Use pictures to teach a short lesson about the Great Depression. After students have read "Esperanza Rising," have them write journal entries that depict themselves as being the subjects of the pictures. They might tell stories about how hard the working conditions are or how much they miss their families that live in another country. This will help them to identify with the characters of the book while learning about an important time in the nation's history. Place students in groups to review and edit each other's work. They can then write their final copies before reading them to the class.
In addition to teaching a mini-lesson about the Great Depression, give a brief overview of the Mexican Revolution, which was an important part of Esperanza's family history. You might also describe the life of an immigrant farm worker. Students will then use these lessons to write interviews with Esperanza and other characters from the story. Write a few sample questions together as a class before allowing the students to come up with their own. The questions should focus on migrant farming and living conditions. After completing the questions and answers on paper, students can perform the interviews live for the class.
Esperanza faces many trials, but she also has many successes along the way. A board game is a great way to depict the ups and downs that Esperanza experiences. This is a good activity to reinforce character development and setting. Before starting, review the important periods in Esperanza's life to refresh students' memories. Encourage them to get creative about how the game is played, although it should loosely depict the plot of the novel.
Students use a computer program to create a presentation that summarizes the book. The presentation should be at least four slides long, but it can be longer. The first slide gives the book's title and information. The last three slides summarize the beginning, middle and end of the novel. All summaries should be in paragraph form, and each slide should include a graphic. Students are encouraged to narrate their presentations and to add what they liked and did not like about the book.