Sometimes, sensory details can bring you back to a familiar place. Study the setting descriptions from a critical chapter in Amy Tan's A Joy Luck Club, and discuss how they enhance the book's plot and contribute to a central theme.

Concepts

the joy luck club, amy tan, reading comprehension, literary analysis, literary elements, literary themes, setting, character development

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have pairs or groups illustrate the Chinatown neighborhood according to the description in the book and compare different maps
• Describe a place aloud to your class, and prompt them to guess the place you are describing based on details
• Project the worksheet onto the whiteboard to model evidence collection

Classroom Considerations

• The unit only focuses on two chapters of the novel; consider having your class read it in its entirety before beginning instruction
• The second of a 14-lesson unit

Pros

• Provides worksheets and graphic organizers for learners to record evidence and track development
• Comes with a Quick Write prompt and homework assignment

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 W.9-10.9.a SL.9-10.1.a SL.9-10.1.d SL.9-10.4 L.9-10.4.a