After you have read the first three or four chapters of Esperanza Rising, try to imagine what it was like for Esperanza growing up on a large ranch in central Mexico. Follow the link below to a map of Mexico and find Aguascalientes. You can get a closer view by selecting Aguascalientes on the pull down menu.
Read Gwendolyn Brooks' poem "We Real Cool" out loud to yourself a few times. Then watch the video of John Ulrich discussing and reading "We Real Cool" as part of the EDSITEment-reviewed Library of Congress Favorite Poems Project. Pay particular attention to how you read the poem and how the poem is read in the Favorite Poems Project video—what words are emphasized? what kind of rhythm is established?
This interactive timeline highlights the major events in Europe and Asia from 1931 to 1941. Can be used in conjunction with the curriculum unit: From Neutrality to War: The United States and Europe, 1921-1941.