This lesson includes scaffolded analytical writing tasks that provide examples for teaching Common Core writing.

Mary (Yingmei) Yang is often embarrassed by her family’s use of Chinese customs, and she desperately wants to fit in with other American girls. When differences between Chinese and American cultures cause a breakdown in communication, Mary Yang realizes that family is more important than being popular, and with this realization comes the understanding that it is okay to make mistakes while learning the ways of a new culture.  (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt StoryTown, 2008)

This lesson was created as part of the Basal Alignment Project, during which teachers created CCSS-aligned lessons for existing literary and information texts in basal readers. All page numbers and unit/week designations found in this lesson relate to the edition of the basal reader named above. If you are using a trade book or different edition of this title, the page/unit/week references in this lesson will not match. Consult the content referenced in the body of the lesson to determine appropriate page numbers for your text.