Download When is New Year?

Lesson SPI Guidelines:
Use the activities in the lesson materials to help students practice
the following grade-level appropriate SPI related skills, among
others. As you read the activities, keep in mind the specifics skills
your students need to practice and master in the different grade levels and use them to
guide your approach in how you present the activities and what you have the students do.
You can add additional SPIs in your plans that are outside the specific ones listed below
3rd
Language
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Identify the correct use of verbs (i.e. present, past, and future tense) within context.
Identify the correct use of adjectives (i.e., comparative and superlative) within context.
Choose the correct formation of contractions and plurals within context.
Identify the correct use of commas with dates, addresses, items in a series, and the greeting and
closing of a friendly letter.
Identify declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences by recognizing appropriate end
marks
Writing and Research
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Identify the purpose for writing (i.e., to entertain, to inform, to respond to a picture, story, or
art).
Choose a topic sentence for a paragraph.
Choose a supporting sentence that best fits the context and flow of ideas in a paragraph.
Choose the most specific word to complete a simple sentence.
From a given list, identify information that is (or is not) available in a certain reference source
(e.g., what information does one find in a thesaurus).
4th
Language
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Identify the correct use of verbs (i.e., agreement, tenses, action and linking) within context.
Identify the correct use of adjectives (i.e., comparison forms and articles) and adverbs (i.e.,
comparison forms and negatives) within context.
1
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Identify the correct use of commas (i.e., series, dates, addresses, friendly letters, introductory
words, compound sentences) within context.
Choose the sentence that best supports the topic sentence and fits the flow of ideas in a
paragraph.
Writing and Research
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Identify the purpose for writing (i.e., to entertain, to inform, to share experiences).
Choose a topic sentence for a paragraph.
Select details that support a topic sentence.
Select appropriate time-order or transitional words to enhance the flow of a writing sample.
Differentiate among the kinds of information available in a variety of reference materials (i.e.,
dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, encyclopedia).
5th
Language
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Identify the correct use of verbs (i.e., action/linking, regular/irregular, agreement, tenses) within
context.
Identify the correct use of adjectives (i.e., common/proper, comparative forms, predicate
adjectives) and adverbs (i.e., comparative forms, negatives) within context.
Identify sentences with correct use of commas (i.e., series, dates, addresses, friendly letters,
compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions, and introductory words) and of colons within
context.
Identify within context a variety of appropriate sentence-combining techniques (i.e., comma+
coordinating conjunction, use of semicolon, introductory phrases and/or clauses).
Identify correctly or incorrectly spelled words in context, including the correct spelling of plurals
and possessives.
Writing and Research
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Identify the audience for which a text is written.
Identify the purpose for writing (i.e., to entertain, to inform, to share experiences, to persuade,
to report).
Select details that support a topic sentence.
Select vivid and active words for a writing sample.
Select appropriate sources from which to gather information on a given topic.
6th
Language
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
Identify the correct use of verbs (i.e., action, linking, regular/irregular, agreement) within
context.
Identify the correct use of adjectives (i.e., common/proper, comparative forms) and adverbs
(i.e., comparative forms) within context.
2
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Choose the correct use of quotation marks, commas (i.e., in direct quotations, with explanatory
material within the quote, proper use with end marks) and colons (i.e., in business letters,
preceding a list of items).
Identify the correct spelling of plurals and possessives.
Identify correctly and incorrectly spelled words in context.
Identify the correct use of commas (i.e., compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions,
introductory words, appositives, interrupters) within context.
Writing and Research
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Identify the purpose for writing (i.e., to inform, to describe, to explain, to persuade).
Identify the audience for which a text is written.
Identify sentences irrelevant to a paragraph’s theme or flow.
Rank research resources according to reliability.
Discern irrelevant research material from written text.
7th
Language
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Identify the correct use of commas (i.e., compound sentences, coordinating conjunctions,
introductory words, appositives, interrupters) within context.
Identify within context a variety of appropriate sentence-combining techniques (i.e., comma +
coordinating conjunction, use of semicolon, introductory phrases or clauses).
Select the most appropriate method to correct a run-on sentence (i.e., conjunctions,
semicolons, periods to join or separate elements) within context.
Choose the correct use of quotation marks and commas (i.e., in direct quotations, with
explanatory material within the quote, proper use with end marks).
Identify correctly and incorrectly spelled words in context
Writing and Research
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Identify the purpose for writing (i.e., to inform, to describe, to explain, to persuade, to
entertain).
Select an appropriate thesis statement for a writing sample.
Choose the supporting sentence that best fits the context and flow of ideas in a paragraph.
Select an appropriate concluding sentence for a well-developed paragraph.
8th
Language
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Identify the correct use of verbs (i.e., action/linking, regular/irregular, agreement, perfect
tenses, verb phrases) within context.
Identify the correct use of adjectives (i.e., common/proper, comparative/superlative, adjective
clauses) and adverbs (i.e., comparative/superlative) within context.
Identify within context a variety of appropriate sentence-combining techniques (i.e., comma +
coordinating conjunction, use of semicolon, introductory phrases or clauses).
3
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Select the most appropriate method to correct a run-on sentence (i.e., conjunctions,
semicolons, periods to join or separate elements).
Writing and Research
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Select an appropriate thesis statement for a writing sample.
Select appropriate time-order or transitional words/phrases to enhance the flow of a writing
sample.
Select vivid words to strengthen a description (adjective or adverb) within a writing sample or
passage.
Identify levels of reliability among resources (e.g., eyewitness account, newspaper account,
supermarket tabloid account, Internet source).
Glossary of Terms

Adjective: An adjective modifies (describes or says something about) a noun or
pronoun.
