Numerous collections of Chinese folktales can also be accessed through the library. Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits. Two destinies at stake. (Teachers do not have to assign all the stories.). 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. Activity 2. Unable to believe her luck, Minli accepts the paper from him. Along the way, Minli meets a special friend. Ask students: Suppose Grace Lin had just written Their village was dirty and their work was hard. How is this paragraph different? The side characters are Gold fish man, Old Man of the Moon, and Dafu and Afu. Fruitless Mountain Village. Then ask them to share their best sentence with the class. Give students a clean copy of Worksheet 2 and tell them that their classmates will be reading their work. Spurrier, Leslie. See Preparation and Resources.)]. It will take more than a goldfish to bring fortune to our house, she says. What challenges does this character face? 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. The cellar was dark and kind of creepy. Do you like books with magical elements? Determine the Age of the Dragon (using peach math) This book is great, I recommend if you want great light reading. Minli realizes she has to go on alone, but before she leaves, she promises to ask Dragons question for him. How important is magic in the story? Minli's restlessness is her central conflicted character trait. Now the woman can see that she had fortune all along, but that she lost it when she lost her daughter. As they search, they come upon the goldfish man, who listens to their troubles and tells them his story. In the book "Games at Twilight", what details do you notice that show this story is not taking place in the United States? A stage adaptation based on Lin's book was performed at Wheelock Family Theater in Boston, in April 2014. Together, they live in a small stick hut in a bleak, dry farming village at the intersection of the . Eager for adventure, Minli sets out alone seeking advice from the Old Man of the Moon. (The first column of Teacher Resource: Plot Outline provides a summary for the suggested answers. Minli is a strong and lovable hero that boys will enjoy as much as girls. [4] Minli watches him go, feeling puzzled that he is so happy. Photo: Alan Bradley, courtesy ofgracelin.com. When he was a teenager, he learned that he was going to die young. *, Can u describe the character 'talking goldfish'. (p19) In the book Where the Mountain meets the Moon, What is contained in the old man in the moon's book of Fortune? 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. These characters are the parents of the heroine. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. The setting is somewhere in China. GradeSaver, 25 April 2017 Web. StoryboardThat is a trademark of Clever Prototypes, LLC, and Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. I cannot say enough good things about this book. She looks up to her father, the optimist, and clashes with her mother, the cynic. Back in their hut by Fruitless Mountain, Ma tells Ba a story. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). Less than half of the information of the notes is correct and relevant. (If the class has already studied the concept, teachers may want to point out that this is an excellent example of a. Ask them what qualities she showed as she overcame these challenges (for example: courage, cleverness, persistence). They travel all through the night, searching. 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. Every day, the family works in. Are all your sentences complete and correctly written? While folktales often include recognizable character types, and certainly we can identify some stock traits here (clever, wise, whiny, kind and poor, greedy, etc.) Minli thus begins a traditional quest. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy - adventure children's novel inspired by Chinese folklore. Goldfish Minli remains silent, absorbing this new information. 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. This is the god character who knows the future and permits the heroine to ask him a single question. Richly hued illustrations reinforce the Chinese folk theme. Minli befriends a dragon along the way. I read it when I was around 7, and I thought it is AWESOME! 2023 . Wishes to find Old Man of the Moon in order to change her family's fortune.Has to choose which question to ask Old Man in the Moon. Frame Stories in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. The performance starred Caroline Workman as Minli, Michael Tow as Storyteller/ Minli's Ba, and was directed by Jane Staab. The next day, Minli sneaks away from her village, leaving a note for her parents saying where she is going. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Remind them that to be a narrative, a story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Draw a Dragon (that could come to life) 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. He allows Minli to eat with him in his castle, and she tells him her story. Dragon cannot fly. On August 20, 2015, Lin announced the sequel to the novel, titled When the Sea Turns to Silver.
