It is a mystical dragon, born from a painting that was supposedly owned by the evil Magistrate Tiger (who serves as the villain of the book). After learning about the concept of the frame story, pairs of students take one of the folktales to analyze and then illustrate a key scene from it. Mix well, a soft dough should form. All at once, Minli realizes that she can live wither fortune; it is not that bad. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon By Grace Lin Chapters 1-4 Before you read the chapters: The protagonist in most novels features the main character or "good guy". In thanks, the fish tells Minli how to travel to Never-Ending Mountain to find the Old Man of the Moon, who may know how Minli can change her familys fortune. Plus, there is barely enough rice to feed the people there, causing Minli to develop a wish for good fortune. What challenges does this character face? Activity 2, Key Scenes: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, follow the directions at the beginning of Day 2. 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. Meanwhile, at the Village of Fruitless Mountain, Ba and Ma have decided to return home and wait for Minli, and during this time, Ma feels remorse for having been so discontent when she already had her own precious treasure: her daughter. The Question and Answer section for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a great 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. The Old Man of the Moon. Even so, Minli is a happy and vibrant child who eagerly listens as her father, whom she calls Ba, tells stories every night. 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". Her mother, Ma, complains that these stories are foolish and harmful. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight"? Minli realizes she has to go on alone, but before she leaves, she promises to ask Dragons question for him. Then I dropped something and it made a loud noise. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009. . Tell students about Grace Lin, using information from the Background section. She says they make Minli dream instead of focusing on the reality of the familys poor fortune. Have them write three sentences about this challenge in answer to these questions: What qualities did you have to show to meet this challenge? More than half of the characters and scenes do not match the characters in the book. Using the borrowed line of text and the line of destiny, the adventurers stitch a kite that stretches into a bridge, and Minli goes on alone to meet the Old Man of the Moon. Order our Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Lesson Plans, teaching or studying Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. Inspired by her fathers stories and dedicated to her family, Minli decides to leave and seek a more prosperous future for them all. From the beautiful design and the breathtaking full-color illustrations throughout, to the gentle humor and touching prose, this book is truly a gem. Also, she is full of bitterness and resentment due to their poverty. After contemplating her choices, Minli chooses to ask Dragon's question for him: Why can he not fly? When students have finished reading the book, hold a Socratic seminar or other type of discussion. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Curious, she follows it and finds a red dragon crying a river of tears. eNotes.com The Old Man instructs Minli to remove a rock on Dragons head it has been keeping Dragon from flight. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. Then do the same for high ground: mountain, hill, crag, and slope. When Minlis parents discover that she is missing, they run after her. 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. Ask students to choose a page at random and read aloud the most vivid sentence they can find to the class. He allows Minli to eat with him in his castle, and she tells him her story. After high school, Lin attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned a BFA in illustration. 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. Because of what seemed like a personal sacrifice in favor of helping a friend, Minli and her family receive all they ever hoped for and more. Tell students that they are going to read the book and keep a reading journal; explain how you would like them to proceed, i.e., how many pages or chapters to read and which journal questions to answer. The two unlikely allies travel together in search of the Old Man, coming upon many different places along the way. How Do I Protect My Young Child from Cyberbullying? https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/where-the-mountain-meets-the-moon-by-grace-lin/characters, This Storyboard That activity is part of the lesson plans for. There, he meets the first dragon he has ever seen, a female dragon with bright orange skin. He resolved to kill them for this impertinence, but when he and his army arrived at their house, they had mysteriously disappeared. Characters included in the character map are: (These instructions are completely customizable. She realizes that she cannot ask Dragons questionunless she chooses not to ask her own. Day 2. However, he informs her that she can ask only one question. Illustrate this character3. My father came down the stairs and asked what I was doing down there. Remind them to include vivid language. Despite her mothers 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. He takes Minli there, and she tries to give him the one copper coin she has left. Minli (her name means "quick thinking") is the main character. Minli is a strong-willed, young Chinese girl who lives in the Village of Fruitless Mountain. 