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Adverb: An adverb modifies (describes or says something about) a verb, or an
adjective, or another adverb. The adverb is usually formed by adding an -ly ending
to an adjective.(soft=softly, quiet=quietly, strong=strongly, etc.)
o EXAMPLE—modifying a VERB (verb+adverb):
 sang beautifully
 ran quickly
 drove carefully
 screamed loudly
 studied well
 sobbed quietly
o EXAMPLE—modifying an ADJECTIVE (adverb+adjective+noun):
 outrageously expensive dress
 incredibly rich dessert
 luxuriously appointed sports car
 really difficult exam
o EXAMPLE—modifying an ADVERB (verb+adverb+adverb):
 ran incredibly quickly
 screamed unbelievably loudly
 drove very carefully
 studied really well
Subject complement: the word which completes the meaning of the sentence.
 Action Verbs: The active or action verb tells what action the subject does and
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answers the question, “What did [the subject] do? Remember that 99 percent of the
time, an action verb is one which can be demonstrated (run, walk, sing, talk, cry,
laugh). Unlike linking verbs, sentences with ACTIVE VERBS will not allow any
changing of positions, without ruining or changing the sense of the sentence:
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o Jean hit the ball.
 The ball hit Jean. (Notice this changes the entire meaning of the
sentence.)
o The class read three books.
A Note on Bad vs. Badly
 Three books read the class.
Students who want to speak English
o Beth bought a new car.
correctly have trouble deciding when to
 A new car bought Beth
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Linking verbs-Linking verbs are verbs that do
use bad or badly. Before we can discuss this
question--there’s always a catch--we must
talk about the two types of English verbs.
Action verbs show any action which one
can readily demonstrate or visualize.
Linking verbs show a state of existing or
being. They are hard to visualize or
demonstrate. Linking verbs include all
forms of the verb “to be” and “sense” verbs
which relate to the five senses. Using
correct English, you would say the
following:
 His stereo sounds scratchy
(adjective).
 This milk tastes rancid (adjective).
You should not say, “His stereo sounds
scratchily” or “This milk tastes rancidly.”
because the complement of the linking
verb must be either a noun or an adjective,
never an adverb; likewise, you cannot say,
“I felt badly about hurting his feelings.”
Feel is a linking verb and must take an
adjective (bad) as its complement. The
correct sentence is “I felt bad about hurting
his feelings.” Otherwise you are saying your
sense of touch has somehow gone wrong.
not show action; instead, they connect the
subject of the verb to additional information
about the subject. These verbs usually can’t be
demonstrated. Linking verbs include the
following: forms of the verb “to be”: am, is, was,
were, will be, had been, etc. & verbs of “sense”:
seem, appear, look, smell, taste, sound, etc. in
many cases, the LINKING VERB works like an
EQUAL SIGN to show that the subject and the
subject complement are equal. The part of
speech which completes the meaning of a linking
verb will be either a noun or an adjective. When
the main verb in a sentence is a linking verb and
the complement is a noun, THE SUBJECT AND
THE COMPLEMENT ARE EQUAL. Look at this
sentence:
o Susie is head cheerleader.
We can CHANGE THE POSITION of the subject
and the complement in this sentence, making the
complement the subject and the subject the
complement:
o The head cheerleader is Susie.
In other words, Susie = cheerleader.
o A HINT: If a student can’t decide whether a verb is active or linking, have
them try to substitute one of these words--am, is, was, were--in the sentence.
 Mary APPEARS snobbish.
 Mary IS snobbish.
 Mr. Smith LOOKED unhappy yesterday.
 Mr. Smith WAS unhappy yesterday.
 The speaker SEEMED nervous before the crowd.
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 The speaker WAS nervous before the crowd.
o In the sentences above, appears, looked, and seemed are linking verbs, based
on this substitution.

Regular verbs- These are verbs that can easily be conjugated- accept- accepted,
accepting etc. They follow a pattern. To form the past tense of a regular verb ending
with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), add a d to the word. To form the present/past perfect
tense, add a d plus a helping verb (have, had, or has).
o For example, the verb share ends with the vowel e.
 share = present tense
 shared (share + d) = past tense
 had shared (had + share + d) = past perfect tense (have is the helping
verb)
If the regular verb ends with a consonant, add ed for the past tense. Add ed plus a
helping verb for the present/past perfect tense.
o For example, the verb pour ends with the consonant r.
 pour = present tense
 poured (pour + ed) = past tense
 have poured (have + pour + ed) = present perfect tense
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Irregular verbs- A verb thats past tense is not formed with the past tense of -ed. It
doesn't follow the regular forms of conjugation and unlike regular verbs, irregular
verbs do not follow a pattern. You must memorize them.
o For example, the irregular verb see has three principal parts: see, saw, seen.
 I see the stars= present tense
 I saw the stars= past tense
 I have seen the stars= present perfect tense
For a list of irregular verbs and a few tricky regular verbs that students often misuse
go to:
http://www.stlcc.edu/Student_Resources/Academic_Resources/Writing_Resources
/Grammar_Handouts/verb_list_irregular.pdf

Imagery: Imagery involves one or more of your five senses (hearing, taste, touch,
smell, sight). An author uses a word or phrase to stimulate your memory of those
senses.
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Metaphor: Comparing two things by using one kind of object or using in place of
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another to suggest the likeness between them. Ex. Her hair was silk.
Onomatopoeia: Naming a thing or an action by imitating the sound associated
with it. Ex. buzz, hiss, roar, woof.
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Hyperbole: Big exaggeration, usually with humor. Ex. Mile high ice cream cones.
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Personification: Giving something human qualities. Ex. The rock screamed in pain
when we stepped on it.
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Simile: A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by
like or as. Ex. The sun is like a yellow ball of fire in the sky.
 Alliteration: The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more
neighboring words or syllables. Ex: The wild and woolly walrus waits and wonders
when we'll walk by.
 Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds but not consonants in words (as "red
hen") for poetic effect. the use of words that have the same or very similar vowel
sounds near one another (as in “summer fun” and “rise high in the bright sky.”)
 Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels, as
in assonance. Example: lady lounges lazily, dark deep dread.
7
China has a population of about 1.3 billion. This means that if your
class represented the earth's total population, 25% of students
would be from China! With this number in mind, can students guess
what is the world's most widely celebrated holiday? Here's a hint:
How often does New Year’s Day come around? When is New Year?
