Intro & Guided Close Reading Lesson

Symbolism • Imagery • Close Reading

This guided close reading lesson is designed to help students slow down, visualize, and truly enter the world of the text as they begin The House on Mango Street.

Focusing on the opening vignette, “The House on Mango Street,” and the vignette “Hairs,” this lesson teaches students how to notice imagery, interpret symbolism, and move beyond surface-level summary through structured modeling, discussion, and scaffolded note-taking.

Rather than rushing students into analysis, this lesson builds the habits of close reading they’ll need throughout the rest of the book.

Why This Lesson Works

Many students struggle with The House on Mango Street not because it’s difficult, but because its lyrical, vignette-based structure asks readers to infer meaning rather than follow a traditional plot.

This lesson helps students:

• Visualize the text using sensory detail
• Understand how concrete objects carry symbolic meaning
• Practice interpretation before formal literary analysis
• Build confidence discussing short, rich texts aloud

By anchoring instruction in just two key vignettes, students learn how to read the book—before they’re asked to read it independently.

What’s Included

This lesson includes both teacher-facing instructional materials and student-facing supports:

• A guided close reading slide deck for whole-class instruction
• Student guided notes (digital + printable formats)
• Pre-reading and imagery brainstorming activities
• Structured close reading questions for:
  • “The House on Mango Street”
  • “Hairs”

Materials are designed to be flexible and can be used over 1–2 class periods.

Best For

• Middle school and early high school ELA
• Launching The House on Mango Street
• Whole-class instruction or supported discussion
• Students who struggle to move beyond summary
• Teachers, tutors, homeschool families, and small-group instruction

How This Lesson Fits Into a Larger Unit

This guided lesson works as:

• A unit/novel study opener
• A model for future close reading work
• A foundation for later lessons on theme, identity, and coming-of-age
• Preparation for analytical writing and CER-style responses

It pairs seamlessly with reading questions, analysis lessons, and writing scaffolds later in the unit.