Analyzing Character Reactions: Esperanza Rising: “Los Duraznos” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M1:U2:L7

Analyzing Character Reactions: Esperanza Rising: “Los Duraznos”

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RL.5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
  • W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • W.5.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
  • W.5.9a: Apply grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]").
  • L.5.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  • L.5.4a: Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • L.5.4b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).
  • L.5.4c: Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can describe how pages 214-233 of Esperanza Rising contribute to the overall structure of the story. (RL.5.1, RL.5.5)
  • I can write a paragraph about Miguel's reaction to losing his job in "Los Duraznos." (RL.5.1, RL.5.3, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.9, W.5.9a)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos" (RL.5.1, RL.5.3)
  • Character Reaction Paragraph: Miguel (RL.5.1, RL.5.3, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.9, W.5.9a)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

B. Engaging the Reader: "Los Duraznos" of Esperanza Rising (20 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Making Connections between the UDHR and "Los Duraznos" (10 minutes)

B. Analyzing Character Reactions to Miguel Losing His Job in "Los Duraznos" (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Group Writing: Miguel's Reaction to Losing His Job (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Duraznos" in your Unit 2 Homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students read the next chapter of Esperanza Rising, "Los Duraznos," and they analyze how the chapter fits into the overall structure (RL.5.1, RL.5.5). They then make connections between this chapter and the UDHR, looking for evidence of threats to human rights, before analyzing character reactions to the event of the strike (RL.5.1, RL.5.3).
  • Although the lesson is written for "Los Duraznos" to be a teacher read-aloud, this can be organized in different ways to meet the needs of your students. For example, students could read this in pairs or triads, taking turns to read, with a teacher-led smaller group of students who need additional support.
  • Many of the articles of the UDHR could be applied to each chapter. Students may make other suggestions than those recorded on the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference).
  • In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become an ethical person. The characteristic that students practice is respect as volunteers share out personal reflections on what happened in Esperanza Rising.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently in their heads as the teacher reads aloud "Los Duraznos" during Opening B.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to human rights. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In Lesson 6, students analyzed character reactions to an event in the chapter "Los Esparragos," just as they will in this lesson with the next chapter, "Los Duraznos."
  • Continue to use Goal 1 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support analyzing Esperanza Rising and completing the note-catcher to show the reactions of each of the characters. Consider grouping students who will need additional support with this in one group to receive teacher support.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review student note-catchers to check that students are on the right track. Use common issues as teaching points for the whole group in Lesson 8.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Reading Fluency Checklist as students read Esperanza Rising in Opening B. See the Tools page.
  • Consider using the Reading: Foundational Skills Informal Assessment: Phonics and Word Recognition Checklist (Grade 5) as students read Esperanza Rising in Opening B. See the Tools page.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will independently write and then peer critique and revise character reaction paragraphs for Esperanza's reaction to Miguel losing his job. 

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students for work in this lesson, with at least one strong reader per pair.
  • Review:
    • Character Reaction Paragraph: Miguel (example, for teacher reference) to know what students will be working toward.
    • Thumb-O-Meter protocol. See Classroom Protocols.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: Students complete their note-catchers in a word-processing document--for example, a Google Doc--using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software such as Dictation.io.
  • Closing and Assessment A: Write Character Reaction Paragraph: Miguel in an online format--for example, a Google Doc--for students to copy and paste when writing the body paragraphs of their literary essay in Lesson 14.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.B.6, 5.I.B.8, 5.I.C.11, 5.II.A.1, 5.II.A.2, and 5.II.C.6

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to reflect on the sensitive events in Esperanza Rising, discuss how events in the chapter fit into the overall structure of the story, make connections between the events and the simplified version of the UDHR, analyze characters' reactions, and contribute to a group character reaction.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to complete the Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos" in the time allotted without teacher guidance. Consider grouping students who need heavier support and working closely with that group to complete the note-catcher. See "Levels of support," below, and the Meeting Students' Needs column for details.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite a student to paraphrase the key points of pages 214-233 of Esperanza Rising in more comprehensible language for students who need heavier support.
  • Encourage students to add to the graphic organizer they began in Unit 1 to track (and illustrate) the main events in pages 214-233 of Esperanza Rising against the structure of the story. Invite them to explain this graphic organizer to students who need heavier support.
  • During the Mini Language Dive in Opening B, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence in Esperanza Rising before asking the prepared questions. Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence? Let's see if we can answer them together."