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. The next day, Minli sneaks away from her village, leaving a note for her parents saying where she is going. They stop at the City of the Bright Moonlight to meet the King. Create a character map of the characters in the story. The author of where the Mountain Meets the moon is Grace Lin. When the students come to class, give them time to share their sentences from the pre-activity in small groups. This brings enormous wealth to Minlis village which alters her familys fortune dramatically. Minli remains silent, absorbing this new information. Rewrite one of the following passages to make it more vivid, using specific language and concrete details. The grandfather, A-Gong, gives Dragon medicine that doubles as tea. 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. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai? Lin has fleshed out this . This is quite a minor character. 2023 - Clever Prototypes, LLC - All rights reserved. An editor Define a frame story and explain the complex way that subsidiary stories are embedded within the novel, Identify different types of challenges in the story. Give students a clean copy of Worksheet 2 and tell them that their classmates will be reading their work. The second date is today's 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. The boy laughs and refuses to accept it. More books than SparkNotes. The effort is enormous, and they grow barely enough to feed themselves. Important Quotes. The line written there has changed again. She endeavors on a journey to find the Old Man of the Moon who will answer her question of how to find her family's fortune. The cellar was dark and kind of creepy. 8-12), Reading level: Ages 8-12Pages: 288 pagesPublisher: Little, Brown Young ReadersLanguage: English ISBN: 0316114278, 978-0316114271. It is not as adventurous as I thought it would be. Mountain Meets the Moon . Unable to believe her luck, Minli accepts the paper from him. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a wonderfully crafted tale with great messages on gratefulness, contentedness, self-sacrifice, faith and love. The kite magically transforms itself into a rope bridge, but it is too thin to carry Dragon. Give students a few minutes to survey the book and look at the pictures. You may wish to use these tales for additional literature or composition study. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Grace went on a blog tour for her book. He is tied up with some ropes, so Minli cuts him free. Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. She can either ask him to fix her familys fortune, or she can ask him to help Dragon fly. StoryboardThat is a trademark of Clever Prototypes, LLC, and Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It must have at least one character, a setting, and a plot or series of events that occur. Along the way, Minli meets a special friend. Da-Fu and A-Fu lead Minli to Never-Ending Mountain, where the Old Man of the Moon is said to live. She does so, and immediately Dragon can fly. What words do you think make the description colorful? He tells her that she must hurry up and ask what she wants to know. As they search, they come upon the goldfish man, who listens to their troubles and tells them his story. Ask them to tell the groups how they felt after dealing with this challenge. The objective of her quest is to find the Old Man of the Moon who possesses the power to change a persons fortune. (Teachers do not have to assign all the stories.). It was a boring day, and I tried to figure out what to do. With the help of a buffalo boy, Minli tracks down the King. The boy finds out that the king is supposed to appear in the Market of Green Abundance. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. There are numerous other minor characters in the book: You can help us out by revising, improving and updating This character was a cruel ruler of the land in which all the main landmarks (save the moon) were located over a century ago. Photo: Alan Bradley, courtesy ofgracelin.com. 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. I think it is good for many different ages, from 7-year-olds to 12-year-olds. All storyboards and images are private and secure. Knead the dough a few times so that the vanilla extract can distribute evenly. 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. I think this story was okay but it was lacking adventure and it was hard to follow along. This summer I finally able to purchase the book and re-read it a third time. Before students begin their draft remind them in the real world it is not a good idea for children to leave home to confront evil and danger. Already a member? 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. He speaks to a stone statue of a lion, who explains that he is the Guardian of the city. The rock that Minli removed from Dragons head turns out to be the coveted Dragon Pearl. The second is the date of Have students read the second paragraph. Let students investigate online resources for folktales from China. who have not yet read the book get excited and ALL have a great time! Together, they live in a small stick hut in a bleak, dry farming village at the intersection of the . 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? While folktales often include recognizable character types, and certainly we can identify some stock traits here (clever, wise, whiny, kind and poor, greedy, etc.) They travel onward, and after an encounter with a vicious tiger, they meet the family that used to be famous for its perfect happiness. Ba smiles and says that Minlis return is the best fortune of 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. It will take more than a goldfish to bring fortune to our house, she says. Map Your Own Connections (with red threads) This book is great, I recommend if you want great light reading. Give each student or pair a story to work with from the following list or let them choose one themselves, being sure that no two are working on the same story. 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. She meets an orphan boy who lives alone with only a water buffalo for company, and she tells him that she needs to see the king. After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Making Fruitless Mountain bloom! When he lands, he says that he feels like he is home. In this activity, students return to the novel to analyze the folktale embedded within it. Man of the Moon The angry magistrate tore a page from the Old Man of the Moon's book, which was the paper with the secret of happiness. