If the boys in the class seem likely to find it difficult to identify with a female protagonist, suggest that they imagine a twin brother accompanying her on her journey. The authors writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. The blooms of the flowering trees also provide the antidote to the Green Tiger's poison, which saved Dragon. Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Despite her mother's disapproval of stories and dreaming, Minli gathers her courage, her resourcefulness, and her openness to new people and places, to take a remarkable journey to accomplish the impossible. How Do I Protect My Young Child from Cyberbullying? This is the god character who knows the future and permits the heroine to ask him a single question. A difficult choice faces the girl. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original "[6], Andrew Medlar from Booklist said: "Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine & mystical land [] children will embrace this [] story"[6], A companion, titled Starry River of the Sky, was published on February 11, 2014. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. In a poignant essay entitled Why Couldnt Snow White Be Chinese? Lin discusses her sense of otherness and states that as a child, she found her dual identity to be a burden. He indulges Minli with numerous Chinese folktales including stories about the Old Man of the Moon and the Never Ending Mountain. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Write The house was on the hill on the board. Create a character map of the characters in the story. A variety of online maps of China can be found in. Ba explains that the mountain will remain fruitless until Jade Dragon is reunited with one of her children. The characters and scenes are both appropriate for the book's characters. Have you described the characters in the story with enough vivid detail so that the reader can picture them and understand their actions? online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. Ma sits down at Bas feet and says that it is not his fault Minli left, but hers. Tell students that before they write the story, they are going to practice the skill of using vivid language. Da-Fu and A-Fu lead Minli to Never-Ending Mountain, where the Old Man of the Moon is said to live. Minli (her name means "quick thinking") is the main character. The second date is today's In the book "Games at Twilight", what details do you notice that show this story is not taking place in the United States? When he lands, he says that he feels like he is home. A battle between the Green Tiger and Dragon ensues, and Dragon is mortally wounded. She grows up on tales of magical people and places from Ba, her father. Do you like books with magical elements? At the top of the bridge, Minli finds the Old Man of the Moon sitting in the center of a large room full of small clay figures. Seeing her mothers unhappiness, the daughter grew discontented and went away to try to change her familys fortune. How important is magic in the story? As you look at the embedded folk tales in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, what are three values that seem to be important? Trying to come to terms with her own identity, she searched for and treasured books that featured Asian American characters, even when their portrayal was oversimplified or stereotyped. In moments, he disappeared from view into the shadow of Fruitless Mountain, and if it wasn't for the goldfish Minli had in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon study guide contains a biography of Grace Lin, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Have you added vivid details about how you met the challenge? Minli thus begins a traditional quest. Eventually she decides to run off on a quest to change her family's fortune. A stage adaptation based on Lin's book was performed at Wheelock Family Theater in Boston, in April 2014. This outline can serve as a reference for the teacher for the entire lesson.). If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Remind them to include vivid language. Explain that the class is going to read a book about a young Chinese girl who had many challenge to overcome. [4] Mountain Meets the Moon . Stop believing stories and stop wasting your time. Minli and her parents live in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain, where they toil endlessly. I cannot say enough good things about this book. When the magistrate heard about this, he decided that the family must have been trying to trick him. A set of twins from the village manage to trick the Green Tiger down an abandoned well and the next day take Minli and Dragon to Never-Ending Mountain, which turns out to be only a day's journey from the village. The author of where the Mountain Meets the moon is Grace Lin. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5: Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. In the book, what were many suggestions about the word that was written on the paper the Magistrate wantedthe secret of happiness. Meanwhile, Minli sleeps for the night in the forest, only to wake up to find a trapped dragon, which she saves. He scoops some plain rice out of his bowl for the fish to eat. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon begins with a description of a small girl, Minli, and her parents, who live in a poor village at the base of Fruitless Mountain. Then ask what they think of when they see each of these words and phrases: crowded; faded brown; coax the rice; tramping and stooping; dried mud. (If the class has already studied the concept, teachers may want to point out that this is an excellent example of a. 24 142-49 Dragon meets the stone lions, who will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. The next day, Minli sneaks away from her village, leaving a note for her parents saying where she is going. Even so, Minli is a happy and vibrant child who eagerly listens as her father, whom she calls Ba, tells stories every night. Summarize this character Subjects: English Language Arts, Reading, Vocabulary Grades: Not Grade Specific Types: It will take more than a goldfish to bring fortune to our house, she says. 3. His fortune is even poorer than hers, but he does not seem discontent. The page had been treasured by the kings of the city for generations. Choose a character to represent each of the literary characters. Why did Minli also learn to be content? More than half of the characters and scenes do not match the characters in the book. Common Sense Media. He spoke to the Old Man of the Moon, who changed the Book of Fortune to give him ninety-nine years of life instead of nineteen. This talking creature helps the heroine and her friend along their way early in the story. Her grief at losing her children made Fruitless Mountain barren of growth. You may use Worksheet 4: Narrative Rubric provided for both student self-assessment and your own final assessment. Far away from here introduces the suggestion of an exotic location and/or time; The Jade River suggest China, which is known for jade. What challenges does this character face? The boy laughs and refuses to accept it. One year later, the goldfish man returns to the town at the base of Fruitless Mountain, and he cannot believe how much it has changed. (Teacher Resource: Plot Outline can serve as suggested answers. Important Quotes. He planned on doing whatever he could to marry his son to a member of the Imperial Family. We walked down the hall and into the classroom. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy-adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. Students plan and then write a personal narrative about a challenge they have overcome using vivid descriptions of persons and places. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous Minli Minli (her name means "quick thinking") is the main character. She decides to let it go because of how bitter it made Ma. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. I loved the way it was told through a lot of fairy tales. This first activity introduces the book and requires students to read it and keep a journal. Every day, the family works in. Map Your Own Connections (with red threads) While some may say there are too many pages, I think the amount of pages doesn't matter anyways, although I like the amount, and reading more pages is a great challenge. Each figure tied to the next with the fine red thread of fate. Keeping a Reading Journal. Consider the traits of that particular character. Even though you can determine the scene in your head, Grace Lin adds sharp details making the scene more vivid. Frame Stories in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Character Analysis. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. But her ingenuity helps her to survive as she meets and befriends a dragon, sees through the tricks of the King of the City of Bright Moonlight, finds a cure for Dragon's poison, and figures out how to communicate with the Old Man of the Moon. Still following the goldfishs instructions, Minli sets out for the City of Bright Moonlight. Perhapsyou need to trust her, the goldfish man says. Along the way, they encounter selfish monkeys, whom Minli manages to trick into letting them pass, and together they enter the City of Bright Moonlight, where Minli leaves Dragon in a cave and takes refuge in a boy's home. What are three things you can do to make your narrative even better? Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Grace Lin 4.30 45,753 ratings5,600 reviews In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. Dragon realizes that this must be the borrowed line, so he tells them about Minli. Jennifer Rothschild from School Library Journal stated in her review: "The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. (For example: ReadWriteThink's, Each student should have a notebook or composition book with a dedicated section for. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating When her parents find out she is gone, they try to look for her, but are stopped by the goldfish seller, who tells them to trust Minli. The old man instructs her to remove a rock from Dragon's head, which has been preventing him from flying. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). After each assignment, review the journal questions in a class discussion or individual reading group discussions. They travel all through the night, searching. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai? There were a lot of things down there. Determined to change her familys fortune, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, urged on by a talking goldfish who gives her clues to complete her journey. Frightened for her new-found friend, Minli goes for help and finds two twins: A-Fu and Da-Fu. Now the woman can see that she had fortune all along, but that she lost it when she lost her daughter. Students will provide In the book Where the Mountain meets the Moon, How did Magistrate Tiger plan on making his wish come true. