Fifth Graders Connect Literature to Historical Fact

by Head of Community Engagement Gordon Mathis

Students in the fifth grade are reading Esperanza Rising, a YA novel featuring historical and contemporary themes. The young protagonist, Esperanza Ortega, belongs to a family of Mexican immigrants in the 1930s. Throughout the book, Esperanza experiences the full range of immigrant issues: migrants returning to Mexico, the sickness of a family member, the conditions of a migrant labor camp, and the devastation of a dust storm.

Teacher Emilie Dempsey ‘97 created a range of experiential lessons for students on campus and learning continuously to imagine themselves experiencing the events of the novel. The students watched video clips from Ken Burns’ documentary The Dust Bowl for visual evidence of actual dust storms and then related their reading to ecological issues. Students also listened to recordings of Woody Guthrie describing his own experiences during the 1930s, studied the documentary photography of Dorothea Lang, and read excerpts of the poetry of Karen Hesse. 

Students also pursued individual mini-research projects by comparing prices of items in the ‘30s and in the modern era, learning about the “Okies” (refugee farm families who migrated to California), and studying school experiences of migrant children. Finally, they created a pamphlet documenting their learning.

This unit allowed the students to practice creative writing, hone their research skills, and create a collage reflective of their learning. In their next lesson, students will learn about César Chávez and his role in modern migrant communities.