La Bestia (The Beast)
The Fears and truth of Immigration
Connection to the book
The book this topic relates to is We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. In this book there are three characters from Guatemala who are fleaing due to abuse. The only way they can get away quick enough is by jumping aboard the 'La Bestia' train to make it to the U.S.
Activity
Steps
- Students will click on the butten to go to this website
- Students will listen to the news interview
- Once finished students will talk with a partner about how they feel after listening and why did the immigrants leave their country.
- Now students will now complete a push an d pull worksheet
Why is Immigration important
Immigration is important because it’s about people trying to find safety, opportunity, and a better life. Many families leave their homes because of violence, poverty, or danger. Learning about immigration helps us understand why people move and what challenges they face. It also helps us think about fairness, human rights, and how we treat others. Middle school students can understand and care about these stories. La Bestia is a real and powerful example that helps us connect history, geography, and human rights. It invites us to be curious, to ask questions, and to take action. Learning about La Bestia helps us become more thoughtful, kind, and informed citizens.
This video shows how immigrants get on and ride the train, you also hear from the people themselves on what is happening to them and a child and why he is traveling to the United States.
Discussion Question:
Immigrants have to hide on the train to protect themselves from being caught because they are not entering the United States legally. Have you ever gone against the rules to do something you shouldn't have?
You are an immigrant
How will your story be different
- After reading this article you are going to write a few paragraphs about what you think it would look like for you to be an immigrant traveling across a country for freedom.
- Include the following:
- Your race
- Where you are and where you are going
- How far did you make it
- What was your experienced like
We Are Not From Here
Activity
In class during this untit on immigration we will be reading the book We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. We will stop multiple times throughout the book where students will make predictions and have to answer writing prompts. This will keep students engaged and get them thinking about the book and how they feel in different situations.
Classroom Unit/Lesson (cross curricular)
- This can be used in a classroom as a lesson or unit because it covers multiple subjects. Reading the book and doing activities covers literacy. The history of immigration can cover social studies
Activity:
Click on the button to open this website. Once you have the website open you will fill out a guided notes work page with the information you find in the article.Questions: What is “The Beast,” and why do migrants choose to ride it? From which countries do many of the migrants traveling on The Beast originate? What is the typical route that The Beast takes through Mexico? What are some of the dangers migrants face while riding The Beast? How does the article describe the experience of children traveling on The Beast? What reasons do migrants give for leaving their home countries? What kinds of injuries or health issues are common among migrants who fall from the train? How do shelters and aid organizations support migrants along the route? What role do criminal gangs play in the journey of migrants on The Beast? What emotions or hopes do migrants express about reaching the United States
This graph shows the significant drop from 2005 to 2018 with a large jump in 2019 and 2021.
Reflection
Through this experience it has made me realize how important immigration is, watching the videos opened my eyes to everything that really happens during the the travel from different places. I also didnt realize that these people have to jump on the La Bestia when it is going so fast. This topic brings light to minority populations and the process of immigration. I believe that this is something that I could use in a future classroom on a dialed down scale depending on the grade I will be teaching. Through this I have put myself in these kids shoes specifically becasue all my life I have been told I'm too white to be hispanic so I enjoyed diving more into this developmental issue.
Sources
- https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/valeria-luiselli-riding-la-bestia/
- https://www.npr.org/2025/03/01/nx-s1-5301096/taking-a-ride-on-a-freight-train-to-cover-migration-to-the-u-s
- https://observer.co.uk/news/international/article/riding-the-beast-to-america
- https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/06/05/318905712/riding-the-beast-across-mexico-to-the-u-s-border
- https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/2048/cpsprodpb/13603/production/_119136397_immigration-image.png
- https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.r-xgmpvEUpOOIgZ1Bky4FQHaEE?cb=12&rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3
- https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/mexican-migrants-boarding-train-sat-roof-la-bestia-towards-usa-border-juarez-chihuahua-mexico-294639961.jpg
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/styles/social_share_image/public/product-images/csm-book/wearenotfromhere-book-image-min.jpg
- https://youtu.be/OY073JuIdW8
- https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-american-migrants-la-bestia
La Bestia (The Beast)
Sara Zambrano
Created on October 13, 2025
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Transcript
La Bestia (The Beast)
The Fears and truth of Immigration
Connection to the book
The book this topic relates to is We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. In this book there are three characters from Guatemala who are fleaing due to abuse. The only way they can get away quick enough is by jumping aboard the 'La Bestia' train to make it to the U.S.
Activity
Steps
Why is Immigration important
Immigration is important because it’s about people trying to find safety, opportunity, and a better life. Many families leave their homes because of violence, poverty, or danger. Learning about immigration helps us understand why people move and what challenges they face. It also helps us think about fairness, human rights, and how we treat others. Middle school students can understand and care about these stories. La Bestia is a real and powerful example that helps us connect history, geography, and human rights. It invites us to be curious, to ask questions, and to take action. Learning about La Bestia helps us become more thoughtful, kind, and informed citizens.
This video shows how immigrants get on and ride the train, you also hear from the people themselves on what is happening to them and a child and why he is traveling to the United States.
Discussion Question:
Immigrants have to hide on the train to protect themselves from being caught because they are not entering the United States legally. Have you ever gone against the rules to do something you shouldn't have?
You are an immigrant
How will your story be different
We Are Not From Here
Activity
In class during this untit on immigration we will be reading the book We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez. We will stop multiple times throughout the book where students will make predictions and have to answer writing prompts. This will keep students engaged and get them thinking about the book and how they feel in different situations.
Classroom Unit/Lesson (cross curricular)
Activity:
Click on the button to open this website. Once you have the website open you will fill out a guided notes work page with the information you find in the article.Questions: What is “The Beast,” and why do migrants choose to ride it? From which countries do many of the migrants traveling on The Beast originate? What is the typical route that The Beast takes through Mexico? What are some of the dangers migrants face while riding The Beast? How does the article describe the experience of children traveling on The Beast? What reasons do migrants give for leaving their home countries? What kinds of injuries or health issues are common among migrants who fall from the train? How do shelters and aid organizations support migrants along the route? What role do criminal gangs play in the journey of migrants on The Beast? What emotions or hopes do migrants express about reaching the United States
This graph shows the significant drop from 2005 to 2018 with a large jump in 2019 and 2021.
Reflection
Through this experience it has made me realize how important immigration is, watching the videos opened my eyes to everything that really happens during the the travel from different places. I also didnt realize that these people have to jump on the La Bestia when it is going so fast. This topic brings light to minority populations and the process of immigration. I believe that this is something that I could use in a future classroom on a dialed down scale depending on the grade I will be teaching. Through this I have put myself in these kids shoes specifically becasue all my life I have been told I'm too white to be hispanic so I enjoyed diving more into this developmental issue.
Sources