Celebrate Hispanic Heritage by studying Pam Munoz Ryan, the Hispanic American author of Esperanza Rising.
Start your author study by reading a short biography of Pam Munoz Ryan and reading her books . Then use the activities and lessons below to do an in-depth study of her most popular books. For more information about Ryan and her books, visit Pam Munoz Ryan's Web site .
Then watch our June 2007 video interview. Here, Ryan discusses her writing career. Learn how she got her start, where she finds inspiration, and how she researches and plans a new story. Ryan also offers advice for young writers and provides an exclusive inside look at her 2007 novel Paint the Wind.
And for students who want to join an online discussion about Esperanza Rising, visit the Message Board .
Included Here:
- Articles (2)
- Collateral (10)
- Unit Plans (1)
Articles
Esperanza Rising Discussion Questions
Use these questions as writing prompts and to enhance discussions about Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Esperanza Rising Vocabulary Boosters
Vocabulary Boosters for teaching Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Collateral
Pam Muñoz Ryan Author Visit Kit
Pam Muñoz Ryan speaks primarily at state and national conventions, reading council meetings, and children's literature conferences.
Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride Lesson Plan
Use these discussion questions and classroom activities to teach students about the lives and times of Amelia Earheart and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Esperanza Rising Booktalk
Esperanza means hope, and hope is what Esperanza needs, to help her rise above the wreckage of her life in Mexico, and learn to survive in the hardscrabble fields of California.
Esperanza Rising Text Excerpt
This is a text excerpt of Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan
Riding Freedom Booktalk
Charley Parker was a legendary stagecoach driver, an unbeatable horse handler, and the first woman to vote in the United States! How did it happen, and why did Charlotte Parker decide to become Charley?
Discussion Guide to the Novels of Pam Muñoz Ryan
Pam Muñoz Ryan draws on the rich cultural heritage of her family background, as well as important segments of American history, to create memorable books that are exciting to read, and that depict strong human values.
Pam Muñoz Ryan Interview Transcript
On March 15, 2006, award-winning author Pam Muñoz Ryan participated in a chat with Scholastic students and teachers. Ryan's books include Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Paint the Wind, and When Marian Sang.
Esperanza Rising Discussion Guide
This guide features guided student questions with answers provided for an instructor. Thirteen-year-old Esperanza's world changes completely when she and her mother are forced to leave their comfortable life in Mexico and work in a labor camp in California.
Paint the Wind Booktalk
Maya was eleven before she learned what it was like to live free, outside the prison her grandmother's house had been.
Esperanza Rising: A Flashlight Readers Activity
This Flashlight Readers activity uses the novel Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, as inspiration to improve student's writing skills.
Unit Plans
Esperanza Rising Teacher's Guide
Uses the beloved novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan as inspiration to improve students' writing skills. Students use story starters and historical fiction journal writing as a background.
