Free Resources for the House on Mango Street

It's been ten years since I have taught The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. When I did teach it, I used a unit that was available online. Unfortunately, I just checked the link and it no longer works. Damn it. I don’t have a ton of resources for House on Mango Street, and honestly, the ones I do have are “first year I am barely surviving” materials (no color, no formatting, nothing to make them attention grabbing…) Anyway, I figured they are not helpful to someone with experience, but they might be helpful to some first year teacher who has to come up with a lesson in two minutes because class is about to start and they just got out of an IEP and didn’t get to eat lunch and god forbid think about going to the bathroom.

If you have not run away yet, below is a PowerPoint that I used for opening discussion questions, a figurative language chart, and a small writing assignment that I did at the end of the unit.

-Opening Discussion Questions

-Write Like Sandra Cisneros

-End of Unit Student Evaluation

-Figurative Language Chart

-114-Question Multiple Choice Test for The House on Mango Street (paid product)

Books that Pair Well With the House on Mango Street

HOM has been on my mind, though, because it could pair so well with The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo or Clap When You Land, also by Elizabeth Acevedo. All three books are palpable with the characters’ need to escape. All three feature Latina, teenage girls looking to find their way in the world. If you had a group of struggling but motivated readers, I would The House on Mango Street as the core text, and The Poet X and Clap When You Land as the extension texts.

I also just recently finished The Tequila Worm, which I enjoyed as well. The clear coming-of-age focus makes it a perfect pair for The House on Mango Street.

Hopefully some of this is helpful to you.