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"I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor."
Red Balloon - Opening Discussion: Though I have included a Group Work for this lessson - I urge you go ahead with a Class Discussion. I may have been gone that day or we may have been plagued with so many absences due to AP Testing that I made a Group Work. To have an opening discussion when more than a few students are absent was, to me, a not worthwhile task. In any case, in our discussion we cover all the chapters through page 32. As always, the students have done the reading for homework - and this time - they are happy to discover that the reading takes (generally) less than 20 minutes. In addition to talking about what happens in each of these vignettes (this is a Ring Master Teacher type discussion as most opening (and closing) classes are), we also talk about what the "house" (ideal desire for Esperanza or other characters) is for each Chapter. They were given their bookmarks in the previous class - and on the back of those is a space to put that in. We end the class by showing an incredible Illuminated Text created by two of my students that illustrates the opening of the novel.
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
Overview
Overview
As (nearly) always, we begin with a quiz. After that we have a Ring Master Teacher discussion. This is almost always the best way, in my opinion, to begin a new novel. Though I've also included a Group Work below - I urge you to use the discussion. Your enthusiasm will transfer to the students. Below you can find ONE of the things that we will discuss for each of the chapters - my class notes (found below) include much more of what we talked about during the discussion - the questions and comments grew every year, and new brilliant things were said by my students or I noticed new wonderful connections during my rereading.
Stephen Booth Moments in the Opening Paragraph
Stephen Booth Moments in the Opening Paragraph
For a while (3-5 years), I would go over some of the wonderful word textures that are found in the opening paragraph. For more on this please see my Lesson on Stephen Booth. Sadly, things get cut as the years went on, and this is one of them. However, I've included below both the Power Point slide and the student handout that I used to give out.
Some of what we went over in our Opening Discussion
Some of what we went over in our Opening Discussion
The House on Mango Street - we talk about were Esperanza lived
4 Little Elms - what's the deal with the lottery? How does that fit in with what Esperanza wants?
Hairs - smells and memory
Boys & Girls - the red balloon with an anchor. A great activity is go through each student and ask them to come up with a metaphor for themselves. For me, "I am a dim projector that tries to burn brighter".
My Name - The great-grandmother - so so important to this story.
Cathy - why is Cathy moving? Is it that different from what Esperanza wants?
Our Good Day - the bike riding so fast she can get out of there (play "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman)
Laughter - How can a home be like Mexico?
Gil's Furniture - we talk and then I play my former student's beautiful Illuminated text
Meme Ortez - what is the deal with the balls that don't come back to earth?
Louie - how does this chapter harken back to the girls and their bikes
Sad Women - what is Marin waiting for? How is that like Esperanza?
Alicia - I let the students try to tell me on their own what "really" happens in this chapter and the horror that is Alicia's life.
Angel Vargas - how is he like the ball that doesn't come back to earth
Don't forget to play the incredible Illuminated Text
Lessons Notes & a sample page w/notes
Lessons Notes & a sample page w/notes
See above for examples of some of the things that we talk about from each chapter. Remember, the students are asked to discover (while they are doing their reading homework) what the "House" is for each chapter. That ideal thing to strive for. In addition to the Chapter names, I also give the page number - which may or may not coincide with the most recent version of the book. Again - you will find that these instructions are flexible - and I had to be - they kept changing the amount of time that we had in the classroom.
See above for instructions - the text with my notes served as a guide for the questions, comments and ideas that I ask - though I was always ready for and often elicited the students ideas, questions, etc. Over the years - as I wrote notes in this text - the previous years' notes, student comments, and questions become incorporated into the lesson. You will also find (before page 5) an earlier version of the notes I wrote to myself for the lesson (and for the Group Work and quiz).
Quiz
Quiz
Most Recent Quiz
Most Recent Quiz
Reading Quiz "House" thru "Angel Vargas" (1-32) - Docx PDF
Reading Quiz "House" thru "Angel Vargas" (1-32) - Docx PDF
These readings are incredibly short (the entire book can be read in a couple of hours) - and they are also very straightforward. There is a lot that happens in the vignettes - so choosing quiz questions was a little problematic - and perhaps the extra credit is a bit easier than usual to reflect that.
House - A House on Mango Street Illuminated Text by Norberto Rivera and Dan Chan.mp4A House on Mango Street Illuminated Text by Norberto Rivera and Dan Chan
A House on Mango Street Illuminated Text by Norberto Rivera and Dan Chan
What an incredible Illuminated Text! It does everything that a good Illuminated Text should do - it explicates what happens in the text that it covers, it gives a personal interpretation by the artists that created it (Norberto & Dan), and it leaves the viewer feeling that they knew more and in a different way - than they did before they saw it.
Word Textures (Stephen Booth Moments) found in the opening paragraph.
Word Textures (Stephen Booth Moments) found in the opening paragraph.
For more on this please see my Lesson on Stephen Booth.
A Power Point Slide - pptx pdf
Student Handout of the Slide - docx pdf
"Fast Car" Tracy Chapman
"Fast Car" Tracy Chapman
Sometimes we get a chance to play this during the lesson when we do poems - if not, this goes perfectly with "Our Good Day" - and it reiterates Cathy's, Louie's and Esperanza's desire to move out of their neighborhood (for different reasons) and to make something of their lives while they can.
I will not deny this is a pretty good Group Work - BUT, I want to emphasize one more time that the best way to begin a novel is with a discussion. As much as I loved and relied on Group Works - nothing can build and guage the enthusiasm of a new book like a whole class, teacher-led discussion. Here is a brief break down of the questions - see the Group Work, itself, for much more:
What is the "house" in each of the 6 chapters
Esperanza and her name - and how it is linked to everything else
Connecting different characters from the opening to "Esperanza"
The subtety of this book - and its lack of "judgment" in a negative way
The music box as a metaphor for Esperanza
Esperanza father's lottery ticket buying - as more of what she wants for herself
MangoHouse_OpeningDisc_1to32_20170502.mp3Class Recording
Class Recording
Audio of our opening discussion of The House on Mango Street
Audio of our opening discussion of The House on Mango Street
We begin our discussion by looking at each of the assigned chapters and going through them. We discuss the ideal house that Esperanza wants - we talk about how that ideal house manifests itself in each of these chapters. We also talk about how Esperanza wants to get out of the neighborhood - and some of the things that make her house and her family a place she wants to often hide.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
By using the song ("Fast Car") and the Illuminated Text - you can really enhance the discussion.
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
When I first started teaching - The House on Mango Street came towards the beginning of the school year. As time went on - some years (sadly) it was skipped - but when it wasn't it kept getting pushed back further and further. By the end of my career it was almost always one of the last things we did (before Stuart Little, but after Song of Solomon). Here - on this website - I can give it my ideal place in the year - a place not dictated by AP Students, absent students, and the closing of the school year.
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