Map Activity Project Overview:
Houses on the Block Activity Sheet

Sandra Cisneros’ novel presents vivid details, lively metaphors, and symbols about Esperanza’s life and the lives of dozens of others who live on Mango Street. Each vignette introduces the reader to more characters, conflicts, and places in the neighborhood. Since each chapter seems to be its own story, it is sometimes hard to imagine that all of this is happening in or around the same block.

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Directions: In your group, you will be creating, illustrating, and labeling a map of Mango Street. Include the following pieces in your map:

1. Draw a map that accurately locates at least 10 of the character’s houses, apartments, stores, etc. on Mango Street. You may also add other significant features of the neighborhood like pets, objects, trees, etc.

2. Select one quotation from the novel for each building or feature of the street and copy it onto your map in a physically or symbolically appropriate location. (For example, if I were talking about Esperanza’s house, I might write the quotation “It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath” on the windows of the house.)

3. Identify and list the characters that live in each house/apartment and the significant events that happen at each location. (For example, Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, Esperanza and Nenny all live at 4006 Mango Street. Or, in his backyard, Meme Ortiz wins the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest and breaks both arms.)

4. Illustrate your map using appropriate colors and images from the novel. Recall the significant images and metaphors that we have discussed in class (or you recognized while reading) and use them to illustrate your map. Recall that Esperanza’s house has “crumbling steps” and a “swollen front door” and illustrate them accordingly.

Getting Started: To begin, you and your partner(s) should make a list of all the characters and places you want to include in your map. Use the “Houses in the Book” worksheet that we completed in class to help you organize the details about each location. Keep in mind, however, that there are characters and places that should be included but are not on that paper! When you have gathered the information, do a rough draft sketch of your map.

Completing the Map: After you have gotten the necessary approval from me, you will turn your rough sketch and notes into a carefully labeled, thoughtfully illustrated, and artistically prepared map of Mango Street. I will supply large white paper, but you are encouraged to bring in any special posters, paper, art supplies, magazine pictures, etc. that you might need to make your map unique.

Grading Criteria: You will be graded on the quality, thoughtfulness, creativity, and accuracy of the sites you draw and the quotes an annotations that support them. Each site on your map can earn you up to 10 points:

3 points for each site illustration
3 points for each quotation
4 points for each site identification/annotation
(characters, events, symbols)

10 points x 10 sites on the map = 100 points!

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Open Mind Activity
Activity Sheet
Directions:
Put yourself in Esperanza's place at the end of p. 89. Fill in the open mind diagram attached here with the objects, images, symbols and quotations from the story to provide a picture of what might be going through her mind. Be sure that you follow each quote with the page number on which it appears. You must include at least 2 quotations in your open mind.

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Literature Circles

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Many of you may have joined a literature circle in the past, but if you have not, they are similar to the book clubs that adults form all the time in coffee shops all over the country. Basically, your “circle” of will be a student-led, student-run, student-driven discussion group in class. The House on Mango Street will be our first lit-circle novel. Clubs, sports, and other groups usually run smoother and more professional when each member has a role to play.

Roles: Your role will change each time your group meets (four times for this novel). They include: Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Vocabulary Enricher, and Illustrator. Depending on attendance, one member will take on an additional role of Recorder for the meeting.

Meetings: Lit-Circle Meetings will last about 20-30 minutes, which should be
enough time for each member to lead and share for about 5 minutes.

Role Sheets: Each role has a specific responsibility. You should complete your role sheet before the meeting in class. There is a place on the sheet for you to write the pages you read for this assignment. Your group is responsible for rotating the roles and creating a schedule for your group. See below for example:
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Sample Group Role Schedule

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