Most people will answer January 1. Well, that is correct. But if we
want to be more specific, it depends on which calendar system in use. With the calendar
most of us use, a new year begins every 365 days, on January 1. But suppose you had two
calendars to follow, each with a different number of days? A new year would begin at a
different point on each calendar. Before you tell them, have students practice their
calendar-reading skills by searching to find the answer on a monthly calendar: Chinese
New Year. This year, on January 23rd, well over 1.4 billion people will be celebrating a new
year a month late, at least according to many of us. Why is it on a different day? They’ll be
celebrating the lunar new year, and bringing in 4710, the year of the Dragon. (2012 will be
lunar year 4710 in the Chinese calendar system. It is not the “Chinese New Year” but the
“Lunar New Year” as the date is celebrated by many
others besides the Chinese.]
The solar new year happens every
year on January 1st, but the lunar
new year happens on the second
new moon of the year, which
happens a different day each year.
This auspicious holiday, which has
been observed annually in China
for more than 5,000 years, falls
on a different date each year
because the Chinese calendar is
based on a combination of the lunar
and solar cycles. In the lunar
calendar, the first day of the month
coincides (happens at the same time)
with the new moon and the middle of the
month usually coincides with the full
moon. The new year arrives with the second
moon following the winter solstice (the shortest
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day of the year, where we have the shortest amount of daylight, and the day when the
midday sun (at noon) is at its lowest point above the horizon, usually on or about December
21) and the lunar new year begins between January 21 and February 20. Thus, Chinese New
Year falls sometime between January 21 and February 20.
The Chinese word Nian means ripe grains. The word dates back to oracle (a prophet or
predictor of the future) bone inscriptions (carvings) dating back three thousand years ago. A
good harvest or the process of a harvest was considered a year. The whole purpose, in
history, of creating a calendar or keeping track of time was to help with agriculture. It was
important to know when to till the soil and sow (plant) the seeds. You can say that the first
calendar in China was sort of put together for the benefit of agriculture production.
Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty (A dynasty is a succession of people from the same
family who rule a country for many years), New Years Day and Winter Solstice were the
emperor’s most important times. (Emperor: A ruler of great power and rank, esp. one ruling
an empire). It was the responsibility of the emperor to keep track of the time, to perform
traditional rituals before these dates, and tune and select the music so that heaven and
earth were in harmony. Winter Solstice was the most important event because if an
emperor blundered (messed up/did it
wrong) that day the kingdom wouldn't know
which day marked the coming of the new
year. These two days are the only days that
don’t change on the lunar calendar.
The festival was a way of letting the people
know what time it was and what to do. The
lunar calendar had all sorts of important
days that kept people in tune with their daily
rituals and mother nature. Keep in mind
that the emperors did not do everything by
themselves and had experts or “officials” to
help out, but they were responsible to keep
the mandate (commands). By insuring the
accuracy of these dates, the state and the
people knew when to work and when to do
what (the lunar calendar is like the farmer’s
almanac which is an annual (once a year)
magazine or book including calendars with
weather forecasts, ocean tides, full moon
dates, weather history, sun rise & set times,
best planting dates, and folklore, etc.) If
possible, show students an almanac and
read samples of what it contains.
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Chinese New Year is a time to dance with the dragon, but it is also a time to welcome good
fortune into our lives, a time for family and a time for tradition. This is when we forget
negative words and things and concentrate on the positive things in our lives. It is a time to
bless with happiness and prosperity (success). Of all the traditional Chinese festivals, New
Year is perhaps the most elaborate (complex), colorful, and important. The Chinese New
Year is a 15 day festival quiet with the hope of good fortune, yet booming with the spectacle
(demonstration/show) of exploding firecrackers and dancing dragons. It is marked not only
by number but also by animal. This is a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other and
themselves on having passed through another year, a time to finish out the old, and to
welcome in a new year. The seventh day of the Chinese New Year is called Yan Yat,
"Everybody's Birthday."The origins of the Chinese New Year celebrations were born out of
fear and myth (legends).
Chinese Legends
Besides historical records, there are also many stories and legends worth mentioning. The
first and perhaps most enjoyable is the story of Nian (Year "Nian" as in New Year –"Xin
Nian"). Chinese legends and stories about the New Year traditions have been
told for many centuries. Stories often are slightly different depending on the
region that you are in, and the personal beliefs of the person telling
the legend of the New Year.
There are three basic stories about how the Lantern
Festival came to be, some older than the
Han Dynasty, like the Legend
of Nian. Chinese legends
and stories often include
the beast Nian, a monster
that preys on children,
livestock, and crops. In
some stories, Nian
rises from the
bottom of the sea
or from deep
within the
mountains, coming to destroy life and property.
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It’s Madness, Glib
Madness!
Listen to Learn: As you read the following
original story of Nian, the Chinese New Year
Story, have the students fill out the included
story sheet [Waiting for Nian] picking out
relevant details, plot details, answering
questions, etc.
Next: Talk with students about how to create
their own Mad Libs® style stories. Point out
that one easy way is to begin by writing or
using a synopsis of a familiar story such as a fairy tale or folktale, like the original story of
Nian, that you just read.
Sample:
Long ago, 1.___________ ruled the 2.__________ and the world was not a safe place for 3._________.
There was one 4.______________ 5.____________ that 6._____________ out of the 7._________, or deep
from within the mountains one day each year to 8.____________ people. This monster was
named Nian, he was a 9.__________ and angry creature with the body of a 10. ___________ and
the head of a lion. He had a11. _____________ so big he could 12.______________ several people in
a 13. ____________ bite. The people marked the end of their 14._____________ by his visits to their
15. ______________. His 16._____________ is where the Chinese word for year came from.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Plural noun
Noun
Plural Noun
Adjective
Noun
Verb
Noun
Verb
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Adjective
Noun
Noun (body part)
Verb
Adjective
Noun
Noun
Noun
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Mad Lib Variation A: Then, using a highlighter, have students go through the synopsis
and delete at least ten important story words. Also have students put in spaces for more vivid
words to strengthen the story, etc. Talk with students about how they can use the spaces to
change the story, even to change the purpose of the writing- to persuade, report, entertain
and have them look for transition words.
