cusd elem suggested resource guide for required texts. web viewon her adventure, minli encounters...

CHANDLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTSUGGESTED RESOURCE GUIDE FOR REQUIRED TEXTS

EXTENDED TEXT: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin 978-0-316-03863-8Title Author ISBN

GRADE LEVEL: 5th

SYNOPSIS:This stunningly beautiful story, inspired by classic Chinese folktales and fairy tales, beckons dreamers and readers into the journey of an optimistic young protagonist, Minli, as she ventures through the dull, grey valley of Fruitless Mountain to find the Old Man of the Moon at the base of Never-Ending Mountain in the hopes of changing her family’s fate and finding fortune for her Ma and Ba. On her adventure, Minli encounters many memorable characters, some of whom she recognizes from the stories with which Ba has always managed to fill her empty belly and feed her soul. Rich with cultural symbolism, illustrations, and fables, this story lends itself to intense comparison/contrasts between similar stories in other cultures, characterization (e.g. Minli’s parents in this story versus American parents today), and “monsters” vs. “villains”.

BACKGROUND:Author Bio: Grace Lin grew up in Upstate New York with her parents and two sisters. While the other sisters became scientists, Grace became an artist. Surprisingly enough, being an artist was not Grace's first choice. She first dreamed of being a champion ice skater, and drew many pictures of herself twirling and dancing on the ice. Unfortunately, Grace had neither the talent nor coordination to make it to skating stardom. However, the pictures she drew of herself held much promise and quickly became Grace's career focus.

After attending the Rhode Island School of Design, Grace quickly set out to achieve her dream of creating children's books. Her first book, The Ugly Vegetables, was published in 1999 and was quickly heralded. As well as being an American Booksellers Association's "Pick of the List" and a Bank's Street College Best Books of the Year, The Ugly Vegetables was nominated for the California Young Reader Children's Choice Award and named a Growing Good Kids Book Award Classic.

Grace followed that success with the publication of over a dozen more books, including Dim Sum for Everyone! and Lissy's Friends. Grace's first children's novel, The Year of the Dog was released to glowing praise in 2006 and nominated to the TX Bluebonnet list, which she followed with The Year of the Rat. Her most recent novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was awarded the 2010 Newbery Honor, chosen for Al Roker's Today Show Kid's Book Club and was a NY Times Bestseller. Grace's early reader Ling & Ting was awarded with the Theodor Geisel Honor in 2011. Grace, herself, has been honored by the Boston Public Library with the Literary

of 12Chandler Unified School District Common Core Reading List

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Lights for Children Award and was an Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominee for the United States. Grace lives in Somerville, MA with her husband, Alex. Please visit her website: www.gracelin.com for more info!

"Grace Lin: Press Kit." Grace Lin. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013. <www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=presskit> (Bio given by permission by Grace Lin on her website).

"Grace Lin: Press Kit." Grace Lin. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013. <www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=presskit> (Photo used with permission on Grace Lin’s website)

From Behind the Story in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon …”I grew up as the only Asian in my elementary classroom and one of the few minorities in my town (very much how it is written in her book The Year of the Dog). By the age of eleven, I had fully disregarded my Asian heritage. My wise mother knowing that any type of forced cultural exposure would lead to scorn, silently left half a dozen Chinese Folktales and fairy tale books on the shelf. Unable to resist the pull of new books, I very quietly began to read them. At first I was disappointed. The translation from Chinese to English had left the stories extremely thin and at times rough and hard to understand. There were hardly any details or descriptions, and the black-and-white illustrations were simple line drawings, a far cry from the lush paintings in my books of European fairy tales. I thought these Chinese stories had not made an impression on me. But, I was wrong. As I grew older, I began to regret my childhood disinterest in my heritage. I visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, and suddenly those stories came flooding back to me. In the land and architecture around me, the Chinese fairy tales seemed to come alive. Everything I say brought back memories of the stories. I began to add my own details to the stories. My imagination ignored dynasties and historical elements, and I filled the stories with my own fanciful layers until they became something original: a new story inspired by the myths I had read and the images I saw in my travels.” Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2009. Print.

LINKS: Elementary Educator’s Guide to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin (includes links to interviews with the author, book trailer video, audio of Lin reading an excerpt, and more


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TEXT COMPLEXITY ANALYSIS:Quantitative: ATOS 5.5 (Lexile 860), 4th-5th bandQualitative: Complex text structure, multiple points of view, comparisons and contrasts of folk tales/fairy tales/fables, and the

attention to themes that are both unique to a culture and utterly universal lend itself to 5th grade ELA and Social Studies Common Core standards. The language of the story is Middle High to High due to the regular use of figurative language.