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). Log in here. A difficult choice faces the girl. Lead a class discussion about the differences between the sentence on the board and the sentence in the novel. When Dragon and Minli reunite, each is surprised to learn that the other has found a borrowed line. 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? However, what she especially enjoys are her father Ba's stories, which are often told at the dinner table. Minli and her parents live in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain, where they toil endlessly. Explain that the class is going to read a book about a young Chinese girl who had many challenge to overcome. Eventually she decides to run off on a quest to change her family's fortune. Jade Dragons four children took pity on the people and transformed their bodies into great rivers to nourish the land. They will also appear in Google search results. young girlflowing black haircaringadventurousgenerous. Perfect for Moon Festival celebrations or Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, this kit provides an invite, posters and instructions for the journey-like game. Spurrier, Leslie. This strikes Minli because The Old Man is what she thought, only a character from her father's stories. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Read the Study Guide for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, View Wikipedia Entries for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. This allows him to fly, and he takes Minli back to Fruitless Mountain. Resources for Socratic seminars for elementary school students can be found online. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a juvenile fiction novel by Grace Lin, author of The Year of the Dog. Minli's restlessness is her central conflicted character trait. This character was a cruel ruler of the land in which all the main landmarks (save the moon) were located over a century ago. Magistrate Tiger/Green Tiger. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary, Read the Study Guide for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, View Wikipedia Entries for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Give them time to legibly recopy (and edit!) Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. I read it when I was around 7, and I thought it is AWESOME! Minli's brave, clever, kind, and earnest character is utterly endearing. Summary. Ba explains that the mountain will remain fruitless until Jade Dragon is reunited with one of her children. Tell students that they are going to use their three sentences as a basis for writing a kind of story called a personal narrative. There are several forest and rivers and a peach grove. If you read Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, you wouldn't be disappointed because it is an incredible book. After students have completed the first draft of their story, conduct a peer-editing session in your usual manner (or a self-editing session if you think any of the stories cover sensitive material that the students would be uncomfortable sharing). In the morning, she sneaks out of the house and releases the fish into the river. 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. (for grades 3-6), 2010 Newbery Honor NY Times Bestseller (Feb 4th, March 14th 2010) IndieBound Bestseller 2010 Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award 2010 Indies Choice Book Awards Finalist For Middle Reader Book of the Year Al Rokers TODAY Show Kids Book Club Pick, December 2009 2010 Mythopeic Fantasy Award for Childrens Literature Starred Kirkus Review Starred School & Library Journal Review Starred Booklist Review Booklist Top 10 SF/Fantasy for Youth:2009 2009 Parents Choice Gold Winner 2010 CCBC Choices List 2010 EB White Read-Aloud Honor Book 2010 Massachusetts Book Award for Childrens/Young Adult Literature, I dont think that, in the fourteen years I have worked as a childrens bookseller and the 16 years I have been a mother buying books for her children, I have ever seen such a magnificently illustrated, beautiful gem of a book hit the shelves. Tanya from Books4yourkids.com, This is a flawless little gem of a book, written in a straightforward, warm tone that always has a hint of a smile in itThere is a lovely sense of satisfaction as one link after another is connected, until the entire shape of the book is revealed like a Chinese knot seemingly complicated yet pleasing and harmonious. Eva from Evas Book Addiction, Booklist*Starred Review* In this enchanted and enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means quick thinking, lives with her desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. However, when a few people complained that they preferred sunshine, Jade Dragon grew angry. Distribute copies of Worksheet 2. One day, after a goldfish salesman promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two coins in an effort to help her family. Consider the traits of that particular character. eNotes Editorial. date the date you are citing the material. As you look at the embedded folk tales in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, what are three values that seem to be important? 