Vivid quotes and strong sensory language compose Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, bringing the women to life as they navigate through issues surrounding identity and maternal relationships. Examine Waverly's relationship with her mother through the lens of chess tournaments with an instructional activity focused on collecting textual evidence to support a central theme.

Concepts

reading comprehension, literary analysis, the joy luck club, amy tan, central ideas, literary themes, literary elements, textual evidence, character development, identity

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

english language arts

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Assign a short journal prompt at the beginning of class about parental expectations and how they can affect one's self-esteem and identity
• Encourage class members to keep a log of quotes that contribute to the central idea in a reading binder, complete with blank versions of the tracking worksheets

Classroom Considerations

• Though the unit only addresses part of the novel, you could assign the complete novel as individual reading
• If the additional reading component is overwhelming for your class, consider reserving that part until you have completed the novel unit

Pros

• Promotes critical thinking and close reading
• Includes a model tracking log to contribute to your discussion

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.3 W.9-10.9.a