Moon Shadow had many challenges to overcome when he moved to America. As a Chinese immigrant in the early 1900s, he and his family faced a great deal of racism and cruelty. Some of the other challenges that Moon Shadow faced were language, lack of money, making friends, troubled family members, the earthquake, missing his mother, and adapting to the culture of his new home. For this activity, students will create a three cell storyboard that illustrates some challenges that Moon Shadow faced in America.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a spider map that identifies challenges that the Moon Shadow faces in Dragonwings. Illustrate instances of each challenge and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
Empathy mapping helps students deepen their understanding of Moon Shadow’s experiences by putting themselves in his shoes. This activity fosters critical thinking and meaningful discussion about the character’s struggles.
Explain that students will create an empathy map for Moon Shadow, focusing on what he might think, feel, see, and hear as he faces challenges. Highlight how this will help them connect with the character’s perspective.
Ask each group to discuss and list possible thoughts, emotions, and sensory details Moon Shadow might experience. Encourage collaboration and respectful sharing of ideas to build a richer empathy map.
Provide a template with four labeled sections: Think, Feel, See, Hear. Have students fill in each section with specific examples from the novel, supporting their choices with evidence.
Invite groups to share their empathy maps. Lead a discussion about how Moon Shadow’s challenges might influence his actions and decisions, helping students build empathy and gain deeper literary understanding.
Moon Shadow faced many challenges in Dragonwings, including racism, language barriers, poverty, missing his mother, and adapting to a new culture in America.
Students can use a three-cell storyboard to show different challenges Moon Shadow faced by drawing scenes, adding characters, and writing short descriptions for each example.
A spider map is a graphic organizer that helps students visually list and describe each challenge Moon Shadow faces, making it easier to organize ideas for assignments.
Moon Shadow struggled because he encountered racism, unfamiliar language, new customs, and missed his family, all of which made adjusting to American life difficult.
Teachers can use storyboards, spider maps, and class discussions to help students connect with characters’ experiences and explore the impact of historical events on their lives.