Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising is one of those stories that sticks with your students long after you’ve finished the last chapter. Set during the Great Depression, it follows Esperanza Ortega—a wealthy girl from Mexico whose life changes overnight when tragedy strikes and her family is forced to flee to California. As Esperanza adjusts to life as a migrant worker, she learns powerful lessons about resilience, family, and, above all, hope.
Esperanza Rising offers so many opportunities for deep discussion, creative expression, and meaningful connections to history and social themes. Whether you’re reading it as a whole-class novel or using it in small groups, here are some engaging Esperanza Rising activities your students will love.
1. Hope in Action: A Thematic Art and Writing Project
One of the most central themes in Esperanza Rising is hope—Esperanza’s belief that better days will come, even when life feels impossible. Have your students reflect on the ways hope shows up throughout the story.
Then, invite them to create a “Garden of Hope” display:
- Each student writes a short paragraph about a moment from Esperanza Rising when Esperanza (or another character) demonstrates hope.
- On a flower-shaped paper, they write a quote or line from Esperanza Rising that connects to that idea.
- Display the “flowers” on a classroom bulletin board or wall garden.
It’s a simple but powerful way to show how hope “blooms” in the novel—and in our own lives, too.
2. Historical Connections: The Great Depression Through Esperanza’s Eyes
Give your students a chance to connect literature with history! Research different aspects of life during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Students can create short posters or digital slides about topics like migrant camps, farm labor, or life in California during the 1930s. Then, ask them to compare what they found with Esperanza’s experiences in Esperanza Rising. How does Pam Muñoz Ryan weave real history into Esperanza’s fictional story?
3. Character Growth Timeline
Esperanza begins the novel as a girl accustomed to silk dresses and servants, but by the end, she has become a strong, compassionate young woman. Have students create a character growth timeline that highlights key moments of change. Encourage them to include quotes, illustrations, and reflections from Esperanza Rising about what each event teaches Esperanza about herself and others.
Download this free Character Reflection Journal as a way for students to collect their thoughts and ideas before putting their timeline together.
4. Symbolism Scavenger Hunt
There’s rich symbolism woven throughout Esperanza Rising—the phoenix, the blanket, the rose bushes. Challenge students to hunt for objects or recurring motifs that have deeper meaning. They can work in pairs to create mini-presentations explaining the symbol, what it represents, and how it ties to Esperanza’s transformation.
As an alternative, give each student a symbol from the story to analyze, then work together as a class to create a review game. Give each student, or a small group of students, 3 cards. On one card, have them write or draw the symbol. On the second card, have them write the meaning of the symbol. On the third, have them cite evidence from the text. Collect the cards from the class and shuffle them, and place them at an ELA station. During rotations, students can sort and match the cards to deepen their understanding of symbolism throughout Esperanza Rising.
5. The Esperanza Rising Novel Study
If you’re looking for ready-to-use materials that help guide comprehension and critical thinking, this Esperanza Rising Novel Study has everything you need!
It includes:
- Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
- Vocabulary and word study activities
- Writing prompts that encourage deeper reflection
- Discussion questions for analyzing theme, character, and symbolism
You can use it alongside the creative projects above or as a structured resource for your literature circles and whole-class novel study.
6. Letters of Gratitude and Growth
At the end of the novel, Esperanza’s journey has come full circle. Work together as a class to write a letter from Esperanza’s point of view to someone who has helped her along the way—like Mama, Miguel, or Abuelita.
Then, have them write a second letter as themselves, reflecting on how they’ve grown or what they’ve learned from Esperanza’s story. This personal connection really deepens comprehension and empathy as they read Esperanza Rising.
Bringing It All Together
Esperanza Rising is more than just a historical novel—it’s a story of courage, compassion, and new beginnings. When students explore it through creative projects, writing, and discussion, they gain more than reading skills—they gain perspective.
Whether you start with a theme of hope, dive into character studies, or use a ready-to-go novel study to guide your lessons, your classroom will be buzzing with meaningful conversations and insights.
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