Call Me Maria

Written by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Published by Orchard Books in 2004

“I confess, / I had to steal English/ because what I had/ was never enough.” (125)

Summary: Maria, a 15-year-old native of Puerto Rico is struggling to find her identity in New York City. After moving to the mainland with her father, Maris finds that some days she is sad, triste, while other she is happy, alegre. Some days Maria embraces her Purto Rican heritage, wishing she were back on the sunny shores of her island, while other days she just wants to lose her thick accent. Maria feels stuck between two cultures, languages and parents. Soon, Maria will have to choose to stay in America and form a new identity, or fly back home to where she is safe, comfortable, and warm. In this novel written in letter, poems, and prose, Maria tells readers her story.

Reading Level: Lexile Framework: 970L Grade Level: 6

Suggested Delivery: Small Group Read

Description: Poetry/Prose, Fiction, Diversity

Key Vocabulary (by page number): penance (4), decrepit (17), descendants (19), repertoire (35), surname (66), melodramatic (94), demise (102), impeccable (121)

Teaching Suggestions:

1. The poems in this novel often use Spanish words or phrases. While the meaning of most can be deduced form context clues, students may find it useful and interesting to have a few English-Spanish dictionaries handy while reading.
2. Introduce students to the concept of speaking in third person. Often times throughout the novel, Maria refers to herself this way. Discuss with students how this change in voice can hint at how Maria is feeling.
3. This novel deal heavily with identity and finding oneself. Before reading, ask students to brainstorm some words/phrases that define their identity. Tell them these lists will be kept private. Getting them thinking about this topic before and during reading will help them with the poem writing activity later on. 

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading: Ask students to brainstorm what they know about poetry. Ask them to think back on the characteristics of poems they have read in the past . List their ideas on the board (some examples are imagery, rhythm, metaphor, rhyme, etc.). Then, read the first poem in the novel , entitled “Call Me Maria” aloud to the class and ask them to follow along. Now, ask students to look closely at this poem and find any characteristics already listed, or find new ones. Encourage students to continue this close reading throughout the novel and keep track of any new poetry features they may find. (Note: If your students haven’t yet done many units on poetry, this introduction to the novel may be confusing. Adjust according to your class’ prior knowledge).

During Reading: Throughout the novel, Maria refers to herself in two ways: Maria Triste (sad) and Maria Alegre (happy). While students read, they should keep track of the differences/similarities between Maria Triste and Maria Alegre. Some aspects of these two personas to notice might be the language used her feelings at the time, which setting she is in, etc. Students should choose how they wish to keep track of their findings; however some effective suggestions might be a Venn diagram or T-chart.

After Reading: On page 14, Maria says that she has to decide between “parents, languages, climates, futures”. Using this quote as inspiration, conduct a fishbowl discussion. Divide students into small groups and give each group a chance to be in the center of the ‘fishbowl’ while the rest of the class looks on. Provide each group with a different prompt for discussion concerning this quote. After that group is finished, other student may chime in. Some example prompts are “Describe some other ways in which Maria is torn between two worlds/identities.;  Why do you think Maria chose to live in New York? Was this the right decision?; Is it okay to have two different identities? Why or Why not?” etc.

Writing Activity: Give students a writing prompt in which they are asked to write a poem about themselves entitled “Call Me_____”. Hold a brief discussion in which the class pools their thoughts concerning what Maria wrote her poems about (family, friends, culture, language, etc.). Encourage students to take some of these important topics as well as things that are important in their own lies and incorporate them into their poems.

Electronic Resources:

Puerto Rico's History This website provides a history of Puerto Rico in a kid-friendly way. Topics include Puerto-Rican-USA relations, the history of its peoples, culture, and wildlife.

Bio Poem Lesson  A readwritethink lesson plan for a bio poem. If students re unfamiliar with bio poems or are simply having trouble starting their poems, this is a great way to get them thinking!

Cofer, J.O. (2004). Call Me Maria. New York: Orchard Books