Teaching reading and vocabulary to Mexican American children in the United States of America today requires an acknowledgment of historical social injustice that continues to affect many communities in South Texas. This article debriefs some vocabulary teaching strategies--such as mnemonics and game play under the learning centers perspective--that proved to be highly responsive to Mexican American elementary students' learning styles in South Texas according to our after-school reading practices. Discussion on basic "sitz im leben" for implementation is framed from the culturally responsive and anti-oppressive approaches.