The Shadow in the Moon by Christina Matula
With a unique blend of contemporary customs and traditional folklore, this book retells the tale of the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the holiday itself, the story is a celebration of family, love and tradition. Set in an urban setting, readers can imagine the story taking place anywhere in the world. The family gathers to celebrate the holiday, also known as the Moon Festival, eat their favourite mooncakes, and light their favourite lanterns. The two sisters ask their grandmother to tell them the tale of the Lady in the Moon.
Hou Yi, a brave archer, saves the world from drought and is given a magic potion for his deeds. Chang’e, his wife, courageously protects the potion from a thief by drinking it and then floats to the sky and up to the moon. Their love still lives and brings harmony between the heavens and the earth.
The book ends with an Author's note on the meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations and includes a recipe for mooncakes with red-bean filling.
The Shadow in the Moon was a recipient of a 2018 Best Book Award from the Chinese American Librarians Association.
The story is beautifully illustrated by Pearl Law, who was born and raised in Hong Kong.
The Shadow in the Moon - Text copyright © 2018 by Christina Matula - Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Pearl LawUsed with permission by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.85 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472 (617)-926-0329 www.charlesbridge.com
About the author
Christina Matula is a Canadian author living in Hong Kong. Being a child of immigrant parents (from Taiwan and Hungary), she has always been curious about other cultures and far off places. She also loves learning about how families retain some of their culture and heritage when they move to a new country. Moving to Hong Kong gave Christina the chance to explore her Chinese cultural roots, which includes amazing food, and fascinating festivals. She loves sharing stories that will spark an interest in and passion for Chinese culture in young readers. Christina is on the Board of Directors of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong, which advocates reading aloud with children and provides quality books to local underserved communities.
Unit lesson plan
Book Title: The Shadow in the Moon - A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Author: Christina Matula
Illustrator: Pearl Law
ISBN: 978-1-58089-746-4
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, US, 2018
Reading Level*: Lexile 840L / Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level reading Test 4
Suitable for Ages: 9 to 10 years
Proposed grade level: P4
Themes: Mid-Autumn Festival
Connection to Hong Kong Curriculum: English Language, Language Education KLA:
Values: Identify, Care for others
Module: Relationships
General Studies Curriculum: Community and Citizenship, National Identity and Chinese Culture
Lesson duration: 30 minutes per lesson
Unit Lesson Plan for The Shadow in the Moon.pdfSkill Allocation
Reading
L9 (Mid-Autumn Festival customs)
L10 (Boardgame)
Listening
L7 (Making a lantern)
Writing
L3 (Speech verbs)
L6 (Narrative writing)
Speaking
L2 (Mooncakes)
Literature
L4 (Character description)
L5 (Narrative structure)
Literary devices
L1 (Similes)
Vocabulary
L2 (Mooncakes)
Cultural awareness
L8 (Chinese myths)
Download complete set of lesson plan and teaching materials
( Please email to engl.rcpce@polyu.edu.hk for the ZIP decompression password. )
Download individual lesson plan and teaching materials
( Please email to engl.rcpce@polyu.edu.hk for the ZIP decompression password. )
Lesson plans and teaching materials
Lesson 1 - Similes
Aims:
To understand the form and function of similes.
To be able to describe things or people using similes.
Focused skill: Literary devices
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to complete the simile exercise and create their own sentences using similes.
L1 Lesson Plan - Similes.pdfLesson 2 - Mooncakes
Aims:
To learn about different types of mooncakes.
To survey classmates about their preference for mooncakes.
Focused skills: Vocabulary and speaking
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to use the target vocabulary to exchange information about their preferences for mooncakes.
L2 Lesson Plan - Mooncakes.pdfLesson 3 - Speech verbs
Aims:
To learn and identify speech verbs used in the book.
To create a short dialogue using the target speech verbs.
Focused skill: Writing
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to use speech verbs of different volume and moods to create a short scene.
L3 Lesson Plan - Speech verbs.pdfLesson 4 - Character description
Aims:
To understand the character traits of the main characters.
To create character profiles of the main characters in the story.
Focused skill: Literature
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to choose the appropriate adjectives to describe the characters and express personal opinions about their character traits.
L4 Lesson Plan - Character description.pdfLesson 5 - Narrative structure
Aims:
To be able to understand narrative structure and how it operates in the story.
To be able to alter the ending of the moon story creatively.
Focused skill: Literature
Assessment Criteria:
Students show knowledge of the narrative structure and can change the ending creatively.
L5 Lesson Plan - Narrative structure.pdfLesson 6 - Narrative writing
Aims:
To review the parts of a narrative structure.
To create a story following the narrative structure.
Focused skill: Writing
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to use their understanding of the narrative structure to write a short story.
L6 Lesson Plan - Narrative writing.pdfLesson 7 - Chinese lanterns
Aims:
To learn about the meaning and purpose of lanterns for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
To listen and follow the instructions on how to make a paper lantern.
To create riddles to hang on a lantern.
Focused skills: Listening and writing
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to practice their listening skills to complete a task. Students will create riddles to hang on their lanterns.
L7 Lesson Plan - Chinese lanterns.pdfLesson 8 - Chinese myths
Aims:
To learn about myths and their functions in society.
Focused skill: Literature
Assessment Criteria:
Students are able to understand what myths are and reflect on what they have learnt from the moon story of Hou Yi and Chang’E.
L8 Lesson Plan - Chinese Myths.pdfLesson 9 - Mid-Autumn Festival customs
Aims:
To learn about untold customs at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
To practise reading comprehension skills and complete a reading exercise.
Focused skill: Reading comprehension
Assessment Criteria:
Students practise reading comprehension skills such as making inferences and locating key information.
L9 Lesson Plan - Mid-autumn festival customs.pdfLesson 10 - Boardgame
Aims:
To consolidate students’ understanding of the story.
To consolidate cultural knowledge and customs related to the moon story and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Focused skill: Reading
Assessment Criteria:
Students follow the instructions and play the boardgame correctly. Students will answer questions about the book to reinforce their understanding of the story and the cultural customs related to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
L10 Lesson Plan - Boardgame.pdf