The American Library Association considers Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñez Ryan one of the top 10 books for young adults. This book's SEL themes are cultural experience, overcoming challenges, dealing with grief and loss, and the importance of hard work, sacrifice, hope, and love. I explore how these themes connect to the CASEL SEL competencies and are used within Unit 3 of the 8th grade Emozi® Middle School Socratic Seminar activity.
Overview
Esperanza Ortega is a pampered young girl with everything she could ever want until her father is brutally murdered. She and her mother must flee their farm in Mexico to escape her devious uncle. Once settled in their new home, a labor camp on a farm in California, Esperanza struggles to accept her new, hard reality while mourning the loss of her father. When her mother falls ill, Esperanza must become the breadwinner. Through backbreaking work and an uncertain future, Esperanza transforms from a spoiled, pampered child into a caring, compassionate and determined young woman. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and loosely based on the author's own grandmother's immigration story, Esperanza Rising is a coming-of-age story full of hope, beautiful imagery, and the power of the human spirit. The American Library Association considers it one of the top 10 books for young adults. This book's SEL themes are cultural experience, overcoming challenges, dealing with grief and loss, and the importance of hard work, sacrifice, hope, and love. My fun fact for this novel is that because of the labor shortage caused by WWII, more than 4.5 million Mexican citizens were legally hired to work in the United States. Today, immigrant farmworkers make up an estimated 73% of agricultural workers in the US.
Socratic Seminar Questions
"Esperanza was six years old and loved to walk with her papa through the winding rows, gazing up at him and watching his eyes dance with love for the land."
- As a child, do you remember sharing an experience with an important person in your life that was meaningful for them?
- How did you feel being a part of that experience?
- Have you ever shared an experience with someone that is meaningful to you?
- How did you feel about sharing that experience with the other person?
"After their quinceañeras, they would be old enough to be courted, marry and become las patronas, the heads of their households, rising to the positions of their mothers before them."
- What marriage traditions are you familiar with in your culture?
- How do they differ from what is described in the novel?
Mexico is going through a difficult time when it comes to economics. "Change has not come fast enough, Esperanza. The wealthy still own most of the land, while some of the poor have not even a garden plot. There are cattle grazing on the big ranches yet some peasants are forced to eat cats."
- In many countries, there is a difference in the way people live, and Mexico is no different.
- What do you think of this disparity? is it fair? Is it healthy?
- How would you change it?
Abuelita, Esperanza's grandmother tells her, "There is no rose without thorns," and Esperanza explains that this means that there is "no life without difficulties."
- Sometimes on social media, it can seem like there are certain people who do have an easy life. That all is perfect in their world. Do you think that this can be so? That there are people who have a perfect life?
- If so, how is this possible? If not, why does it seem that way on social media?
Emozi® Grade 8 lessons that connect to Esperanza Rising
- Unit 3, Lesson 1: Healthy Living
- Unit 3, Lesson 2: Happiness
- Unit 3, Lesson 3: Healthy Relationships
- Unit 3, Lesson 4: Prejudice and Racism
- Unit 3, Lesson 5: Bullying
- Unit 3, Lesson 6: Rumors and Gossip
- Unit 3, Lesson 7: Point of View
- Unit 3, Lesson 8: Negotiating
- Unit 3, Lesson 9: Public Speaking
- Unit 3, Lesson 10: Generosity
- Unit 3, Lesson 11: Standing Up for Yourself
- Unit 3, Lesson 12: Transitions
For the Socratic Seminar for this novel and full lesson plans for the topics listed, please check out our website for more details on how to get Emozi® Middle School for your classroom!
Looking for additional SEL strategies to use in your classroom? Check out my new book, The Social Emotional Classroom: A New Way to Nurture Students and Understand the Brain.