For heavier support:

  • During the reading of Esperanza Rising, stop often to check for comprehension. Dictate key sentences for students to recite so that they practice using verbal language. Encourage students to act out and sketch key sentences.
  • Transform the investigation of the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart into a kinesthetic activity. Copy the new cells of the anchor chart onto separate cards or sticky notes. Students can paste the cards into the correct location on the anchor chart.
  • Consider grouping students who need heavier support in the character reaction group and work closely with this group during Work Time B to complete their note-catcher as a shared or interactive writing session.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Throughout this unit, students will have to incorporate what they are reading into their writing. Consider ways to facilitate increased comprehension by repeatedly offering opportunities for students to access prior knowledge and review previous material. Additionally, use a color-coding system to help students make connections between the model paragraphs and the Character Reaction Paragraph anchor chart. This way, students can see how to apply these writing strategies to their own work.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Throughout this unit, students will build skills to be able to independently generate a character reaction paragraph. However, they will need scaffolded practice along the way. When writing a character reaction paragraph as a class, allow all students opportunities to participate even if they cannot generate an original sentence at this point. Rather, have students who may need additional support explain why their classmate's sentence fits the criteria on the anchor chart.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Throughout this unit, students are asked to reflect on the progress using the color codes red, yellow, and green. It is very important for students to be able to monitor their progress and monitor their own learning. However, some students may feel uncomfortable sharing their progress on meeting the learning targets publicly. Minimize risk by providing students with a sheet of paper where they can select a color for each learning target in private. This provides useful data for future instruction and helps students monitor their own learning.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  • reaction (L)

Materials

  • Esperanza Rising (from Unit 1, Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
  • Experiences with Threats against Human Rights anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2; added to during Opening B)
  • Structure of Esperanza Rising anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2; added to during Opening B; see supporting materials)
  • Structure of Esperanza Rising anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Unit 1, Lesson 3; one per student)
  • Simplified version of the UDHR (from Unit 1, Lesson 4; one per student)
  • How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 4; added to during Work Time A; see supporting materials)
  • How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference)
  • Sticky notes (three per student)
  • Quoting Accurately from the Text handout (from Unit 1, Lesson 5; one per student and one to display)
  • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos" (one per student and one to display)
  • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos" (example, for teacher reference)
  • Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5)
  • Character Reaction Paragraph anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 3)
  • Character Reaction Paragraph: Miguel (example, for teacher reference)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Move students into pairs and invite them to label themselves A and B.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can describe how pages 214-233 of Esperanza Rising contribute to the overall structure of the story."

"I can analyze and write a paragraph about the reactions of characters to the strike in 'Los Duraznos.'"

  • Remind students that they saw these same learning targets in Lessons 1, 3, and 6. Remind students of the meaning of the word reaction.
  • For ELLs: Ask students to recall and describe how they worked toward achieving similar learning targets in Lessons 1, 3, and 6.
  • Help students generalize skills across lessons by asking them to share out one strategy they learned about reaching these learning targets from Lessons 1, 3, and 6. Refer students to the appropriate anchor charts. (MMR)
  • Provide differentiated mentors by purposefully pre-selecting student partnerships. Consider meeting with students in advance to coach them to share their thought process with their partner. (MMAE)

B. Engaging the Reader: "Los Duraznos" of Esperanza Rising (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their copies of Esperanza Rising and to turn to page 214, "Los Duraznos."
  • Begin by pointing out the title of this chapter and select volunteers to share:

"What does Los Duraznos mean in English? How do you know?" (peaches: it says so underneath "Los Duraznos")

  • Add Los Duraznos to the Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart.
  • Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you read aloud pages 214-233, adding words to the Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart as they come up. Invite Spanish speakers to provide the translation and record the Spanish on the anchor chart.
  • After reading, invite students to reflect on the following question by thinking, writing, or drawing. Students must be silent when they do this, though:

"What did this part of the story make you think about?"

  • After 3 minutes, refocus whole group.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and remind them of the habit of character recorded: respect.
  • Invite volunteers to share out. Do not force anyone to share ideas with the group, but provide those who desire it with the chance to voice their reflections.
  • As students share out, capture any threats against human rights that students share on the Experiences with Threats against Human Rights anchor chart.
  • Focus students on the Structure of Esperanza Rising anchor chart. Ask them to turn and talk to their partner, and cold call students to share out:

"What is the gist of this chapter?" (Miguel loses his job to people from Oklahoma, and Isabel is not chosen for Queen of the May because she is Mexican. Mama returns from hospital, and Miguel runs away with Esperanza's money.)

