Lesson Plan #1

Unit Instructional Objective: Over the course of studying the novel, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate the repeated story lines which compose the history of narration.
• Synthesize the various aspects of identity and its development with the family infrastructure.
• Analyze and defend reasons how or why self-esteem affects the success or failure of characters (or vice versa).
• Evaluate connections between students’ own experiences with the struggles of life to the portrayal of Adeline.

Resources/Materials: Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah, The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right.

Time Frame: Lesson Plans 1 and 2 will take approximately 2, 45 minute, class periods.

Interdisciplinary Possibilities:

Children’s Rights:

• Identify the complexity of Adeline’s family dynamics. How is the abuse experienced by Adeline a result of her dysfunctional family infrastructure? What is the experience of the other children? To what degree is this account of an abusive childhood universal?
• How is Adeline able to achieve success despite her childhood emotional deprivation?
• How are the autobiographical events of the author’s childhood influenced by Chinese society and customs? How would the events be different if they were to occur in another society?

Gender Roles

• Discuss the social hierarchy of the Yen household. Define the personality characteristics of the family member according to whether they possess masculine or feminine character traits. How does gender influence the hierarchy—where do the women of the novel fit and how does their personality affect their rank?
• How do the beauty myth and societal ideals affect Adeline in the novel?
• What is the significance of the fairy tale told to the author by Aunt Baba on the aunt's deathbed? Compare the story to Cinderella. In the end, what do we learn about Aunt Baba's role in Adeline's life and about her attitudes toward her niece?

Religion and Spirituality

• There are a number of funerals in the book, notably Ye Ye's, Father's, and Niang's. Discuss how the members of the family react to them. How are they different? How are they similar?
• Each chapter of the novel is entitled using a Chinese proverb. Discuss the ways in which students can use these proverbs in their personal lives. Then compare to how Adeline applies them to her upbringing and spiritual development.
• How is Adeline able to achieve happiness despite her childhood emotional deprivation?

Instructional Strategies: Lesson Plan #1: The Book of Rules

Objective: SWDAT apply knowledge of characterization and of main characters in Falling Leaves by completing a group activity using The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right and by discussing results in a class discussion.

Materials: Copies of The Rules for group work, overhead transparency with Table of Contents and DO NOW assignment, small slips of paper for closure activity.

Procedure: (This lesson should occur at the completion of the novel)

1. Students read the Table of Contents from The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right displayed on the overhead and then respond briefly to the following DO NOW in their journals: The above Table of Contents comes from the #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right published in 1995. What do you think of a book devoted to giving woman a set of “time-tested,” universal rules to follow for dating and finding a mate? Why do you feel that way? How do you think Adeline’s grandmother would feel about these rules and why? Girls, how practical are these rules and do you think you would generally follow the authors’ suggestions? Boys, would you want to date someone who followed such rules exclusively? Why or why not?
   
   
2. Volunteers will briefly share their reactions to the DO NOW with the class.
   
   
3. The teacher then instructs students that they will now look at some of the rules more closely and in reference to what they have established about the main characters in the novel. More specifically, students will work in groups of three and utilize character charts created in a previous lesson. Each group will be assigned one or two of the following rules: Rule #1 “Be a ‘Creature Unlike Any Other’,” Rule #4 “Don’t Meet Him Halfway or Go Dutch on a Date,” Rule #7 “Don’t Accept a Saturday Night Date after Wednesday,” Rule #8 “Fill Up Your Time before the Date,” Rule #9 “How to Act on Dates 1, 2, 3,” Rule #18 “Don’t Expect a Man to Change or Try to Change Him,” Rule #20 “Be Honest but Mysterious,” Rule 24 “Slowly Involve Him in Your Family and Other Rules for Women with Children,” Rule #30 “Next! and Other Rules for Dealing with Rejection,” and Rule #35 “Be Easy to Live With.” Each group’s task is to read the assigned chapter from The Rules and select a main character’s reaction to the rule. Students should discuss whether or not the character would endorse the rule and how they might rewrite the rule if need be. Most importantly, students should be able to substantiate their conclusions by giving specific examples from Falling Leaves.
   
   
4. When students are finished with the group work, they will put their conclusions on the board but without revealing the identity of their selected character. The class will discuss and guess which character's reaction is being expressed based on their prior knowledge of each character’s traits.
   
   
5. Closure activity: For homework, students will write how they feel the book would have ended if Adeline had a copy of The Rules handy.