Students enjoy reading Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan because of her effective writing style, lyrical prose, and beautiful imagery. This Flashlight Readers session uses the novel as inspiration to improve student's writing skills. They will use story starters and historical fiction journal writing as a background for this development.

Students will:

1. Combine elements of a fictional story to create a visual representation of a scene from Esperanza Rising
2. Choose a story starter to begin writing a story in the form of a dramatic or narrative piece
3. Use digital resources to explore the life of an author and how she finds her purpose for writing
4. Write a short narrative based on an interview or personal experience
5. View nonprint resources to establish a historical setting for a piece of writing
6. Write a journal entry from the point of view of someone who lives in a different time period
7. Publish their writing online
   

Lesson 1: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Lesson 2: Journal of Time: A Historical Perspective

Lesson 3: Pam Muñoz Ryan Shares Writing Secrets