Lessons for the House on Mango Street

The last group work for this novel -- it tries, in dramatic fashion, to have the students discover for themselves just what the "house" that Esperanza seeks really is, through a close reading of the text.  The key is, like with most group works, to bring the students to a place, through close examination of the text, where they make the discoveries "for themselves."  In other words, giving them the part of the equation that they can then put together themselves.

Content.   Some lyrics to some songs about houses -- along with the opening paragraph assignment -- this helps set the tone for the student (class) reading of the novel.

A short example, appropriate for demonstration (we now have a Flash Video version of this presentation) -- showing students how and what an illuminated text is, using The House on Mango Street.  It focuses on what Esperanza sees herself as and what she wants to become.  One thing that this presentation also shows, I hope, is that it is not the technology, but the ideas that are the greatest contributor to making an Illuminated Text successful (though I would never be presumptuous enough to say that this one is).  It is interesting that the year that I created this - and was so proud of my work - a student created an Illuminated Text on similar lines that blew this one completely away.