DIRECTED READING THINKING ACTIVITY
The House on Mango Street

Purpose: The Directed Reading Thinking Activity generates students' interest in the text, and encourages them to acquire their own purpose and desire for reading. It also invites the students to infer into meaning in a text, make predictions and ultimately synthesize their knowledge with important messages and themes from the novel. This connection helps students to make their reading more personal. One recurring topic in House on Mango Street deals with unmet expectations and dreams. This is a familiar area that most teenagers can relate to, and will quickly engage them in the text. Many chapters touch on this topic, however, "Cathy Queen of Cats" and "A House of My Own" are particularly potent. This activity is to be used before reading one of these chapters.

STEP 1 Prepare the students by asking them to form a semi-circle around you. Tell them you are going to read them a story. Say, "Instead of just reading the entire story to you, we are going to make some predictions from what we see and hear on what we think is going to happen. Hold up the colorful children's book, Fanny's Dream (cited on next page), with the title covered and ask them if they think the story is going to be fiction or non-fiction. For each answer, ask them to explain why they came to that conclusion. Then ask them what they think the book is about, and why. Who is the girl on the front of the book? What is she doing? Where did she just come from? Where is she going?

STEP 2 Open the book and read the first page while showing the picture. Ask the students, "Is this book fiction or non-fiction? Record some of their predictions on the board, or ask a scribe to make a list. What are some of the clues that lead you to think so? So who is Fanny? What is it that she wants most in life? Do you think she is going to get it? Why or why not? What kind of endings do most children's book have?". Flip to the fourth page and read it aloud. What is Fanny's dilemma? What is keeping her from having her wish? Is Fanny's wish realistic? Why or why not? Flip through the rest of the pages, paraphrasing the story while asking, "What is Fanny's life going to be like with Heber? How can we believe that?" What problems will Fanny and Heber have?(p26) Is Fanny happy with her life?(pg3 & 32) How do we know how she feels? (pg 32) Did Fanny get her wish? (pg 32). How is it different than she expected? (pgs. 3-10). After completing the book, refer to some of the page numbers and allow the students to see and prove (disprove) some of their predictions with help from the text.

STEP 3 Ask the students to take out a piece of paper and a pen. Open to page 12 of The House on Mango Street. Read the title, "Cathy Queen of Cats" aloud to the students and ask them what they think the chapter will be about and why. Have them record their predictions the piece of paper. Read the first paragraph together as a class. Ask, "What is Cathy's dream? What does she believe concerning her future life? Do you think it will come true? Why or why not? Have the students continue to record their predictions on the paper. Allow them to finish reading the chapter independently. (5 min)

STEP 4 Ask the students to look at their predictions and then reread the chapter, finding examples in the text that prove their predictions true or false. Have them record their examples on the same sheet of paper. (12 minutes)

STEP 5 As a class discuss the results. How did reading about Fanny prepare you to make predictions about Mango…? Ask, What are your expectations for your future life? Where do you want to be in 10 years? What will you look like? Will you be working? What kind of job or schooling will you have? Will you have children? How many? What are their names and personalities like? Ask the students to think about these questions and write a one-page (typed) prediction for their own life. Suggest the format, "A Day in the life of __________", where they can actually describe a typical day in their future life. Encourage them to be detailed in their responses. If there is time left, start this assignment in class by having them volunteer some of their goals and making a list to generate ideas on the board. Give them two days to complete the assignment. (10-15 minutes)

Fanny's Dream. Buehner, Caralyn and Mark Buehner. Dial Books for Young Readers. May 1996.

Weir, 2000