Summer of the Mariposas

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

Give the “Monster” a Backstory

One way that folktales endure is that writers create modern versions of their stories, as many generations of indigenous and Mexican people have done with the story of La Llorona. Other times, monsters are given second chances, more depth, and character when creative writers give them a humanizing back story. McCall demonstrates this with the chupacabras and Cecilia in Summer of the Mariposas. Now, it’s your turn. Choose a “monster” or villain from this story or another legendary/folktale “monster” and give them a back story.

• Your story should use all the elements of creative writing: description, dialogue, and character development. Show how the monster was before they became a monster and what caused them to change course. 
• Be as creative as you’d like, and look to other stories for inspiration. Is your monster simply misunderstood? Do they do the wrong things for the right reasons? Are they afraid, angry, or confused? Are they under a spell or a curse? Were they a hero once and faced a great tragedy? The possibilities are endless.
• It is important to make your story make sense. Give it a beginning, middle, and end. Give the monster or villain's transformation a clear cause and effect. 
• Remember: Good writers show instead of telling. Be descriptive!

Paired Text Extension:

Optional – If you read The Odyssey, many of those monsters have backstories already written into Greek lore. Challenge yourself to make a modernized version of one of those figures that speaks to your 21st-century reality. What would that monster or villain be like as a 21st-century being or entity? 

• If you’re a history buff, choose any other century you’d like and modernize one of the monsters or villains Odysseus faced. 

Teaching Suggestion: This activity allows students to use creative writing skills and make text-to-self connections. You may decide to change the format of students' final product to a news broadcast, a drawing or comic strip, or anything else that engages students in the activity. All forms of writing require the high-level thinking and writing skills this activity's design evokes.