Page 57 - Point 5 Literature Program Option 1 Teachers Guide (2) (1)

Analysis and Interpretation

Let’s Think – Uncovering motives
the hots taught in this story is Uncovering motives. hold group discussions on the
suggested topics before the students answer the first two questions. alternatively, you may
bring in an unfamiliar object or item of dress and ask students to think about why you did this.
Answers to questions 1 and 2 might include:
1. Waverly knew she would not let me play among strangers. She used invisible strength and applied the strategy
of bite back your tongue that her mother had taught her, and it worked. Waverly told her mother she was
frightened she would shame her family by playing to American rules and losing. Her mother thought Is shame you
fall down nobody push you and ‘made’ her play!

2. Waverly’s parents were Chinese immigrants and thus culturally disadvantaged in America. Mrs. Jong knew that
her generation would never be American in the true sense, as the culture was too different and there was also
the language problem. But Waverly was American and could do well for the whole family.

The students’ attention is drawn to the short story element of conflict, which underlies question 3.
Answers might include:

3.
Conflict Outcome
Mother tries to teach Waverly the art of invisible Waverly bites back her tongue and earns the bag of plums.
strength by refusing to buy her a bag of salted plums
when she cries for them.
Waverly wants to play chess in local tournaments but Waverly bites back her tongue once again and uses
knows her mother will not allow her to play among the art of invisible strength to win her mother’s permission.
strangers.
Ma, I can’t practice when you stand there like that, She retreated to the kitchen and made loud noises with the
I said one day. pots and pans.
Next time win more, lose less. At the next tournament, I won again, but it was my
Ma, it’s not how many pieces you lose, I said. Sometimes you mother who wore the triumphant grin. Lost eight piece this
need to lose pieces to get ahead. time. Last time was eleven. What I tell you? Better off lose less!
Better to lose less, see if you really need.

Let’s Think – Explaining cause and effect
the students are introduced to the hots of Explaining cause and effect, a concept they
should be familiar with as a reading strategy. let the students discuss the situations for
a. and b. in pairs and then present their ideas to the class. Item c. may be considered individually.
alternatively, you can use a visual demonstration of cause and effect, such as setting up dominoes
in a row and tipping over the first one.

Answers
4. Mrs. Jong was proud of her daughter’s success in America and so she made Waverly come with her to the
market on Saturdays so she could brag to everyone about her.
5. The results of Mrs. Jong’s actions were that Waverly was embarrassed, she got angry with her mother and ran away.

students use the hots of Generating possibilities which they learned on Student’s Coursebook
page 36, to answer question 6.

Answers will vary, but might include:
6. Waverly apologizes to her mother for her behavior and does what her mother wants in order not to fight with her.

rules of the game 57