Here is an outline of my lesson plans for Chapter 3 of Esperanza:
Read the article about strikes from the Teacher’s Guide, and discuss it and justice using the questions provided. We did not do the protest poster activity outlined in the Guide.

We listened to “La llamada” by Selena and completed the activity described in this post. Then, I explained that the narrator was going to receive two more phone calls in Chapter 3.
Reading and discussion
I read aloud Chapter 3 to my students as they followed along in their books.
We discussed the discussion questions from the Teacher’s Guide as a class, and I clarified and explained pieces of the story tha they had were confused about. In particular, I worked through the series of events beginning with the bus accident (reminding them that Alberto is a bus driver) and ending with Alberto not returning home.
Students re-read the chapter on their own and completed this graphic organizer that I created: Esperanza chapter 3 esquema
We reviewed the Esquema together.
Students did a Fan’N’Pick activity (in groups of 3) using the same comprehension questions from the guide (that we had already gone over) plus two more to make an even twelve. I printed each question on a card (you can download a blank form to use on the Fan’n’pick link), and they recorded their group’s answers on this form (Chapter 3 Esperanza discussion questions). Because we had already gone over these answers, students were more confident in their speaking.
We did the Chapter 3 quiz from the Teacher’s Guide as a warm-up on the day that we began Chapter 4 (not graded, just as review).
There are a lot of activities in the Teacher’s Guide for this chapter that I am saving for the end of the book–namely, the projects that it includes.
I received express, written consent from the publisher to share the materials that I created and to use the cover image and title of the novel in this blog post. I am not compensated in any way by the author or publisher for writing this post.
More on teaching Esperanza:
- Esperanza, Chapter 1 (Day 1 and Day 2)
- Esperanza, Chapter 2
- Esperanza, Chapter 3
- Esperanza, Chapters 4-6
- Esperanza, Chapter 7
- Esperanza, Chapter 8
- Esperanza, Chapter 9
- Esperanza, Chapter 10
Using novels in class:
- How should I use novels in class?
- “Is this novel REALLY Level 1?” – Which factors contribute to text complexity?
- Traffic Light Activities to keep the reading process novel
- Use speed dating to help your students find their perfect book.
- Are my students ready to read this book?
- El Nuevo Houdini lesson plans
This is simply fantastic – between your ideas and activities and the information on the CD for Esperanza, I barely have to do any prep with this book. I’m currently reading it with an upper level for an easy read (we discuss it in the past), but it fits in nicely with our unit on immigration.
That’s the goal!! 🙂 You just have to promise to keep blogging, too, haha!
do you have the answers for esquema 3
I’m loving doing this book with your suggestions. I loved the book last year and the slide shows and TG are fantastic. I love the breaking down and organization of the story that you do in your activities, plus the visuals add to them. I also love your lovely and positive attitude in your explanations. I second what Cynthia said above: I don’t have to do make up other activities, I’m learning a lot of new ideas and it’s working really well with my class. THANK YOU, MARTINA!!
I’m so glad, thank you for the feedback!