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. Lin's love of Chinese culture is evident in her creation of vivid new folktales that are built into the narrative in such a way that they become a seamless part of the story and their messages are thus relevant and meaningful. How important is magic in the story? Reunited with her son, Jade Dragon transforms Fruitless Mountain into Fruitful Mountain, allowing it to grow again. The new book was published on October 4, 2016. When they first meet, he has been bound with ropes and she cuts them off of him. Why did Ma change from being envious of other peoples wealth to being content? Every night, Minlis father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the Moon who holds everyones destiny. Is your story really a narrative? The Question and Answer section for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a great Chinese Lesson (write the Chinese characters for mountain and moon) Each figure tied to the next with the fine red thread of fate. Be sure to use evidence from the story to support your ideas. She obeys and almost immediately, Dragon can fly. publication online or last modification online. Both Minli and Dragon have unique character traits and well-thought character development. 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. A variety of online maps of China can be found in. Make two copies for each pair of students to use in analyzing the embedded stories. En route she befriends a dragon who joins her quest. The twins befriend Minli and want to help her. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. When this story is finished, Minli asks to hear another, but Ba refuses, not wanting to displease Ma. After each assignment, review the journal questions in a class discussion or individual reading group discussions. She says she is sorry. Together, the two fly back to Minlis village, so she can return to her parents. I was glad to see a few things from when I was younger and I started to play with them. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). For example: Teachers may opt for their own method of discussion. Grace Lins website includes a number of essays that could meet nonfiction reading requirements while giving students more insight into her motivation, inspiration, and writing process. Not affiliated with Harvard College. When the magistrate heard about this, he decided that the family must have been trying to trick him. The main character of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is Minli, a young girl who lived in China many years ago. [1][2] The novel received a 2010 Newbery Honor[3] and the 2010 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature. 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. Ma and Ba camp in the forest, and Ba tells the story of a greedy magistrate who tried to steal the secret of happiness from a poor but otherwise perfect family. This Study Guide consists of approximately 29pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - The characters and scenes are both appropriate for the book's characters. Suggested techniques: If students are interested in folktales in general, the. While Lin tells the tale of the courageous Minli, she also imbeds other story vignettes that weave together and connect in complicated ways. When he arrives, he is amazed to be greeted as an old friend. Which characters in the book prove to be true friends? For number 4, you could even ask students to walk across the classroom to act out the sentence as they rewrote it. How can students use Where the Mountain Meets the Moon as a mentor text to write a personal narrative with vivid language? Minli thus begins a traditional quest. Chapter 1 Summary. Meanwhile, as Dragon waits outside of the city, he receives a string of destiny from one of the Guardians of the City. (p19) In the book Where the Mountain meets the Moon, What is contained in the old man in the moon's book of Fortune? It turns out he is not a beggar at all, but the king in disguise. The child of immigrants from Taiwan, Grace Lin was born in the United States in 1974 and grew up in New York State. If not by then, the film will probably not be made at all. This character visits the Village of the Fruitless Mountain early in the book and at the very end. 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. BildungsromanShelf ElfPaper TigersMotherReaderCharlottes LibraryWrite for a ReaderThe Mommy FilesThrifty Minnesota Mama Creative MadnessAbby the Librarian, And EVEN more!Review at BookpageCareer, Craft & Cheer on CynsationsSoup of the Day at Jama Rattigans Alphabet SoupSeven Impossible Things Before BreakfastBook of Color Pick of the Day at Galley Cat, Make a Compass (like Minli!) According to the goldfish, the wise man can answer Minli's question on how to bring good fortune to her family and the village. In the book, what were many suggestions about the word that was written on the paper the Magistrate wantedthe secret of happiness. She decides to let it go because of how bitter it made Ma. Click here for a PDF outlining an optional second activity. 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. Near a mountain region. The people and the houses look happy and prosperous. Unlisted storyboards can be shared via a link, but otherwise will remain hidden. "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary". Where The Mountain Meets The Moon Character Analysis Minli Minli is the protagonist and hero in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. My mom and I first read it as part of my Sonlight curriculum and we loved it. She thinks it will be made from 2020 to 2025. Minli rescues Dragon and includes him in her quest to find the Old Man of the Moon. 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. What words bring it to life? Explain to students that they have been working mostly with the story of Minli and her quest, and that now they are going to look at the other stories that are woven into the main story. 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. He scoops some plain rice out of his bowl for the fish to eat. JOIN GRACES MAILING LISTYoull receive her Author Newsletter in your email inbox! This first activity introduces the book and requires students to read it and keep a journal. I really think you should read it! In the book Where the Mountain meets the Moon, How did Magistrate Tiger plan on making his wish come true. They become friends, and Dragon offers to be her steed for the journey, despite the fact that he cannot fly, unlike other dragons. Powerful Stories About Martin Luther King Jr. 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.