To develop a list of clues, suggest that students use
a dictionary to check each highlighted word's part of
speech. Explain that if the word is a proper noun
that names a specific type of person, place, or thing,
they should note this in the clue. List the parts of
speech on the Clue List in the same order they
appear in the story. Once they have made their clue
list, have them rewrite their story on the Final Draft
sheet, replacing the highlighted words with blanks,
writing the appropriate clue in parentheses under
the blank. Once students have developed their clue
lists, have them complete each other's Mad Libs®
style Nian stories in the traditional way. The
student will ask a classmate to supply words that fit
their Clue List while they transfer their classmate's
Clue List words into the appropriate blanks on their
Final Draft and then have fun reading the Mad Libs®
with their classmates!
Mad Lib Variation B: Using the pre-prepared sheet have students fill in the blanks with
their choice of appropriate opening sentences, topic sentences, closing sentences, and
supporting sentences.
Mad Lib Variation C: Using the pre-prepared sheet have students fill in the blanks with
their choice of appropriate adverbs, nouns, adjectives, regular, irregular, action, and linking
verbs.
Group work: For time considerations, if you plan to read the students Mad Libs style story as
a class, you may want to assign pairs or groups to a specific paragraph or set of numbers, ex. 110, rather than having students work on the entire sheet.
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The Chinese New Year Story
Long ago, monsters ruled the world and the world was not a safe place for people. There
was one dangerous monster that came out of the ocean, or deep from within the mountains
one day each year to eat people. This monster was named Nian, he was a strong and angry
creature with the body of a bull and the head of lion. He had a mouth so big he could
swallow several people in a single bite. The people marked the end of their year by his
visits to their village. His name is where the Chinese word for year came from.
Nian spent his days and nights in the bottomless sea, or deep within the mountain caves
hunting for food. Towards the end of winter the land grew empty and there was nothing to
eat. This is when Nian would visit the villages and attack from the shadows, eating
whatever it could. The villagers would live in fear over the winter waiting for Nian. Every
year all the villagers would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from
Nian and stay up all night, watching the darkness, listening for the sound of his footsteps,
hoping he wouldn’t find them.
There lived an old wise man in the village. He thought it was the fear in people that made
the monster so brave and strong and over the years he had seen that Nian was afraid of
three things: the color red, the light of fire, and loud noises. So one night when Nian was
seen coming down the mountain the old man asked people to work together to scare the
monster
away. He
said if they
beat drums
and gongs,
hung red
banners,
burned
bamboo,
and lit
fireworks
they would
chase the
monster
away.
Some
people
were too
afraid to
stay, and
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ran away into the caves, but some agreed to try. The villagers spent all night working,
getting ready as the monster was coming. They hung red banners throughout the village
and lit all the lanterns in every house and along the streets and gathered bamboo to burn.
Then, they waited and listened for the smell of his
breath and the sound of his footsteps.
On that moonless and freezing cold night, the
monster, Nian, appeared again, coming to destroy
the village as it did every year. The moment it
opened its mouth to eat someone, the villagers lit
the bamboo and it cracked and burnt, sounding like
many people shooting guns. Frightened by the
noise, the flashes of light, and red banners flying
from the doors in the wind, the monster quickly
turned and ran! Wherever the monster went, it
was forced to back off by the terrible noises of the
burning bamboo, the flapping of the red banners,
and the burning of its eyes by the lights of the
lanterns. The monster couldn't stop running until
he escaped into the sea, just as the sun’s first rays
touched the earth.
The people had lived through the long night and
saved their village! The next morning when the
frightened people from the caves came home to
their safe village everyone had a big celebration.
The next year they repeated the ritual and it has
been passed down generation to generation until
today. This legend explains many of the
Chinese traditions related to New Year, even
in 2012.
Since then, people have kept the tradition of Nian, or the
new year, by hanging red banners, setting off fire crackers
(which sound like
burning bamboo and give off light, want to know how they work? Watch this!
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/chemistry/fireworks.html), lighting their lamps, and
staying awake the whole night, keeping Nian away, and awaiting the Chinese New Year. The
custom spread far and wide and became a grand traditional celebration of the "Passing of
Nian" ("Nian" in Chinese means "year"). Even today families let their children stay up as
late as they can because it is believed that the longer the children stay up, the longer their
parents will live.
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Waiting for Nian
What does Nian looked like? How would you
describe him? What kinds of adjectives would
you use?:
What was Nian afraid of?
Who figured out how to frighten Nian away?
How would you have defeated him?
What if you were Nian and you had been
hungry for the last 2,000 years, what could you
do to defeat the villagers?
Re-write the story with a different ending or different events in the space below:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Did Nian win?
Why do people still celebrate Chinese New Year with lanterns, the color red, and fireworks?
What traditions does your family keep? Do you know how those traditions got started?
Draw a picture of Nian on the back of this sheet.
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A: Mad Lib It!: The Story of Nian
Long ago, monsters lived and the world was not a safe place for
people. One monster named Nian, was a strong and angry
creature with the body of a bull and the head of lion. He had a
mouth so big he could swallow several people in a single bite. The
people marked the end of their year by his visits to their village.
His name is where the Chinese word for year came from.
Clue List
Nian spent his days and nights hunting for food. Towards the end
of winter there was nothing to eat and Nian would attack the
villages eating whatever it could. The villagers would live in fear
all winter waiting for Nian. Every year all the villagers would take
their old people and children into the mountains to hide. They
would stay awake all night hoping the monster wouldn’t find
them.
There lived an old man in the village. He had learned that Nian
was afraid of three things: the color red, fire, and loud noises. One
night the old man asked people to work together to scare the
monster away. He said if they beat drums and gongs, hung red
banners, burned bamboo, and lit fireworks they would frighten
Nian. Some people were too afraid to stay, and ran away into the
caves, but some said they’d help. The villagers spent all night
working.