Reader and Task: Students will need to be introduced to Tier 3 vocabulary words (most commonly found in the fables and fairy tales laced throughout the story) prior to reading. They would also benefit from an introduction to China, Chinese culture, and classic Chinese fairy tales to better understand and draw comparisons the motifs and themes.

MOTIFS AND THEMES:family, loyalty, traditions, adventure, imagination

LANGUAGE:Identify important vocabulary. Provide a focus standard for grammar/mechanics that works nicely with the extended text.

Vocabulary Acquisition and UseTier 2 Vocabulary Tier 3 Vocabulary Figurative Language

● reverence● indignant pg. 6● dishonor chp. 1● resentfully pg. 6● despair chp. 1● famine chp. 1● withered● anguish● dishonor● impractical● grueling pg. 11● coaxing pg. 12● enviously pg. 15● subordinates chp. 3● pitiless chp. 3● wrath chp. 3

● Jade chp. 2● Inking stone chp. 1● magistrate chp. 3● imperial chp. 3● subordinates chp. 3● silk brocade chp. 3● embroidered chp. 3● bamboo chp. 6● compass chp. 8● lychee nuts chp. 10● commissions chp. 11

● “soften cold heart”● “heart broke” chp. 1● “our rice hardly fills our bowls” (poor) chp. 1● “mud stuck to feed like glue” chp. 2● “swallow complaints” chp. 2● sun disappeared” chp. 2● “tired like a crab crawling on the rocks” chp. 2● “glittered like jewels” chp 2● “His gentle calling drew Minli to him like a moth to a lit lantern”

chp 2 pg 13● “filled the sky like spilled salt on dried seaweed” chp 4● “fish seemed shocked then wiggled in the water and swam in

circles, a joyful fire twirling in the water.” chp. 4● “the female voice was high and soft like the wind whistling

through the reeds of the water.” chp. 4


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Tier 2 Vocabulary Tier 3 Vocabulary Figurative Language

● coveted chp 3● manipulation chp. 3● ruefully chp. 4● enthralled chp. 4● despaired chp. 4● accompanying chp. 7● sparingly chp. 8● whimpered chp. 8● plaintively chp. 8● stumbled chp. 9● weariness chp. 9● peered chp. 9● resentment chp. 9● fatigue chp. 9● gaped chp. 10● awed chp. 10● subdued chp. 11● conceited chp. 11● humbly chp. 11● leering chp. 11● nimble chp. 13● maneuver chp. 13● clamoring chp. 13● abruptly chp.14● guardian chp. 15● scoffed chp. 15● covet chp. 15● encrusted chp. 15● humbly chp. 15

● “walked until the sky lightened to gray and the sun peaked over the horizon.”

● “their dark shadows training behind them in the moonlight” chp. 7

● “the yellow sun glanced down at her” chp. 8● “it was like searching for a wrinkle in a flower petal” chp. 9● “the fading moon” chp. 9● “her words cracking the air around her” chp. 9● “beady eyes like hundreds of diamonds” chp. 14● “sun’s last wave goodbye before surrendering to the night”

chp. 15● “as he stood like a green powdered statue, he felt as if the

sky were laughing at him” chp. 15


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Conventions of Standard English or Knowledge of Language focus standard:Standard Code Standard Text Description of where and how it fits with the extended text

5.L.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. Interpret figurative language, including similesand metaphors, in context.

See figurative language list above.

5.L.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

The use of italics as a text feature for a train of thought or imagined words, i.e. Send a message, send a message. (p.218).

COMPANION TEXTS:

1-3 Short Informational Texts

Text Title and Author A short description of the textand how it relates to the extended text

Label Difficulty:● Advanced● Grade Level● Meant for Scaffolding

1. Ancient China/Grades 5 - 8. (6 copies available for checkout at the IRC)

2. Hong Kong (Cultures of the World) by Falag Kadga

3. “Why Couldn’t Snow White be Chinese? - Finding Identity Through Children’s Books” by Grace Lin

1. This book provides ideas and activities to help students create their own amazing "museum" full of specially crafted "artifacts" from the ancient civilization of China. These projects and activities highlight the economic, political, scientific, and cultural components on which civilizations are based. Includes a full color poster.

2. Grade 5-8. This series title includes chapters on Hong Kong's geography, history, government, economy, people, religions, language, arts and leisure, and festivals and food.

3. This short autobiographical essay by Grace Lin reveals much about the author’s growing sense of identity as an Asian American.

