Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
By reading and discussing Grace Lin's novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, students explore what it means to have good fortune and how families shape a person’s identity, values, and beliefs.
Unit Summary
In Grade 4 Fiction, students grapple with the overarching question of how a person develops values, identities, and beliefs. In this unit students dig deeply into how families shape a person’s identity, values, and beliefs and how relationships with others can change a person’s identity. Students will also explore what it means to have good fortune and how a person’s view on fortune varies depending on his/her values and beliefs. It is our hope that this unit, in connection with other units from the entire year-long sequence, will help build a deeper understanding of how we become who we are and the positive and negative factors that influence us along the way.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was chosen as an engaging text to help build excitement at the beginning of the year, while simultaneously allowing for deep discussions about character, setting, vocabulary, and the larger theme of identity. Over the course of the novel, the author, Grace Lin, includes lots of detail and description to reveal information about characters and how they change based on experiences and relationships. Students will be challenged to notice the details that Grace Lin includes and analyze how the details build to support a deeper, more nuanced understanding of characters. Grace Lin also includes lots of powerful vocabulary and figurative language as a way of helping readers visualize exactly what is happening in the story. Students will be challenged to figure out the meaning of unknown words and figurative language and analyze why the author made particular word choices. In this unit students will also begin to use summarization as a strategy to track the plot of a longer text.
Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011) — 810L
Supporting Materials
See Text Selection Rationale
Assessment
These assessments accompany this unit to help gauge student understanding of key unit content and skills. Additional progress monitoring suggestions are included throughout the unit.
Unit Prep
Essential Questions
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- How are people transformed through their relationships with others?
- What does it mean to have good fortune?
Vocabulary
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Text-based
absentminded affectionate agitated appalled astonished ashamed attain awed bitterness brutal cherished content contentment deceive delightful despair destined discomfort discontent dire eagerly engross enraged enthralled enviously envy expectantly fatigue forbidding fruitless gaped grueling guardian hesitate humble impractical impulsive inexplicable inquiry intent joyous malicious misfortune obedient outraged outwit peculiar protest reluctant resentfully resentment reveal sacrifice scold scrutinizing stubborn taunted tormented tragedy urge vaguely viciousness weariness winced worthless
Root/Affix
-ful -less -ness dis- im- in- mis- un-
Related Teacher Tools:
Lesson Map
1
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WMMM — Preview and Ch. 1
RL.4.3
Describe Fruitless Mountain and Minli’s family.
2
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WMMM — Ch. 2-3
RL.4.3
Describe why Minli and her family act in certain ways.
3
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WMMM — Ch. 4-6
RL.4.3
RL.4.4
Describe why Minli acts in certain ways.
4
2 days
Writing
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WMMM — Ch. 1-6
W.4.1.a
W.4.1.b
L.4.1.a
L.4.1.f
L.4.2.c
Write a paragraph that describes Minli.
5
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WMMM — Ch. 7-9
RL.4.3
RL.4.4
Describe how Minli, Ma, and Ba are feeling and why.
6
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WMMM — Ch. 10-11
RL.4.3
SL.4.1
SL.4.1.c
Describe how Dragon was born and why the author includes this story.
7
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WMMM — Ch. 12-13
RL.4.3
Analyze the goldfish man’s perspective on fortune and if it is similar to Ma and Ba’s.
8
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WMMM — Ch. 14-15
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Analyze the significance of "The Story of the Paper of Happiness".
9
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WMMM — Ch. 16-17
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain what the quote “I’ll find a way” shows about Minli.
10
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WMMM — Ch. 18-19
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Describe how Minli is beginning to change.
11
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WMMM — Ch. 20-21
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Analyze how Minli’s parents and Minli are starting to transform through their relationships with others.
12
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WMMM — Ch. 22-23
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Describe the king.
13
2 days
Writing
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WMMM — Ch. 7-23
W.4.1
W.4.1.a
W.4.1.b
L.4.1.a
L.4.1.f
L.4.2.c
Write a paragraph that describes Minli.
14
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WMMM — Ch. 24
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Summarize how Dragon ended up with the borrowed line.
15
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WMMM — Ch. 25-27
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain why Minli feels ashamed and how she is changing.
16
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WMMM — Ch. 28-31
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Summarize how the girl outsmarted the tiger.
17
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WMMM — Ch. 32-34
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain what Minli might learn from the twins and grandfather.
18
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WMMM — Ch. 35-37
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Describe the gift the people of Moon Rain give Minli and why it is an example of true generosity.
19
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WMMM — Ch. 38-39
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Describe what idea Minli puts into action to get the message to the Old Man of the Moon and where the idea came from.
20
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WMMM — Ch. 40-42
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain what lesson the Old Man of the Moon is trying to teach Wu Kang and how it connects to Minli’s quest for fortune.
21
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WMMM — Ch. 43-44
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain how Ma changes.
22
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WMMM — Ch. 45-46
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain how Minli came to realize that she already had the best fortune.
23
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WMMM — Ch. 47-48
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Analyze how Minli knew that all of her questions had been answered.
24
Writing
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WMMM
RL.4.3
W.4.1.a
W.4.1.b
L.4.1.f
L.4.2.c
Write a paragraph that describes Minli.
25
Discussion
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WMMM
SL.4.1
SL.4.1.c
SL.4.2
Debate two essential questions using evidence and arguments from the entire unit and personal experience.
26
Assessment
27
4 days
Narrative Writing
W.4.3.a
W.4.3.b
W.4.3.d
L.4.1.g
L.4.2.b
L.4.3
Write a narrative story that recounts a moment on Minli’s journey where things go wrong.
Common Core Standards
Language Standards
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L.4.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
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L.4.1.a — Use relative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) and relative adverbs (where, when, why).
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L.4.1.f — Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
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L.4.1.g — Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).
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L.4.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
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L.4.2.b — Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.
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L.4.2.c — Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.
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L.4.3 — Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Reading Standards for Literature
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RL.4.2 — Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
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RL.4.3 — Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
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RL.4.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
Speaking and Listening Standards
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SL.4.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
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SL.4.1.c — Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
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SL.4.2 — Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Writing Standards
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W.4.1 — Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
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W.4.1.a — Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
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W.4.1.b — Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
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W.4.3 — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
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W.4.3.a — Orient the reader by establishing a situationand introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
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W.4.3.b — Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
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W.4.3.d — Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
Spiral Standards
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