The next night, the monster came to find them. When it
opened its mouth the villagers burnt the bamboo and it
crackled like many people shooting guns. Frightened by
the noise, the flashes of light, and red banners flying from
the doors in the wind, the monster quickly turned and
ran, not stopping until he escaped into the sea.
The people had lived through the long night and saved their
village! The next morning when the frightened people from
the caves came home everyone had a big celebration. The
next year they repeated the ritual and it has been passed
down generation to generation until today. This legend explains
many of the Chinese traditions related to New Year, even in 2012.
16
Mad Lib It!: The Story of Nian
Clue List
17
B: Mad Lib It!: The Story of Nian
1.___________________________________________________________. One
monster named Nian, was a strong and angry creature with the
body of a bull and the head of lion. 2._____________________________
__________________________________________. The people marked the end
of their year by his visits to their village. His name is where the
Chinese word for year came from.
3. ______________________________________________________________.
Towards the end of winter there was nothing to eat and Nian
would attack the villages eating whatever it could. The villagers
would live in fear all winter waiting for Nian. 4._____________________
_____________________________________________________. They would stay
awake all night hoping the monster wouldn’t find them.
5. _________________________________________________________________. He
had learned that Nian was afraid of three things. 6. _________________
___________________________________________________. One night the old
man 7. ________________________________________________________. He said
if they beat drums and gongs, hung red banners, burned bamboo,
and lit fireworks they would frighten Nian. Some people were too
afraid to stay, and ran away into the caves, but some said they’d
help. 8. _____________________________________________________.
The next night, the monster came to find them. 9. __________________
_________________________________________________. Frightened by the
noise, the flashes of light, and red banners flying from the doors
in the wind, the monster quickly turned and ran. 10.
_________________________________________________________________.
The people had lived through the long night and saved
their village! 11. ___________________________________________
______________________________________________. The next year
they repeated the ritual and it has been passed down
generation to generation until today. This legend explains
__________________________________________________________________.
Clue List
1. Opening sentence
2. Supporting sentence
3. Topic sentences
4. Supporting sentence.
5. Topic Sentence
6. Supporting sentence
7. Supporting sentence
8. Closing sentence
9. Supporting sentence
10. Closing sentence
11. Supporting sentence
12. Closing sentence
18
Clue List
C: Mad Lib It!: The Story of Nian
Long ago, 1.___________ ruled the 2.__________ and the world was not a
safe place for 3._________. There was one 4.______________ 5.____________
that 6. _____________ 7._____________ out of the 8._________, or deep from
within the mountains one day each year to 9.____________ people. This
monster was named Nian, he was a 10.__________ and angry creature
with the body of a 11. ___________ and the head of a lion. 12. __________
had a 13. _____________ so big he could 14.______________ several people
in a 15. ____________ bite. The people marked the end of their
16._____________ by his 17. ___________ visits to their 18. ______________. His
19._____________ is where the Chinese word for year came from.
Nian spent 20. ___________ days and 21.__________nights 22. __________ for 23.
___________. Towards the end of winter there was nothing to eat 24. _________
Nian would 25. _____________ the villages 26. _________ whatever it could. The
villagers would live in 27. ___________ all winter 28. ____________ for Nian.
Every year all the villagers would take their 29. ____________ people and 30.
____________ into the mountains to 31. __________. They would stay awake all
night hoping the monster wouldn’t 32.___________________ 33.
__________________.
There lived an 34. ______________ man in the village. He had 35. ____________
that Nian was 36.______________ afraid of three things: the color red,
37.__________, and 38.___________ noises. One night the old man asked people
to work together to 39.____________ the monster away. He said if they beat
drums and gongs, hung 40. ______________ banners, burned 41. ______________,
42. _____________ lit fireworks they would frighten Nian. Some people were
43.___________ 44. _________ to stay, and 45. _______________ away into the caves,
but some said they’d help. The villagers spent all night 46.________________.
The next night, the monster came to find them. When it opened its mouth
the villagers burnt the bamboo and it crackled like many people 47.
___________ 48. ____________ . Frightened by the noise, the flashes of light, and
red banners flying from the doors in the wind, the monster quickly turned
and ran, not stopping until he escaped into the 49. ______________ sea.
The people had lived through the long night and saved their 50._________!
The next morning when the frightened people from the caves came home
everyone had a big celebration. The next year they repeated the ritual and
it has been passed down generation to generation until today. This legend
explains many of the Chinese traditions related to New Year, even in 2012.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
Plural noun
Noun
Plural Noun
Vivid Adjective
Noun
Adverb
Verb
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Noun
Pronoun
Noun (body part)
Verb
Vivid Adjective
Noun
Adverb
Noun
Noun
Pronoun
Vivid adjective
Action verb
Noun
Linking Verb
Action Verb
Irregular Verb
Adjective
Action Verb
Adjective
Plural Noun
Irregular Verb
Verb
Plural Pronoun
Adjective
Action Verb
Adverb
Noun
Adjective
Action Verb
Adjective
Noun
Linking Verb
Adverb
Verb
Action Verb
Action verb
Action Verb
Noun
Adjective
Noun
19
Fighting Nian: Flameless Lanterns
Build a battery powered circuit lantern that
lights up the night!
Discuss: When you need to light up a room, or a city, in
order to frighten Nian what can you do? You plug a
lamp into the wall or hang up a lantern! But what if you
only have a 9-volt battery, some wire, and a couple of
Christmas lights and Nian is charging down the
mountains? Is there any way to create light? We've got
you covered with the Light Circuit experiment. It's like a
flameless Chinese New Year Lantern or firecracker in
your hand!
Materials





9-volt battery
Christmas lights
Alligator clip wires
Toggle switch
Scissors
1. Have students use the scissors to cut two lights off of a working strand of Christmas
lights. Leave 1-2 inches of wire hanging from each light.
2. Have them strip the rubber insulation off half of the wire's length on both ends. If
they are using the scissors, caution them to be careful not to cut through the wire,
only the insulation.
