Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Author: Grace Lin

Text Copyright: Grace Lin 2009

Little, Brown Books

Folkloric - Spell-Bounding - Cultural - Warm - Exciting 

Interest Level: Grade 3-5

Reading Level

Grade Level Equivalent: 5.4

Lexile Measure: 820L

DRA: 50

Guided Reading: L

Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Delivery: Independent or small group OR read aloud to younger children

Summary:

Minli and her family live in the Valley of the Fruitless Mountain where they spend their days working hard in the rice fields and nights listening to her father tell fantastical tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man in the Moon. While Minli’s exhausted mother scolds her husband for filling their daughters head with fairy tales, Minli thinks otherwise. Convinced that these stories may hold the key to changing her families poor fortune, she sets off on a journey where she runs into a wide variety of characters and even a dragon that partners her on her mission.

Electronic Resources:

Vocabulary:

1. Reverence: A feeling of profound respect for someone or something.

2. Penance:  Voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something.

3. Emissary: Someone sent of a mission to represent another’s interests.

4. Kowtow: A Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead.

5. Pagoda:  An Asian temple.

6. Celestial: Relating to or inhabiting divine heaven.

ELA Teaching Suggestions

Book Trailer: ( Comprehension Activity) – Go through book tailor and pause at each picture, have students recall and retell what took place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM8NWGrAHtA&feature=share

Comprehension:

Before Reading: Ask students if they remember any fairytales, legends or folk tales that their mother, father or guardian has told them before. Allow time for multiple students to answer. Then explain a quick summary of the book and why such folk tales are important.

During: Place students in small groups (one group for each folk tale.) Tell each group which story they are responsible for and while reading through they must jot notes down in their reading journals on the particular tale.

After Reading: Have groups of students look to their notes and create a short summary and a drawn picture of each folk tale. Then each group will go in order of the book and present a retelling of their folk tale. After, teacher will “tie each story together” with the red string that “The Man in Moon” used to tie people and experiences together.
Ex. 
1 group of students (Ex. 3 students in one group.) 
Students will depict the beginning, middle and end of their tale in the story. 

Writing Activity:

(See comprehension “After reading.”)