her voice and emotions while reimagining events from her perspective. 

After finishing the novel, students will participate in a Socratic Seminar to discuss the role of structure, courage, and gender within the text. To bring the unit to a close, students will complete a Performance Task in which they will rewrite a longer scene from the point of view of a different Mirabal sister, channeling her voice, as well as incorporating a clear narrative arc, strong dialogue, and engaging narration.

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Texts and Materials


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Core Texts

Supporting Texts

Assessment


The following assessments accompany Unit 4. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments Teacher Tool.

Authentic Assessments

The Socratic Seminar measures students' ability to think critically, engage meaningfully in discussion about key unit content, and support their ideas with evidence.

The Performance Task is the culminating assessment of the unit in which students have the opportunity to demonstrate the skills and content they have learned through an authentic task.

Optional Assessments

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 multiple choice and an optional on-demand essay.

The Vocabulary Assessment measures students' acquisition of text-based vocabulary words from the unit.

Unit Prep


Intellectual Prep

Unit Launch

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 an author use structure and narrative point of view to create meaning?
  • What is courage? How can we display courage in the face of adversity?
  • How does gender impact an individual's roles and responsibilities in society?

Vocabulary

Text-based

adamantcircumscribeddesecratedimpertinentingenuityindignantpervasiveregimeresolvesinistersuccumbtenuousvehemence

Literary Terms

allusionepilogueepistolary formatframe narrativehistorical fictionimageryliterary foilmotifnarrative point of viewstructuresymboltonevoice

Root/Affix

ad-circum-im-per-

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 4, view our 9th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.

Notes to the Teacher

  • If accessible, play the audiobook for In the Time of the Butterflies to students or encourage students to listen independently. The audiobook uses four narrators for each of the sisters, so the unique voices can help students distinguish between each character, especially in Part I as they meet each of the sisters.
  • Trujillo was known for his heinous human rights violations, including the torture and murder of anyone who challenged his authority. In addition, he was notorious for preying on young women, drugging and raping them. He orchestrated the murder of the Mirabal sisters, an act that was motivated by their gender. The novel alludes to and/or depicts Trujillo's sexual harassment, sexual assault, torture, and violence. As always, preview the content ahead of time, and be mindful of the diverse experiences your students bring with them into the classroom and how the unit content might impact them.
  • The Language Focus Area for this unit (L.9-10.1.b) is spiraled in the closings for Chapters 9 and 11.

Lesson Map


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.

Common Core Standards


Core Standards

RI.9-10.1
RI.9-10.2
RI.9-10.3
RI.9-10.7
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.3
RL.9-10.4
RL.9-10.5
RL.9-10.9
W.9-10.2
W.9-10.3
W.9-10.3.a
W.9-10.3.b
W.9-10.3.d
W.9-10.4
W.9-10.5
W.9-10.9
L.9-10.1
L.9-10.2
L.9-10.5
L.9-10.6
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.2
SL.9-10.4
SL.9-10.6

Supporting Standards

RI.9-10.10
RL.9-10.10
W.9-10.10
L.9-10.1.b
L.9-10.3
SL.9-10.5
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