1. Grade Level

2. Grade Level

3. Grade Level


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1-3 Short Literary Texts

Text Title and Author A short description of the textand how it relates to the extended text

Label Difficulty:● Advanced● Grade Level● Meant for Scaffolding

1 The Empty Pot by Demi

2 Tales of a Chinese Grandmother: 30 Traditional Tales from China by Malthe Hasslriis

3 Yeh Shin, by Mingmei Yip

1 A beautifully illustrated classic Chinese folk tale about Ping, a young boy who competes for the Emperor’s prize as a gardener. After caring for the seed for months, nothing grows and the young gardener returns to the Emperor with his empty pot. This story has a similar tone and rhythm to the folk tales Lin includes in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and connects to Chinese feudalism that plays such a prominent role in traditional Chinese stories.

2 A collection of traditional Chinese stories, told from the perspective of a grandmother to her grandchildren, many of which are thousands of years old. These stories include rich language and motifs similar to those in Mountain Meets the Moon.

3 Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story From China is the adaptation of this ancient fairy tale, retold by Ai-Ling Louie and illustrated by Ed Young.

1 Easy Read

2 Grade Level

3 Lexile 840


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STANDARDS-BASED ACTIVITIES:Offer three activities that will assist in the instruction of the extended text (consider: comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, close reading, etc.). At least one activity must utilize Speaking and Listening standards. All materials (rubrics, graphic organizers, printables, handouts, student directions, etc.) will be added to the end of this document.

ACTIVITY #1 -- Think and Wonder Picture Walk

RESOURCES:● Inquiry Circles in Action: Comprehension and Collaboration (available for checkout at the IRC) Comprehension Lesson 3: Think

and Wonder About Images (p. 118)

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:● 5.RL.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or

poem.● 5.RL.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia

presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).● 5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on a another’s

ideas and expressing their own clearly.

DESCRIPTION:Paying attention to Grace Lin’s illustrations is important throughout the comprehension process. Students can gain insight into the culture, imagery, and narrative elements from her illustrations.

Teacher has several copies of the book available throughout the room, with post-its marking the following six illustrations:p. 14 (goldfish man)p. 56 (Story of the Dragon)p. 91 (Dragon Gate)p. 134 (City of Bright Moonlight)p. 186 (The Story of the Village of the Moon Rain)p. 223 (Minli on the red thread bridge)p. 244 (Old Man of the Moon)p. 274 (Village of Fruitful Mountain)p. 278 (Fruitless/Fruitful Mountain)

1. Teacher modeling: Teacher displays the compelling image on page five under the document camera. Teacher models what he/she notices, wonders and infers about the painting. For example, “I notice the border of the painting has dragon coins surrounded by something


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that look like scales. I wonder if this is the same dragon on the cover of the story. I notice this painting is not very colorful. There are many shades of green, blue, and grey. I wonder how this relates to the characters and setting of this story..”

2. Collaborative practice: Alone or with a partner, students post questions, observations, and inference for each painting. Note: Via technology or otherwise, teacher may want to devise a way to save student’s initial questions, comments and inferences from this early interaction with the images and return to them during discussions as the students move through the story. For larger displays of the images, use your doc camera to photograph and project or locate many of Grace Lin’s paintings from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon online.

3. Independent practice: As students read independently, remind them to pay attention to the paintings throughout the book and the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Students can wonder and infer predictions about each chapter from these illustrations.

4. As an extension, students can draw a Chinese Dragon using letters (see next page) Use the “Celebrate Children’s Book Week” document which also includes a bookmark http://www.bookweekonline.com/bookmark?utm_source=ReadingRockets.org&utm_medium=Twitter


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http://www.bookweekonline.com/bookmark?utm_source=ReadingRockets.org&utm_medium=Twitter

http://www.bookweekonline.com/bookmark?utm_source=ReadingRockets.org&utm_medium=Twitter


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ACTIVITY #2: Red Thread Connections

RESOURCES:● Hatchet Book Group Teacher’s Guide ● Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz (original version or illustrated version)● Copy of Jack and the Beanstalk● Other resources determined by teacher’s connections to the text

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:● 5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on a

another’s ideas and expressing their own clearly.● 5.RL.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.● 5.RL.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to

challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. ● 5.RL.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g.,mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes

and topics.