Mix well, a soft dough should form. Have students read with the method and at the pace you find best for your class. 2020 GRACE LIn, all rights reserved. You may value money, friends, family or ideals like honesty, generosity, and faith. This character came to life from the magic ink by which it was painted and flew away. 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. What is the setting of "Games at Twilight"? He says they bring good fortune, so Minli buys one using one of only two copper coins she owns. This strikes Minli because The Old Man is what she thought, only a character from her father's stories. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. In the book Where the Mountain meets the Moon, How did Magistrate Tiger plan on making his wish come true. Stop believing stories and stop wasting your time. This talking creature helps the heroine and her friend along their way early in the story. (From a Christian perspective, it also had a surprising theme of providence in it.) Have students explain how they grew or changed because of this experience. It was written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published in 2009. The stone lion gives the thread to Dragon. The main characters are Minli, Ba, Ma and Dragon. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. He indulges Minli with numerous Chinese folktales including stories about the Old Man of the Moon and the Never Ending Mountain. How does this character change over time? Image Based Life > Uncategorized > where the mountain meets the moon character traits Reunited with her son, Jade Dragon transforms Fruitless Mountain into Fruitful Mountain, allowing it to grow again. No one else can view anything. Chapter 1 Summary. She thinks it will be made from 2020 to 2025. A couple years after we sold that curriculum, I borrowed it from our local library and read it again. There are several forest and rivers and a peach grove. This is quite a minor character. They identify the friends and mentors who helped her, and the character traits that led to her success. En route she befriends a dragon who joins her quest. This first activity introduces the book and requires students to read it and keep a journal. When Minlis parents discover that she is missing, they run after her. . The second date is today's They will also appear in Google search results. Because of Minli's sacrifice to help a friend, she and her family receive everything they could ever have hoped for. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a juvenile fiction novel by Grace Lin, author of The Year of the Dog. by Grace Lin Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Character List These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. She obeys and almost immediately, Dragon can fly. She said there will be a movie released on 11/21/2020, however the movie was never made. Word Count: 2124. 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. 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). [4] It has been translated into Chinese, French, Hebrew, Romanian, Korean and Slovene.[5]. Making Fruitless Mountain bloom! 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. Have you explained how you felt when you had met the challenge? [11], Renee Greenfield and Jennifer Rabold. Where The Mountain Meets The Moon Character Analysis Minli Minli is the protagonist and hero in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Website design by Mira T. Lee of MIRA T. CREATIVE. Day 2. I think it is good for many different ages, from 7-year-olds to 12-year-olds. Common Sense Media. Ask students to choose a page at random and read aloud the most vivid sentence they can find to the class. date the date you are citing the material. Minlis parents desperately hope she can change the familys fortune. Where The Mountain Meets The Moon Chapters 1-4 Summary & Analysis. Ed. She has written over a dozen books, many of them using Asian American child characters, in an effort to help Asian American children appreciate their heritage and to create the kind of books she wished she had been able to read when she was growing up. As an optional activity, they may make a bulletin board or wall display that shows the embedded stories within the frame of the main narrative. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2: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. 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. Why did Ma change from being envious of other peoples wealth to being content? In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. I loved Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. 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. I definitely recommend this book! Her grief at losing her children made Fruitless Mountain barren of growth. Ask students to think of and share other types of challenges they have seen or experienced. Assess the second copy of Worksheet 2 for completeness, accuracy in recalling details of the story, and mechanics of writing. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. 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. It is not as adventurous as I thought it would be. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. [1] [2] The novel received a 2010 Newbery Honor [3] and the 2010 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature. Neither is sure which line is the one they need, so they decide this is another question for the Old Man of the Moon. Tell students that they are going to use their three sentences as a basis for writing a kind of story called a personal narrative. Think about how important the telling of stories was to Minli and Ba. Powerful Stories About Martin Luther King Jr. We walked down the hall and into the classroom. I went down to the cellar the other day. 4 Mar. Characters included in the character map are: Minli Ma Ba Goldfish Man Dragon Buffalo Boy King Da-A-Fu A-Gong & Amah Green Tiger Rabbit Old Man of the Moon Copy Activity* 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. "Bringing fortune to our house! Along the way, Minli meets a special friend. She realizes that her family cannot afford to feed a pet. She returns to Dragon and, following the Old Mans instructions, helps him pull a big, heavy bump off the top of his head.
