Exploring Esperanza Rising and Poemas en Español

Our land is alive, Esperanza, said Papa… This whole valley breaths and lives.  Esperanza can’t imagine living anywhere other than El Rancho de las Rosas.  She has spent the first twelve years of her life as the pampered only child from a wealthy family in Aguascalientes, Mexico.  When her Papi is murdered, Esperanza and her mother must flee their privileged life to find work in Southern California labor camps, where they experience hardship, discrimination, and harsh working conditions on the eve of the Great Depression.

Fifth graders connected Esperanza Rising with Trees/Arboles, a poem written by Alma Flor Ada and performed beautifully both in English and en Español by Lana and Rodrigo:

We can visit with Pam Muñoz Ryan, the author of Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, and many other Lafayette favorites.  Click on the red-highlighted words to get started.

Esperanza Rising Diorama by Caroline Yu

Sideways Stories and Nickname Games

Todd got in trouble every day… until he got a magic dog.  Ron dared to try the cafeteria’s Mushroom Surprise… and somehow lived to tell about it.  Kathy likes to see bad things happen.  Her favorite song is “Wayside School is Falling Down.”  And it gets worse-- because everything is weird at Wayside School! 



Wayside School Movie Poster by Peter H.

Pigtail Rescue by Charlie C.

Fourth grade Reading Road Trippers are reading Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar, a sequel to Sideways Stories from Wayside School.  The in-a-class-by-itself story features humorous episodes from the wacky classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, where students learn to tango, develop a bad case of the sillies, and study a hobo during show-and-tell.

Check out Early Pickup Worries, written by Brod Bagert and performed by Sideways Fourth Graders from Lafayette School, Aidan B. and Ryan C.

Hercules?  Mr. E. Normous?  But nothing seemed just right.  And if there was anything the two nicknamers of  6B knew for certain, it was that a true nickname had to fit perfectly….  Eleven-year-old best friends Jeff and Wiley like to create nicknames for their classmates.  They’ve dubbed their own class The Dim Bulbs, their large-eyed principal Deer in Headlights, and their enormous new English teacher Mr. Huge.  Fifth graders are calling The 6^th Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman A RRT Winner!

The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Tessa A.

Lafayette School by Brynn C.

The 6th Grade Nickname Game by Waverly C.

Reading a Whale of a Tale... It's Oceans of Fun!

Here are tickets for our next field trip…  and I promise you’re all going to have a whale of a good time!

Fourth Grade Reading Road Trippers are setting sail with Ms. Frizzle and her students on The Wild Whale Watch by Eva Moore.  They've been finding their sea legs and completing projects relating to the Magic School Bus science chapter book. The book is full of Blue Whales, Gray Whales, Fin Whales, Humpback Whales, Orca Whales, and Beluga Whales… all in all, a whale of a tale!

The Wild Whale Watch by Layla C.

Mrs. Coleman's class joined Ms. Frizzle's class on The Wild Whale Watch, reading and illustrating two Douglas Florian poems, The Whale and Whale Tale:

The Wild Whale Watch by Anya D.