"Looking at the key, where do you think this part of the story fits into the structure? Why?" (rising action; there is still no turning point when things get easier for Esperanza. Students may feel that the climax is coming, though, now that Mama is home.)

  • Add this to the anchor chart. Refer to Structure of Esperanza Rising anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Invite students to share any new words, adding any unfamiliar words to their vocabulary logs. Add any new words to the academic word wall and domain-specific word wall, and invite students to add translations in native languages.
  • Tell students they are now going to use the Thumb-O-Meter protocol to reflect on their progress toward the first learning target. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lesson 5 and review as necessary. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Guide students through the Thumb-O-Meter protocol using the first learning target. Scan student responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Before reading, invite students to summarize the first twelve chapters of Esperanza Rising in 1 minute or less (with feedback) and then again in 30 seconds or less with a partner. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. Ask students about the meaning of chunks from a key sentence of this chapter of Esperanza Rising. Write and display student responses next to the chunks. Example:
    • "Place your finger on the sentence: A temper Esperanza did not recognize raged to the surface." Read the sentence aloud as students follow along.
    • "What is the gist of this sentence?" (Responses will vary.)
    • "Place your finger on the word temper. What is temper in our home languages?" (tenplea in Basque.) Invite students to repeat the translation in a home language other than their own.
    • "What does temper mean? You can use your dictionaries." (a person's tendency to become angry)
    • "Whose temper does the sentence refer to? How do you know?" (Esperanza's; the sentence is about her.)
    • "Place your finger on the chunk raged to the surface. Raged means to happen in an intense or violent way. What raged to the surface?" (Esperanza's temper)
    • "What do you think it means that Esperanza's temper raged to the surface? What, in the text, make you think so?" (Responses will vary, but could include: that her intense anger started to show, or come up out of her. In the sentences following this one, we see her anger come out when she yells at Miguel and slams the door.)
    • "Place your finger on the chunk did not recognize. What is it mean that Esperanza did not recognize her temper?" (It shows that the feelings of intense anger are new to Esperanza.)
    • "Why is Esperanza angry? How do you know?" (She is angry that Miguel lost his job to workers from Oklahoma and that he has to dig ditches. It tells us this in the previous section.) "What do you think about Esperanza's reaction? Do you think her feelings are justified? Why or why not?" (Responses will vary.)
    • "What connection can you make between your understanding of this sentence and your understanding of human rights?" (Esperanza is angry because Miguel and other Mexicans are being treated unfairly; they are experiencing discrimination from the farm owners--Article 2.)
  • For ELLs: Ask:

"What are the series of conflicts and crises in this chapter leading toward climax? What do you think will happen next?" (Miguel loses his job to workers from Oklahoma and has to dig ditches; Esperanza struggles to stay hopeful; Isabel is not chosen Queen of the May; Miguel leaves and takes Esperanza's money.)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Making Connections between the UDHR and "Los Duraznos" (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their simplified version of the UDHR.
  • Post the following question and tell students they are going to have 5 minutes to work with their partner to look over the simplified UDHR text and "Los Duraznos" in Esperanza Rising and answer this question:

"Which human rights have been threatened in 'Los Duraznos'?"

  • Focus students on the How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising Threatened? anchor chart.
  • Tell them that when they find instances of this, they need to record the number of the article that it goes against on a sticky note and stick it in their book to remind them.
  • Distribute sticky notes.
  • After 5 minutes, refocus whole group. Invite students to retrieve their Quoting Accurately from the Text handout and quickly review it.
  • Cold call students to share out. Encourage students to provide you with accurate quotes from the text, and mark those quotes using quotation marks. As students share out, capture their responses on the anchor chart. Refer to How Were the Human Rights of the Characters in Esperanza Rising threatened? anchor chart (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading: Consider marking key sections of the chapter and asking students why these sections illustrate threats to human rights. (MMR, MMAE)

B. Analyzing Character Reactions to Miguel Losing His Job in "Los Duraznos" (20 minutes)

  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share, leaving adequate time for each person to think, ask each other the question, and share together. Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What are the significant events in the chapter 'Los Duraznos'?" (Miguel losing his job, Isabel not getting Queen of the May, Mama coming home, Miguel running away)