3. It's time to create a simple circuit... Have students touch one of the stripped wires to
the negative side of the 9-volt battery and the other wire to the positive side of the
battery. Both of the Christmas lights should light up. If they don't, you may need to
find two more lights.
4. If you don't have a toggle switch and alligator clip wires, it's okay. You've already
created a circuit. If you do have a toggle switch and alligator clip wires, keep reading
to discover how to create a circuit that you can open and close with the flip of a
switch!
5. Use one alligator clip wire to connect the positive side of the 9-volt battery to one
ground on the toggle switch. Use another alligator clip wire to connect the negative
side of the 9-volt battery to the other ground on the toggle switch.
6. Now use two more alligator clip wires to connect the positive and negative sides of
the battery to the exposed light wires.
20
7. Play with the toggle switch to turn your lights on and off. You have created an open
and closed circuit!
How does it work?
What you have created here is a battery powered circuit. Circuits work by electricity
cycling through the conducting parts of wires, lights, and batteries. In the first part of the
experiment without the toggle switch, you built a closed circuit when you connected the
light wires to the positive and negative sides of the 9-volt battery. The battery supplies
electricity, the exposed wires (made of conductive copper) carry the electricity, and the
lights use the electricity to "turn on" before releasing the electricity back into the system.
When you implement the toggle switch, you've introduced the ability to control the flow of
electricity in the circuit. When the toggle switch is "off," the electricity is stopped because
the circuit is incomplete. But when the toggle switch is "on," you have a complete circuit
and the electricity can flow freely. You have
essentially created a simplified version of a light
switch in your house. Flipping the light switch "on"
or "off" is the same as opening and closing the
toggle switch.
Fighting Nian:BraveBuzzing
Nian is still coming and we have light but we need
sound to frighten him away! The firecrackers got all
wet in the last rainstorm and so what can we do?
The old man says, “Want to make a ton of noise and
make his ears ring? The Buzzing Noise Maker
experiment is perfect for you! It’s just the thing!”
To watch how to put the project together, and see
larger step by step images, before working with
your students, go to
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/buzzing-noise-maker-sick-science and
click on the video tab above the experiment directions and on the pictures, to bring up
larger images.
Materials [per person]




Index card
Wide rubber band
2 adhesive backed foam pieces
String or yarn
21


Jumbo craft stick (tongue depressor)
Scissors
1. Use the scissors to cut two of the corners off of a long side on the index card.
2. Cut two pieces of adhesive foam. The pieces should be about 2 cm x 5 cm.
3. Place the jumbo craft stick on the long, uncut end of the index card. Only half (lengthwise) of the
craft stick should be touching the index card.
4. Fold one piece of the adhesive foam around the end of the craft stick and index card to hold
them in place.
5. Use the scissors to cut a length of string or yarn 1 meter in length. Lay the string across the
second piece of adhesive foam. Leave 5-10 cm on one side of the foam
22
6. Fold the second piece of foam with the string around the other end of the craft stick and index
card.
7. Stretch a wide rubber band over each of the foam pieces ensuring that the rubber band isn't
twisted.
8. Twirl the Buzzing Noise Maker overhead.
Observations



How does the pitch change when you shorten or lengthen the string?
What happens when you change the twirling speed of the Buzzing Noise Maker?
Can you twirl the Buzzing Noise Maker backwards? Why or why not?
23
How does it work?
The buzzing noise produced by your Buzzing Noise Maker is produced by the rubber band vibrating
against the craft stick. The vibrations are caused by air movement around the rubber band and are
maximized when the Buzzing Noise Maker is moving parallel to your twirling motion. The
apparatus itself is designed so that aerodynamic drag will keep the Buzzing Noise Maker parallel to
air flow.
You may have noticed that the speed of your twirl directly affects the pitch of the noise made by
your Buzzing Noise Maker. The faster you spin your Buzzing Noise Maker, the higher the pitch
produced by the vibrating rubber band will be.
Additional Info

What else do you think will affect the noise that comes from the Buzzing Noise Maker? Try
using different sizes of craft sticks, rubber bands, or even index cards.

Is the shape we made with the index
card the best shape for this
experiment? Try using different
shapes that you think might work
better.
Fireworks in a Glass
Fireworks are a beautiful and fun part of
celebrations like Chinese New Year, but
usually not something you want kids to
make themselves. However, even very
young explorers can experiment with
these safe underwater 'fireworks'.
What You Need






water
oil
food coloring (liquid kind)
tall clear glass
another cup or glass
fork
Create Fireworks in a Glass
Image Credit: Juggling with Kids.
http://www.jugglingwithkids.com/2011/08/firework
24
s-in-glass.html. Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved.
1. Fill the tall glass almost to the top with room-temperature water. Warm water is ok,
too.
2. Pour a little oil into the other glass. (1-2 tablespoons)
3. Add a couple of drops of food coloring. Use one drop of blue and one drop of red, but
you can use any colors. Don't be tempted to add lots of food coloring, your water
will turn dark quickly. I am only telling you from experience.
4. Briefly stir the oil and food coloring mixture with a fork. You want to break up the
food coloring drops into smaller drops, but not thoroughly mix the liquid.
5. Pour the oil and coloring mixture into the tall glass.
6. Now watch! The food coloring will slowly sink in the glass, with each droplet
expanding outward as it falls, resembling fireworks falling into water.
How It Works
Food coloring dissolves in water, but not in oil. When you stir the food coloring in the oil,
you are breaking up the coloring droplets (though drops that come into contact with each
other will merge... blue + red = purple). Oil is less dense than water, so the oil will float at
the top of the glass. As the colored drops sink to the bottom of the oil, they mix with the
water. The color diffuses outward as the heavier colored drop falls to the bottom.
Why Not January 1st?
January 1st celebrates the new solar year on the solar calendar, based on the earth’s
movement around the sun. The Chinese calendar is a lunar calendar, it is based on the
movement of the moon around the earth, or the moon’s phases (full, half, etc). Chinese new
year celebrates the new lunar year. So why is it a different day every year? Because each
year, the start and end dates of each month drift by 11 days.