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how she can change her familys fortune. Interwoven with Minlis quest are tales told by her father and by those she meets on the way. This talking creature helps the heroine and her friend along their way early in the story. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2.d:Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. Minlis determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human. As she works, Minli wishes she could change her familys fortune. The side characters are Gold fish man, Old Man of the Moon, and Dafu and Afu. Bitter and resentful, Minlis mother complains when her husband fills Minlis imagination with enchanting tales of Never-Ending Mountain and the Old Man of the Moon. Perfect for Moon Festival celebrations or Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, this kit provides an invite, posters and instructions for the journey-like game. She ultimately meets the king, and he willingly gives up the borrowed line, which is revealed to be a page from the Book of Fortune, a legendary book that tells of fates and can be read only by immortal folk. "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary". Classroom world map or map of Asia (It would be ideal to have a printed or projected map.) Log in here. The main character, Minli, is a young Chinese girl scraping by with her poor parents in the village at the base of Fruitless Mountain. The child of immigrants from Taiwan, Grace Lin was born in the United States in 1974 and grew up in New York State. How does this character change over time? The elder of the family gave up the secret readily. Thus she spent much of her childhood trying to ignore her Asian heritage in order to fit in better with her peers. This is quite a minor character. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Reunited with her son, Jade Dragon transforms Fruitless Mountain into Fruitful Mountain, allowing it to grow again. Worksheet 2. It blends an adventure narrative with a female hero, a collection of traditional and invented folktales, and an array of Chinese-style paintings and woodcuts into an appealing and challenging reading experience. As the novel ends, the goldfish man glimpses Minli in a courtyard, looking up at the place where the Mountain meets the moon., "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Extended Summary" eNotes Publishing WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON is a fantasy-fiction story where Chinese Folklore is engraved throughout the story. I read it when I was around 7, and I thought it is AWESOME! However, what she especially enjoys are her father Ba's stories, which are often told at the dinner table. When she arrives to find the Old Man of the Moon, he offers her what seems to be a Spartan gift: she can only ask him a single question. Think About Your Own Answers (with a reading guide) Have them write three sentences about this challenge in answer to these questions: What qualities did you have to show to meet this challenge? She supported herself designing for a party company, two years contributing to the worlds landfills as she puts it, until her first book was published. Have students read with the method and at the pace you find best for your class. They have a line of red thread that was once given to them by the Old Man of the Moon, who told them to keep it until it was needed. While waiting in the Market of Green Abundance, Minli spends her coin buying a peach for a beggar. well as challenges the characters face. Minli is a strong-willed, young Chinese girl who lives in the Village of Fruitless Mountain. Find Symbols in the Story (learn about Chinese symbolism) The goldfish man says that Minli, too, may be able to change her fortune. She realizes that her family cannot afford to feed a pet. Did they show the same qualities that she did in her quest, or did they use different qualities to meet the challenge? To her surprise, the fish speaks and says that it has swum every river of the world except the Jade Riverthe one Minli has brought her to now. Minli is a strong character and a positive role model. How can the links between the frame story and the embedded Chinese folktales be represented to show how they reinforce the underlying themes of courage and generosity? The twins explain that their village's name is due to raining seeds that fall from the moon every night, allowing flowering trees to bloom there. One day I thought I would surprise my friends. At the end of the story, Ba says that he thinks nobody is meant to find Minli, just as the magistrate was not meant to find the paper that explained the secret of happiness. Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery), (You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.). This is quite a minor character. What benefits did they get from the stories? Espaol (prximamente) - volver al inicio, Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More, Growing Up Queer: Thoughtful Books About LGBTQ+ Youth, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews. Questions to ask during the editing process: EDSITEment is a project of theNational Endowment for the Humanities, Grace Lin: Sharing Asian Traditions with Young Readers, Member of Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, Chinese Dragon: A Powerful Metaphor in Chinese Cultural History", Lions, Dragons, and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year, Why Couldnt Snow White Be Chinese? Many of the notes have correct information, but some are incorrect or missing. This book is great, I recommend if you want great light reading. This allows him to fly, and he takes Minli back to Fruitless Mountain. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. After some collaboration, they realize they can use their lines (the line of text and the line of destiny) to form a kite and fly up to the moon. The Jade Dragon reunites with one of her children, Dragon, and transforms Fruitless Mountain to Fruitful Mountain. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a Chinese fairy tale about an adventurous girl who searches for the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of changing the fortune of her poor family. Design a costume for the character. Numerous collections of Chinese folktales can also be accessed through the library. Two destinies at stake. Writing the narrative of their own challenge gives students a chance to reflect on the themes (courage, persistence, imagination, resourcefulness) of the Lin novel from the first two lessons as they see them enacted in their own experience. It is not as adventurous as I thought it would be. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5:Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. Minli upsets her parents, who are frightened about what will happen to her. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary. Unable to believe her luck, Minli accepts the paper from him. Give students a few minutes to survey the book and look at the pictures. Read the Study Guide for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, View Wikipedia Entries for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Minli is a young girl, the only daughter of her mother, Ma, and father, Ba. When Minlis parents discover that she is missing, they run after her. Powerful Stories About Martin Luther King Jr. When this story is finished, Minli asks to hear another, but Ba refuses, not wanting to displease Ma. En route she befriends a dragon who joins her quest. A Newbery Honor book in 2010, this novel moves on from the ordinary lives of Asian Americans in her other books to a fantastical adventure in a timeless, traditional China. The Old Man of the Moon. In August 2015, Lin revealed that the film rights for the book had been bought. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight"? The effort is enormous, and they grow barely enough to feed themselves. All storyboards are private and secure to the portal using enterprise-class file security hosted by Microsoft Azure. 2023 - Clever Prototypes, LLC - All rights reserved. How important are stories in your life? While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father brightens their evenings with storytelling. Ask them what qualities she showed as she overcame these challenges (for example: courage, cleverness, persistence). When the students come to class, give them time to share their sentences from the pre-activity in small groups. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. The text of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is interspersed with many short legends. It was written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published in 2009. In the morning, she sneaks out of the house and releases the fish into the river. Read more than you ever thought you wanted to know about the backstory of the book! Ma blames Ba, saying that his stories put foolish ideas in Minlis head. A-Fu and Da-Fu, twins who are a bit younger than Minli, explain that a vicious magistrate once planned to kill the whole family out of jealousy over their happiness. The main character of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is Minli, a young girl who lived in China many years ago. It was written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published in 2009. will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. This character was a cruel ruler of the land in which all the main landmarks (save the moon) were located over a century ago. Inspired by her fathers stories and dedicated to her family, Minli decides to leave and seek a more prosperous future for them all. The dragon explains that he does not know how to fly and wants to learn, so Minli invites him to come with her to see the Old Man of the Moon, the only person who might be able to tell him how. Finding Identity through Childrens Books, Dont Judge a Book by Its Character (Even If It Is Chinese), The Extra Adjective: How I Came to Terms with Being a Multicultural Book Author, Folktales and Ecology: Animals and Humans in Cooperation and Conflict, Helpful Animals and Compassionate Humans in Folklore, "Cinderella" Folk Tales: Variations in Character. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. I definitely recommend this book! He speaks to a stone statue of a lion, who explains that he is the Guardian of the city. Mix well, a soft dough should form. Activity 2, Key Scenes: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, follow the directions at the beginning of Day 2. