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Lesson 11

We will summarize the lessons we have learned from “Mother Tongue” about community and possible responsibilities of individuals and families. We will analyze the structure of the essay to determine how Tan conveys her message, makes a compelling argument, and establishes credibility.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I express an accurate understanding of the central ideas and themes of “Mother Tongue”?

  • Can I recognize and interpret structures and patterns that Tan uses to develop to build her case and support her claims in “Mother Tongue”?

  • Can I analyze and explain how the author’s perspective influences the position, purpose, and ideas in “Mother Tongue”?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan, Threepenny Review, Reprinted by permission from Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency., 1990

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Write – Discuss

We will review the central idea and supporting evidence for “Mother Tongue.”

Step 1

Considering the fact that mother tongue is a term for a person’s first language, respond to the following question in your Learning Log:

  1. Why is the title of this text significant? Does the title have multiple meanings?

Step 2

With a partner, share the responses you wrote down in the Evaluating Ideas Tool you completed for homework. Then discuss the following questions:

  1. What is the central idea of “Mother Tongue”?

  2. What position or stance does the author convey to the reader about identities, family, and communities?

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will divide “Mother Tongue” into sections in order to better understand the essay.

Step 1

Enclose the first two paragraphs of “Mother Tongue” in brackets. Read these paragraphs and respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. What do you know about the narrator?

  2. How do the statements in this section work to establish her credibility?

Step 2

As a class, discuss the purpose of this section and create a heading for the first two paragraphs. Write this heading in bold print at the top of this section. Consider the following question:

  1. What other texts have we read in this unit that are similar in style, structure, and content to “Mother Tongue”?

Step 3

With a partner, skim the essay and your annotations again to identify paragraphs containing related ideas. Use brackets to connect these paragraphs. Consider how these sections that you have tentatively defined each help to support the writer’s central idea.

Create a heading for each section that captures the key ideas of that section.

Join another pair and share your sections and headings. Justify your thinking with evidence from the text and revise your headings as needed.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will review paragraphs 7–11 of “Mother Tongue,” analyze the structure of the text, and determine how the author supports her claim about her mother’s “Limited” english.

Step 1

Reread Paragraph 8 and respond to the following question:

  1. What claim is the author making about her mother in this section of the text? Are these claims explicitly stated or implied?

Step 2

With a partner, review Tan’s claims in Paragraphs 7-11, using the following questions to guide your analysis:

  1. What is the author’s position on the issues of language and perception, both within her family and within her community?

  2. What claims does Tan use to support her position?

  3. Does Tan acknowledge other positions on these issues and respond to them through counterclaims?

  4. What kind of evidence does Tan provide in Paragraphs 9-10? Is this section literary or informational text? Consider the distinctions between these two types of text.

  5. Summarize the anecdotes in Paragraphs 9-11. What is the significance of these events as they relate to the author’s relationship with her mother and her community?

Step 3

Compose a quickwrite in your Learning Log in response to the following question:

  1. Identify an example of a similar pattern of evidence in “Mother Tongue.” Describe how Tan structures her arguments and develops her claims in this essay.

Step 4

Based on your analysis of Tan’s essay, write down any new notes in the “Writer’s Rhetorical Toolbox” section of your Learning Log.