How highly does your class value family? What about familial advice, individual rights, and cultural identity? Examine the literary themes in Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club before opening the book with an anticipation guide. Class members read nine opinion statements and note whether they agree or disagree with each.

Concepts

the joy luck club, literary themes, reading comprehension, literary analysis

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members expound on one of their answers in a narrative essay, where they describe a life experience that helped them arrive at such an answer, or have them craft a persuasive essay based on the themes in other works of literature
• Conduct a debate or Socratic discussion to permit class members to voice their opinions on the statements
• Encourage learners to note evidence from the novel while reading that supports each theme

Classroom Considerations

• Instructions are confusing; consider rewording them to make the objective of the assignment clear for learners

Pros

• Statements prepare readers for themes and motifs they will encounter in the story
• Promotes opinionated discussion and thoughtful responses

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 RL.11-12.2