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. That is, does it have a beginning, a middle, and an end? CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. You may value money, friends, family or ideals like honesty, generosity, and faith. Part 2. Photo: Alan Bradley, courtesy ofgracelin.com. I brought my pet into school. I think it has a good message for readers and Minli is a good role model. [10], According to Journal of Education, Grace Lin is the "best-selling author of The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat". Finally, see if students can come up with a vivid verb to replace was: sat, clung, perched, etc. 2020 GRACE LIn, all rights reserved. In this activity, students will depict the characters of the story using a character map. What words do you think make the description colorful? Both Minli and Dragon have unique character traits and well-thought character development. It says the word thankfulness over and overand nothing else. However, that is far from the end of this intricate tale. The people and the houses look happy and prosperous. When she does so, the goldfish tells her directions to Never-Ending Mountain, where a wise immortal known as the Old Man of the Moon lives. thissection. Goldfish She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.This is a wonderous novel with an epic journey and memorable characters in the tradition of The Wizard of Oz. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. If you read Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, you wouldn't be disappointed because it is an incredible book. By a bare mountain, where the Jade River runs through, lies a poor, mud-covered village known as the Village of Fruitless Mountain, where the protagonist, Minli lives. When he arrives, he is amazed to be greeted as an old friend. Many of the characters and scenes match the book's characters. While Lin tells the tale of the courageous Minli, she also imbeds other story vignettes that weave together and connect in complicated ways. Knead the dough a few times so that the vanilla extract can distribute evenly. Also, she is full of bitterness and resentment due to their poverty. With the help of a buffalo boy, Minli tracks down the King. Plus, there is barely enough rice to feed the people there, causing Minli to develop a wish for good fortune. Making Fruitless Mountain bloom! They rush to make her breakfast, and then Ba sees the bump from Dragons head, which Minli has brought home with her. Grace Lin introduces Minli, the main character well, as a girl who wants to change their fortune when her mom repeatedly talks about how poor they are. Dragon cannot fly. Essay Topics. Be sure to use evidence from the story to support your ideas. They become friends, and Dragon offers to be her steed for the journey, despite the fact that he cannot fly, unlike other dragons. Let students investigate online resources for folktales from China. StoryboardThat is a trademark of Clever Prototypes, LLC, and Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. At the onset of the quest, she meets Dragon. He says they bring good fortune, so Minli buys one using one of only two copper coins she owns. Personification is a literary device that give human traits to nonhuman objects. She's dutiful, empathetic, curious, and resourceful. Along the way she makes new friends including a flightless dragon and an orphan and proves her resourcefulness when she tricks a group of greedy monkeys and gets help from a king. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. After contemplating her choices, Minli chooses to ask Dragon's question for him: Why can he not fly? Explain your design ideaswhat He alone recognizes it as a dragons pearl, a treasure worth as much as the Emperors fortune. But the stories that the dad told I did like and it added more fun to the book and made me want to finish it. Much to the displeasure of Ma, Minli spends her precious money on a goldfish. Dragon also reveals that he was born from a painting and came to life when his eyes were painted. The setting is somewhere in China. I went down to the cellar the other day. [7] This is the god character who knows the future and permits the heroine to ask him a single question. The protagonist Minli, like one of Joseph Campbells archetypal heroes, leaves her home, sets out on a quest, has to pass through many crucial tests to reach her goal, and returns to her village bringing back the aid that the villagers and her family need. For number 4, you could even ask students to walk across the classroom to act out the sentence as they rewrote it. All of the villagers, along with Minli's family, are also very poor, as farming is difficult in the hard and dry land due to Fruitless Mountain being the broken and lonely heart of the immortal Jade Dragon, a dragon that once brought rain to the Earth. On August 20, 2015, Lin announced the sequel to the novel, titled When the Sea Turns to Silver. Work on the first sentence together. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Minli's brave, clever, kind, and earnest character is utterly endearing. Together, the two fly back to Minlis village, so she can return to her parents. Go over the worksheet to be sure that students understand it. young girlflowing black haircaringadventurousgenerous. He takes Minli there, and she tries to give him the one copper coin she has left. The following day, Minli then sets out, freeing the goldfish so as not to burden her parents further, and leaves the village to find "the old man of the moon". Minlis parents desperately hope she can change the familys fortune. Have you explained how you felt when you had met the challenge? . The two then meet and after relating their adventures, set off once again, puzzled as to which is the real borrowed line. What is a true friend? Ask students to choose a page at random and read aloud the most vivid sentence they can find to the class. Tell students about Grace Lin, using information from the Background section.

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