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Lesson

Esperanza Rising

Students read the novel Esperanza Rising written by Pam Munoz Ryan to examine the lives of migrant workers, agricultural economics, the impact of agriculture to rural communities, agricultural history, and how fruits and vegetables have been harvested historically and are harvested currently.

Grades
3 – 5
Estimated Time
Three to four 45-minute sessions
Updated
January 15, 2023

Background

Lesson Activities

Recommended Companion Resources

Credits

Author

Natosha Brinkley, Michele Reedy, and Debra Spielmaker | North Carolina Farm Bureau Agriculture in the Classroom

Sources

  1. https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/sites/default/files/resources/NAWS%20data%20factsht%2010-18-18.pdf

Standards

National Content Area Standards

  • Social Studies – Geography
    • Geography Standard 11 (Grades 3-4): The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.
      • Objective 1: People engage in economic activities, such as producing goods and offering services, in order to earn a living.
    • Geography Standard 12 (Grades 3-4): The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.
      • Objective 2: Settlements occur where locations provide opportunities and therefore advantages.
    • Geography Standard 17 (Grades 3-4): How to apply geography to interpret the past.
      • Objective 1: Geographic contexts (the human and physical characteristics of places and environments) are the settings for events in the past.
  • Social Studies – History
    • History Standard 5A (Grades 3-4): Demonstrate understanding of the movements of large groups of people into his or her own and other states in the United States now and long ago.
      • Objective 4: Identify reasons why groups such as freed African Americans, Mexican and Puerto Rican migrant workers, and Dust Bowl farm families migrated to various parts of the country.
    • History Standard 1A (Grades 3-4): Family life now and in the recent past; family life in various places long ago.
      • Objective 5: Compare and contrast family life now with family life in the local community or state long ago by considering such things as roles, jobs, communication, technology, style of homes, transportation, schools, religious observances, and cultural traditions.
    • History Standard 3D (Grades 3-4): The interactions among groups throughout the history of his or her state.
      • Objective 6: Investigate the influence of geography on the history of the state or region and identify issues and approaches to problems such as land use and environmental problems.
    • NCSS 2 (Grades 3-5): Time, Continuity, and Change
      • Objective 1: The study of the past is the story of communities, nations, and the world.
      • Objective 3: That we can learn our personal past and the past of communities, nations, and the world by means of stories, biographies, interviews, and original sources, such as documents, letters, photographs, and artifacts.