  • Tell students that in this lesson they are going to focus on the event of Miguel losing his job and having to dig ditches.
  • Invite students to turn and talk to their partner. Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Who has a reaction to this event?" (Miguel and Esperanza)

  • Distribute and display the Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos."
  • Tell students that today they are going to focus on the event of Miguel losing his job and having to dig ditches, because different characters in the story reacted differently to this situation, which reveals things to us about their characters.
  • Tell students that this time, they are going to work with their partner on each of the character reactions.
  • Remind students that sometimes the text shows rather than tells us, and we have to infer, and to quote accurately from the text. Refer to the Quoting Accurately from the Text handout for how to do that.
  • Invite students to begin working in pairs.
  • Circulate to support students as they complete their note-catchers. Remind them to refer back to the text and to quote accurately. As you circulate, consider asking the following questions to guide students:

"Why do you think that? What evidence can you find in the text to support that claim?"

  • After 12 minutes, refocus whole group. Invite students to find a new partner and to compare notes, revising/updating their thinking where necessary.
  • After 3 minutes, Refocus whole group. Focus students on the selected response questions at the end of their note-catcher. Remind them of the Strategies to Answer Selected Response Questions anchor chart, and invite them to work in pairs to underline the answer they think is correct.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"How are the character reactions similar?" (Both are unhappy about the situation.)

"How are the character reactions different? What does this tell you about each of the characters?" (Esperanza is angry while Miguel is calmer about the situation and maintains hope for the future. It tells us that perhaps Miguel is a little more mature than Esperanza as he understands that all is not lost on one event, while Esperanza thinks otherwise.)

"Why do they respond differently?" (They respond differently because each has a different role in this situation. Miguel has always looked after Esperanza, so he sees it as his job to calm her down and give her hope when she feels all is hopeless. Esperanza has always been looked after.)

  • If productive, cue students to expand the conversation by saying more:

"Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)
  • For ELLs: Consider grouping students who need heavier support together and working closely with them to fill in the note-catcher for Esperanza's reaction. Students can then work in pairs to complete the note-catcher for for Miguel's reaction.
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Offer choice with the graphic organizer by providing a template that includes lines within the boxes. (MMR, MME)
  • For students who may need additional time to process information orally: Consider recording the conversation about Miguel's and Esperanza's reactions on a Venn Diagram to help students visualize similarities and differences. (MMR)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Group Writing: Miguel's Reaction to Losing His Job (5 minutes)

  • Focus students on the row for Miguel of the Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos" and on the criteria on the Character Reaction Paragraph anchor chart.
  • Invite the whole group to help you write a character reaction paragraph for Miguel. Take it sentence by sentence, inviting students to discuss what the sentence could be following the model and the criteria and referring to the domain-specific word wall, and using a total participation technique to select students to share whole group.
  • If productive, cue students to expand the conversation by saying more:

"Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Record the paragraph sentence by sentence for students to see. Refer to Character Reaction Paragraph: Miguel (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students that now that they have written character reaction paragraphs as a group in lessons, and independently for homework, in the next lesson, they will independently write a paragraph about Esperanza's reaction to this event.
  • Tell students they are now going to use the Thumb-O-Meter protocol to reflect on their progress toward the second learning target. Remind them that they used this protocol earlier in the lesson and review as necessary. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Guide students through the Thumb-O-Meter protocol using the second learning target. Scan student responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.
  • Repeat, inviting students to self-assess against how well they showed respect in this lesson.
  • For ELLs: Invite students who need heavier support to continue to use the sentence frames created by intermediate students in Lesson 1.
  • For ELLs: Continue to point out examples of effective subject-predicate use. Ask: "What must a subject have? What must a predicate have?" (A subject must have a noun or a noun phrase; a predicate must have a verb or a verb phrase.) Invite students to underline the noun(s) and circle the verb(s) in the sentences discussed.
  • Continue using the same color-coding scheme from the first lesson as you compose the paragraph. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with writing: Even if some students cannot generate an original sentence, ask individual students to explain how the new sentences demonstrate the criteria for writing a character reaction paragraph. (MMR, MMAE)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Complete Esperanza Rising: Questions about "Los Duraznos" in your Unit 2 Homework.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 1. (MMAE, MMR)

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