1. Today’s Instructions
Today you will rotate with your group to 6 stations about different literary aspects of the book.
Your group will have only 8 minutes at a station, so make the most of your time by staying on task.
Place your packet and your theme statements on your desk. This is where you will take your notes about today’s discussion.
Your group will receive a grade for today’s work based on an evaluation of your reflections of your work on the station packet. Be sure it is accurately completed and that each section is completed by a different group member.
At the end of the class period, we will debrief about the day.

2. Joy Luck Club Prompts
Amy Tan chronicles how the experiences of the mothers impact the lives of their daughters. How do such life experiences in one generation follow the life of another generation and contribute to a theme for the entire novel?
The novel clearly shows the difficulty immigrants face in maintaining their cultural heritage in America. How does this challenge impact the characters and contribute to a theme for the entire novel?
The mothers face many conflicts. How does one major conflict deeply influence the course of one mother’s life and contribute to a theme of the entire novel?
The novel clearly shows the contrast between Chinese and American cultures. How do these cultural conflicts impact the characters and contribute to a theme for the novel?

3. Bless Me, Ultima Prompts
How does the author’s use of cultural conflicts in the novel contribute to the development of a theme?
How does the author’s use of the contrasts in the novel contribute to the development of a theme?
How does Anaya’s geography of the novel contribute to a theme for his book?
Magical realism sets magical events in realistic contexts. How does the author use magical realism in the book to develop a theme?

4. Station 1 - Theme
Each group member should share the theme statements he or she created.
As a group review these and choose the four best theme statements. You may revise the original statements as needed to make the language stronger or the information more detailed.
Write the four themes in your packet.
One group member should also record the four themes on your station worksheet.

5. Station 2 - Motifs
As a group, discuss the following motifs and discuss the significance of each, making notes in your own packet:
Wind
Dreams
Bridge
River
One group member should also record on the station worksheet details about one of the motifs your group has discussed.
If your group finishes before the time is up for this station, review any questions in your packet that you have not completed or do not understand.

6. Station 2 – Character Conflict and Connections
As a group, discuss the following characters and conflicts between the characters. Based on their stories, what connections do the mother and daughter have? How has the mother influenced the character of her daughter?
Suyuan and June
Lindo and Waverly
An-Mei and Rose
Ying-Ying and Lena

7. Station 3 - Magical Realism
Review the definition of magical realism.
In your group discuss how each element listed below supports the definition of magical realism (how it is both real and magical):
Ultima’s owl
Tony’s dream on pages
Ultima’s healing of the Tellez family
Trementina sisters
The Golden Carp
One group member should also record on the station worksheet details about the elements your group has discussed.

8. Station 3 - Symbols
Review the definition of symbol. As a group, choose two significant symbols from the book and then discuss how each is developed by the author, its significance to the story, and textual evidence that supports that. List this in your packet and your group’s packet.

9. Station 4 - Comparison
In your group, discuss how the novel Bless Me, Ultima compares to one of the following novels: A Separate Peace, Lord of the Flies, or Great Expectations. Specifically address the following: character, conflict, and theme.
Record your discussion on your sheet.

10. Station 4 - Comparison
In your group, discuss how the novel The Joy Luck Club compares to one of the following novels: A Separate Peace, Lord of the Flies, or Great Expectations. Specifically address the following: character, conflict, and theme.
Record your discussion on your sheet.

11. Station 5 - Contrasts As a group, discuss the following:
What is an author’s purpose in using stark contrasts?
  What are three particularly effective contrasts that Anaya uses to fulfill this purpose? Detail your comparison on the station worksheet. Why does he include each?
One group member should record on the station worksheet details about the questions your group has discussed.

12. Station 5 – Author’s Style
As a group, discuss the author’s style—Tan’s diction, the images she writes, the details included/omitted that provide significance to the theme, Tan’s use of figurative language, her syntax, the point of view she chooses for her stories, and her organization of her work.

13. Station 6 - Geography
As a group, create a map that labels the following places from the novel. You may use the paper, markers, and map pencils provided for you or your own supplies.
Rosie’s
The church
The bridge
The river
Tony’s farm
The llano
The juniper tree
Attach the map to your station worksheet.

14. Station 6 - Geography
Create a map of China that labels some of the cities found in The Joy Luck Club.. Use the links below to find out about China’s geography. Try to include some of the following places: Kweilin, Chungking, Shanghai, Wushi, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tientsin, Hangchow, Tai Lake, Kunming, Wuchang, Ningpo, Fen River, and Taiyuan. Remember some of the cities may have different spellings.