Chinese New Year and
Astrology
Of all the Chinese legends and stories
that are heard around the world,
perhaps one of the most popular is that
of the Chinese animals that journeyed to
the Jade Emperor. Each Chinese New
Year is also identified by an animal. For
example, the year 2012 is the Year of
25
the Dragon. Legend says that the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to come to see him.
Of all the animals invited, only the Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Dragon, Ox, Boar, Tiger, Rat, Ram,
Monkey, Dog, and Rooster arrived at the palace. In honor of their arrival, the Emperor
named a year after each of these animals whose characteristics are thought to be shared by
other born in that year.
Other Chinese legends and stories say that Buddha was the person inviting the animals to
him to help him reorganize China. Each of the animals that obeyed were given a year to be
named after them, and their characteristics would influence events and people born
throughout the year. The animals are also connected to the elements, as well. Earth, Water,
Air, and Fire are all used to determine which of the animal’s characteristics will be most
evident through the year. These Chinese legends and stories may be a little different from
each other, but many people around the world still follow Chinese astrology carefully.
In the lunar year, which is also made of 12 months, like the solar year, each month is
represented by an animal. And these same animals represent the years, every 12 years the
cycle starts over.
The animals are the rat, ox, tiger, hare/rabbit,
dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey,
rooster, the dog, and the pig.
Vivid Verbage
A Daring Legend of the
Chinese Calendar and
How the Animals
for the Chinese New
Year Won Their Places
Of all the animals in the
world, why were these 12
chosen?
Have students give you ideas
of why those certain animals
might have been chosen. What
animals would they have chosen
instead? List them on the board.
There are many legends explaining
this and they all share a similar theme:
26
there was a race and the first 12 animals who arrived at the finish line were chosen.
Read the animals again and have students vote who they think came in first and who came
in last.
Write their votes and/or names with their predictions on the board.
Work as a group and have the students describe each animal using adjectives.
Read the included poem about the great calendar race. As the poem progresses have
students keep track of what place each animal ended up in and see if they are correct at the
end of the story.
Did the story turn out how they wanted?
Work with your students to add in descriptive adjectives, additional nouns, and vivid verbs
to the poem as a group. Guide students and work together to use vivid verbs, adjectives,
and adverbs to change the poem. Then, add in additional animals and verses to the race.
Point out to students that in the poem the rhyme scheme is A/A/B/B and that additional
verses will need to follow the same rhyming pattern.
Things to consider/discuss:
 If all the animals that existed were gathered together, what happened to the rest of
them?
 What other animals could have/should have won places in the calendar?
 What happened to the chicken or could a beaver win the race?
 What verbs might make the story more interesting or completely change the whole
outcome?
SAMPLE: Changes to 2nd, 3rd , and 7th Stanzas
You’ll flounder across the river, then struggle onto shore;
The first one to be eaten is the first one to my door.”
“Hooray!” they all sobbed. “Let the races begin!”
What a sad sight! What a scramble as the wretched creatures flopped in!
Clever cat and shrewd rat kept close watch from the start,
Saw the current was swift so they played the game smart.
Each other they fought athwart the ox’s slick back,
And wrestled and slithered to the rear of the pack.
27
Clinging to a thorny log for the rest of the trip,
With a hot gust of garlicky wind helping to guide his ship.
In fifth fluttered the dragon, a rather odd spot
For a beast who could have just burned up the whole lot.
28
Tell me, please, what are they like?
Pigs are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Rats are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Sheep are: _________________________________________________________________.
Horses are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Dragons are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Oxen are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Roosters are: ___________________________________________________________________.
Tigers are: ___________________________________________________________.
Snakes are: __________________________________________________________________.
Monkeys are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Dogs are: _______________________________________________________________________.
Rabbits are: _____________________________________________________________________.
29
The Tale of the Great Calendar Race
1.Emperor Jade called the animals near,
Saying twelve would be named for each
calendar year.
“Because it’s my birthday I’m having a race;
Your spot in the cycle’s determined by
place.”
2.You’ll swim cross the river, then run on
the shore;
The first in the cycle’s the first to my door.”
“Hooray!” they all yelled. “Let the races
begin!”
What a sight! What a zoo as the creatures
jumped in!
3.The cat and the rat, BFF”s from the start
Knew the current was swift so they played
the game smart.
Together they climbed on the ox’s strong
back,
And sailed on his boat at the front of the
pack.
4.What happened next? To the feline’s
chagrin,
Just midway across, Rat pushed the cat in!
As he desperately struggled to swim to the
shore
Cat caught a glimpse of rat reaching Jade’s
door.
5.“If I make it to land,” the cat said in his
mind,
“I swear to revenge for that rat and his
kind!”
With no points awarded for virtue, rat won!
Then ox came in second in Jade’s birthday
run.
6.Finishing third was the tiger, what
strength!
Having battled the current the whole river’s
length.
And coming in fourth, but as dry as a bone,
Was the rabbit who hopped halfway there
stone by stone.
7.Then rode on a log for the rest of the trip.
With the gust from a wind that helped sail
his ship.
In fifth flew the dragon, a rather strange
place
For a beast who could fly with such speed
and such grace.
8.The thing that had kept him from finishing
first?
He stopped to make rain to quench
peoples’ thirst.
Then after the dragon the horse ran ashore
He should have been sixth to the palace’s
door.
9.But he balked at the end when he saw in a
poof!
Out jumped the snake who had hid in his
hoof!
Sheep, monkey and rooster sailed in on a
raft,
Then eleventh came Dog after taking a
bath.
10.The last of the creatures to fill in the gap
Was the pig who had stopped for a meal
and a nap.
The sated pig said, when asked about that,
“At least I can say I have beaten the cat!”
30
The Tale of the Great Calendar Race
(Have students add in verbs and adjectives to make their own story)
1.Emperor Jade _____ the ______animals
near,
Saying twelve would be _____for each
_____calendar year.
“Because it’s my birthday I’m _____ a race;
Your spot in the _____cycle’s ______ by
place.”
