Themes, symbols, and motifs come alive when you use a storyboard! In this activity, students will identify a theme of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and support it with evidence from the text. Students will illustrate their selections.
One theme of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is generosity.
Some other themes that are prevalent in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon include fortune or fate, curiosity, and trust.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard illustrating themes in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
Invite students to share personal experiences or examples from other stories where generosity made a difference. Encouraging open conversation helps students connect the book’s theme to their own lives and deepens understanding.
Write questions like, “Why do you think Minli chose to help the old man?” or “How did generosity change the characters’ lives?” Open-ended questions prompt students to think critically and support their opinions with evidence from the text.
Ask students to share times when they or someone they know showed generosity. Relating themes to real life makes the lesson more meaningful and memorable.
Display storyboards, images, or short video clips depicting acts of generosity from the novel. Visuals support diverse learners and help everyone recall significant scenes.
Guide students to summarize what they learned about generosity and how it can be practiced daily. Reflecting as a group builds classroom community and reinforces positive values.
Generosity is a central theme in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. The story shows how acts of kindness, like Minli helping a stranger and others helping her, lead to positive changes and deeper connections.
Students can identify themes by looking for repeated ideas or lessons in the story. They should find examples where characters show traits like generosity, trust, or curiosity, and support their choices with evidence from the text.
Examples of generosity include Minli giving her only coin to an old man, Da-A-Fu’s family helping Dragon and Minli, and characters sharing resources and wisdom with each other throughout the story.
Illustrating themes with storyboards helps students visualize key ideas, strengthens comprehension, and encourages creativity. It also allows them to connect textual evidence with visual representation, making themes easier to understand.
Other important themes include fortune or fate, curiosity, and trust. These themes are shown through Minli’s journey, her questions, and the relationships she builds along the way.