Personification is a literary device that give human traits to nonhuman objects. Think About Your Own Answers (with a reading guide) Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Both Minli and Dragon have unique character traits and well-thought character development. He speaks to a stone statue of a lion, who explains that he is the Guardian of the city. That is, does it have a beginning, a middle, and an end? eNotes Editorial. This allows him to fly, and he takes Minli back to Fruitless Mountain. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. As she works, Minli wishes she could change her familys fortune. Outside the city, Dragon also obtains a red string of destiny that is used to tie people destined to meet and marry together, which he believes is the borrowed line. This is quite a minor character. 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. Thus she spent much of her childhood trying to ignore her Asian heritage in order to fit in better with her peers. Optional Activity Grade Level Standard. For number 4, you could even ask students to walk across the classroom to act out the sentence as they rewrote it. 24 142-49 Dragon meets the stone lions, who will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. She walks deep into the forest and travels all through the night, stopping to sleep at first light. Also there are many villages. The main character of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is Minli, a young girl who lived in China many years ago. Explain what you mean by each value and show how it is illustrated in one of the embedded folk tales. Lead a class discussion about the differences between the sentence on the board and the sentence in the novel. Have a Feast (recipes to enjoy with the book). Give them copies of Worksheet 1 or assign questions from the worksheet as the class progresses. eNotes.com, Inc. 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. Minli is restless and never content with her lot in life. Students reading the book will not only share the adventure, but will learn much about traditional values in Chinese culture. Minli upsets her parents, who are frightened about what will happen to her. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Personification is a literary device that give human traits to nonhuman objects. Dragon realizes that this must be the borrowed line, so he tells them about Minli. This time, it says, You only lose what you cling to. After thinking this over, the king decides that giving the paper to Minli is the only way to avoid losing it. Why did Minli also learn to be content? Then I dropped something and it made a loud noise. How can students use Where the Mountain Meets the Moon as a mentor text to write a personal narrative with vivid language? An editor Much to the displeasure of Ma, Minli spends her precious money on a goldfish. She decides to let it go because of how bitter it made Ma. More books than SparkNotes. Still following the goldfishs instructions, Minli sets out for the City of Bright Moonlight. Mountain Meets the Moon . The rock that Minli removed from Dragons head turns out to be the coveted Dragon Pearl. While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. 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. Encourage students to consider why Grace Lin chose those particular words to describe the mountain. Put the character's name in the title boxes and choose a character and scene to represent each one. The Question and Answer section for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a great If you read Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, you wouldn't be disappointed because it is an incredible book. Work on the first sentence together. This summer I finally able to purchase the book and re-read it a third time. Have you described the setting, the place where the events of the story occur, in clear and specific language? These characters are the parents of the heroine. She grows up on tales of magical people and places from Ba, her father. A variety of online maps of China can be found in. 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. (Most students will say it is very big and has a huge population; a few may be able to bring up current events involving China.) The Old Man of the Moon. There, he meets the first dragon he has ever seen, a female dragon with bright orange skin. Get Where the Mountain Meets the Moon from Amazon.com. This is a good book but it is kinda slow. The Old Man instructs Minli to remove a rock on Dragons head it has been keeping Dragon from flight. 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. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous Minli Minli (her name means "quick thinking") is the main character. 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. Map Your Own Connections (with red threads) Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young listeners. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. Minli is a young ten-year-old girl with a fast and eager spirit, and is constantly ready for adventure. From the beautiful design and the breathtaking full-color illustrations throughout, to the gentle humor and touching prose, this book is truly a gem. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original Created by wonderful reader, Emme (age 11), and perfect for Book Clubs or families that read the book together, this board game is delightful fun. Then do the same for high ground: mountain, hill, crag, and slope. When her parents find out, Ma is angry. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Choose a character to represent each of the literary characters. Ba tells the first such story. Put the following sentence on the board: There was a mountain near the village. Then have students turn to the first sentence of. Suggested techniques: If students are interested in folktales in general, the. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. She does not like for Ba to tell the stories to Minli because she thinks he is filling her head with ideas. 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. Symbols & Motifs. Worksheet 2. ", Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Have you added vivid details about how you met the challenge? This strong-willed, young Chinese girl lives in the Village of Fruitless Mountain and decides to run off on a quest to change her family's fortune. 3. 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. The questions focus exclusively on the frame story of Minlis travels, giving students first-hand experience with frame story analysis. Resources for Socratic seminars for elementary school students can be found online. The child of immigrants from Taiwan, Grace Lin was born in the United States in 1974 and grew up in New York State. Magistrate Tiger/Green Tiger. The two unlikely allies travel together in search of the Old Man, coming upon many different places along the way. According to the goldfish, the wise man can answer Minli's question on how to bring good fortune to her family and the village. Together they encounter a talking goldfish, a boy with a buffalo, a king, a fierce green tiger and laughing twins before scaling Never-Ending Mountain. While Lin tells the tale of the courageous Minli, she also imbeds other story vignettes that weave together and connect in complicated ways. Jennifer Rothschild, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD, Kirkus Reviews*Starred Review*To change her familys fortunes, a poor Chinese girl embarks on a fantastical quest to discover she already has everything she needs to be happy. Meanwhile, Minli sleeps for the night in the forest, only to wake up to find a trapped dragon, which she saves. Minli rescues Dragon and includes him in her quest to find the Old Man of the Moon. In this activity, students will depict the characters of the story using a character map. 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. Emphasize that Minlis story is a fantasy; in the real world, it is dangerous for children to run away from home, and naturally it is impossible for them to scale a ladder to the moon. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). All storyboards are public and can be viewed and copied by anyone. 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. The second is the date of Minli's mother is very dissatisfied with the family's situation. All at once, Minli realizes that she can live wither fortune; it is not that bad. 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. I would recommend this book for children from age 9 to 99. Both Minli and Dragon have unique character traits and well-thought character development. 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. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a juvenile fiction novel by Grace Lin, author of The Year of the Dog. Each figure tied to the next with the fine red thread of fate. Distribute Worksheet 3 and go over the directions with the students. Why or why not? Here are some questions to extend students' understanding of the novel. the end with a mysterious gift. Write the word challenge on the board and ask students to define it. When he lands, he says that he feels like he is home. [7] Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a wonderfully crafted tale with great messages on gratefulness, contentedness, self-sacrifice, faith and love. This made Jade Dragon regret her selfishness. The principal told me that was not a good idea. The Old Man explains that, once every ninety-nine years, someone comes to ask him a question. She's dutiful, empathetic, curious, and resourceful. Not understanding that she was rich in love, the womanwho is clearly Ma herselfonly felt bitter about her poverty. With each photo, ask students to identify what is happening in the picture, what kind of challenge is presented, and what kinds of skills or abilities the subjects need to be successful. Those eye-opening visits made the folk tales and fairy tales her mother had shared with her as a child seem more alive. Frightened for her new-found friend, Minli goes for help and finds two twins: A-Fu and Da-Fu. Ask them to tell the groups how they felt after dealing with this challenge. 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. What benefits did they get from the stories? Unlisted storyboards can be shared via a link, but otherwise will remain hidden. Along the way, she finds excitement, danger, humor, magic, and wisdom, and she befriends a flightless dragon, a talking fish, and other companions and helpmates in her quest.