DESCRIPTION: Teacher models making evidentiary connections to the first three chapters of the book using explicit quotes from the book when appropriate. For example, when Minli begs her father (Ba) to tell her stories, the teacher could appropriately make a connection to their own childhood of being read to or as a parent being begged by his/her children to be read to. Or, the teacher could model a text-to-text connection when Minli’s village at the foot of Fruitless Mountain where, “everything in the village had become the dull color of dried mud” and, contrast, the protagonist Minli as having, “glossy black hair with pink cheeks, shines eyes always eager for adventure, and a fast smile that flashed from her face,” the teacher might make a connection to Dorothy from Frank Baum’s traditional American fairy tale, Wizard of Oz, who was a stark contrast to her dull, dry surroundings in Kansas. In chapter two, when Minli wishes fiercely to change her family’s fortune and suddenly meets the goldfish man, the teacher might make a text-to-text/media connection to the western traditional tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. As the teacher makes these connections, he/she records them and physically attaches one to another with a red string to create a visual display. As they read each chapter or group of chapters, students record their connections, using appropriate citation and quotes from the book, and create a physical display. Students engage in a rich and rigorous group discussion about their connections that are dependent on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and attach them to one another with red string, or the class might have a display of connections that they add to throughout the book, building on one another’s ideas and expressing their own clearly.


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ACTIVITY #3: The Paper of Happiness

RESOURCES:● Questions in the back of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

STANDARDS ADDRESSED:● 5.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on a

another’s ideas and expressing their own clearly.● 5.RL.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to

challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

DESCRIPTION: In the story Ba tells, the secret of happiness is a single word written on a piece of paper that is shared, but then lost. What might that word have been? Independently and based on evidence from the story, students write what they believe the word on the paper of happiness was and include a written explanation about why they chose that one word, citing the themes of the story for support and how the Magistrate Tiger might respond to knowing this one word. As a follow-up, students create their own paper of happiness by creating a one-word poster. As a class, create a word mural or a wordle for their one-word secrets of happiness.

WRITING PROMPTS:Argument/Opinion Prompts:

● Select one character from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon who you believe changes the most throughout the story. Use evidence from the story to defend your choice. (DOK 2)

● Should Ba and Ma have returned home when they did after discovering the footprints were those of the goldfish man? Use information from the story to support your opinion. (DOK 2)

● Where the Mountain Meets the Moon involves a number of stories told by multiple characters, and from a variety of points of view. How does this writing technique affect the plot? How does it affect the reader? Construct an evidence-based argument about the effect Grace Lin’s writing technique of switching between multiple perspectives has on the reader and/or the story. Use evidence from the text to support your argument. (DOK 3)

Informational/Explanatory Prompts:● Compare or contrast two characters in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Drawing on specific details from the text,

describe how they are alike or different. (DOK 2)


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● Read Grace Lin’s article “Why Couldn’t Snow White be Chinese? - Finding Identity Through Children’s Books” (site gives permission to print and use the article) and the “Behind the Story” pages in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Explain how Grace Lin’s experiences as an Asian American influence her as an author and artist. (DOK 4)

Narrative Prompts:● In Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin retells many traditional Chinese tales, blends others with tales from

western culture, and creates still others from her own imagination. Craft your own folktale by retelling one you already know, blending two or more you know from different cultures, or creating an entirely new one. Use effective writing techniques (dialogue, description, and pacing), descriptive details, and clear event sequences in your writing. (DOK 3-4)

● Choose a scene from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, such as Minli’s interaction with

Research Prompts:● Magistrates, kings, merchants, and villagers appear throughout Minli’s story and the parallel fables included in the book.

Use several sources to conduct a short research project about the topic of government in ancient China. (DOK 2) ● With an understanding of author Grace Lin’s experiences as an Asian American, consider her use of recurring symbols

such as colors, numbers, water, animals, dragons, and pearls throughout Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Conduct a short research project that uses several sources and create a presentation to that explains the possible meaning of some of the recurring symbols in the story. (DOK 4)

As outlined by PARCC, the prompts above may occur in a variety of writing environments. Teachers should consider:● Incorporating a mix of on-demand and review-and-revision writing assignments● Including routine writing, such as short constructed-responses to text-dependent questions, to build content knowledge and

provide opportunities for reflection on a specific aspect of a text or texts● Integrating of a number of analytic writings that places a premium on using evidence, as well as on crafting works that

display some logical integration and coherence. These responses can vary in length based on the questions asked and task performed, from answering brief questions to crafting longer responses, allowing teachers to assess students’ ability to paraphrase, infer, and ultimately integrate the ideas they have gleaned from what they have read. Over the course of the year, analytic writing should include comparative analysis and compositions that share findings from the research project

● Include narrative writing to offer students opportunities to express personal ideas and experiences; craft their own stories and descriptions; and deepen their understandings of literary concepts, structures, and genres (e.g., short stories, anecdotes, poetry, drama) through purposeful imitation.

Social Studies Connection Connection● History and use of the of the compass, China invented chp. 6● Chinese inventions/discoveries including jade, printing, paper, kites● Measuring time (references to celestial bodies as a measurement of time)


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cusd elem suggested resource guide for required texts. web viewon her adventure, minli encounters...

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