2.You’ll _____ cross the river, then ____ on
the shore;
The first in the cycle’s the first to my door.”
“Hooray!” they all ______. “Let the races
______!”
What a _____sight! What a ____ as the
creatures _____ in!
3.The cat and the rat, BFF”s from the start
Knew the current was swift so they ____
the game ______.
Together they _______ on the ox’s _____
back,
And _____ on his boat at the front of the
pack.
4.What happened next? To the feline’s
_____,
Just midway across, Rat ______ the cat in!
As he _____ ____ to swim to the shore
Cat caught a glimpse of rat _____ Jade’s
door.
5.“If I make it to land,” the cat said in his
mind,
“I ____ ____ for that _____ rat and his
kind!”
With no points awarded for virtue, rat won!
Then______ ox came in second in Jade’s
birthday run.
6._____ third was the tiger, what strength!
Having _____ the _____current the whole
____river’s length.
And coming in fourth, but as ____ ____ ___
____,
Was the rabbit who hopped halfway there
stone by stone.
7.Then ____ on a _____log for the rest of
the trip.
With the gust from a wind that _____ sail
his ship.
In fifth ____ the dragon, a rather strange
place
For a beast who could ____with such speed
and such grace.
8.The thing that had kept him from finishing
first?
He ____ to make rain to quench peoples’
thirst.
Then after the dragon the horse ____
_____.
He should have been sixth to the palace’s
door.
9.But he ____ at the end when he saw in a
poof!
Out jumped the ____ snake who had hid in
his hoof!
Sheep, monkey and rooster sailed in on a
raft,
Then eleventh came Dog after taking a
bath.
10.The last of the creatures to fill in the gap
Was the pig who had stopped for a meal
and a nap.
The sated pig said, when asked about that,
“At least I can say I have beaten the cat!”
31
The Chinese New Year Calendar With Its 12 Animals
The lunar Chinese New Year calendar below shows which of 12 animals you are! Because
it’s a 12 month lunar calendar, the animal depends on the year in which you were born.
Work with your students to figure out which animals they are according to the year they
were born, have them gather together according to their signs. Discuss how the students
describe their animal on their sheet. Then tell them their characteristics, based on that
animal’s description on the Chinese calendar. Make sure to discuss any unfamiliar
vocabulary/adjectives with the students. Do they agree with the calendar, or their previous
description?
Teach them how to write their signs in Chinese using the included pages. Then have them
make their own symbol using their animal, sign, and adjectival description.
Note: If they were born in January or February you need to check if their birthday was before
or after the date of that Chinese New Year (if it was before this day your animal is the one
shown for the previous year).
Rat
1900
1912
1924
1936
1948
1960
1972
1984
1996
2008
Ox
1901
1913
1925
1937
1949
1961
1973
1985
1997
2009
Tiger
1902
1914
1926
1938
1950
1962
1974
1986
1998
2010
Rabbit
1903
1915
1927
1939
1951
1963
1975
1987
1999
2011
Dragon
1904
1916
1928
1940
1952
1964
1976
1988
2000
2012
Snake
1905
1917
1929
1941
1953
1965
1977
1989
2001
2013
Horse
1906
1918
1930
1942
1954
1966
1978
1990
2002
2014
Sheep
1907
1919
1931
1943
1955
1967
1979
1991
2003
2015
Monkey
1908
1920
1932
1944
1956
1968
1980
1992
2004
2016
Rooster
1909
1921
1933
1945
1957
1969
1981
1993
2005
2017
Dog
1910
1922
1934
1946
1958
1970
1982
1994
2006
2018
Pig
1911
1923
1935
1947
1959
1971
1983
1995
2007
2019
32
ZODIAC SIGNS
ANIMAL
CHARACTERISTICS
RAT
Rats are ambitious and determined
yet honest, sociable, intelligent,
charming and thrifty (good with
money). Best matched with Dragons
and Monkeys. Worst match is
Horses.
OX
Oxen are known for their honesty,
steadfastness, dependability,
diligence, stubborness and ability to
speak well. Best matched with
Snake or Rooster. Worst match is
Sheep.
TIGER
Tigers are enthusiastic, brave,
magnetic (attractive), candid
(blunt), warm, sensitive, sincere
and impetuous (impulsive). Best
matched with Horse and Dog. Worst
match is Monkey.
RABBIT
Rabbits are the luckiest of all signs.
They are also talented, good
speakers, shy, quiet yet ambitious.
Best matched with Sheep and Pig.
Worst match is Rooster.
33
DRAGON
Dragons are strong, imaginative,
passionate, complex, sentimental
and flamboyant (loud and showy).
Best matched with Monkey and Rat.
Worst match is Dog.
SNAKE
Snakes are wise, attractive, smart
intuitive, high tempered and like to
spend money. Best matched with
Rooster and Ox. Worst match is Pig.
HORSE
Horses are attractive, popular,
competitive, charismatic, impatient,
cheerful and talented. Best matched
with Tiger and Dog. Worst match is
Rat.
SHEEP
Sheep are affectionate, creative,
elegant, timid, trusting, sensitive
and determined. Best matched with
Pig and Rabbit. Worst match is Ox.
MONKEY
Monkeys are intelligent, humorous,
witty, inventive and mischievous.
Best matched with Dragon and Rat.
Worst match is Tiger.
34
ROOSTER
Roosters are proud, determined,
selfish, enthusiastic, candid and
eccentric. Best matched with Snake
and Ox. Worst match is Rabbit.
DOG
Dogs are loyal, trustworthy, honest,
generous, intelligent, and
dependable. Best matched with
Horse and Tiger. Worst match is
Dragon.
PIG
Pigs are noble, hardworking, caring,
honest, gallant and stubborn. Best
matched with Rabbit and Sheep.
Worst match is Snake.
35
Rat
Tiger
Ox
Rabbit
36
Dragon
Snake
Horse
Sheep
Monkey
Rooster
37
Dog
Pig
38
39
40
Lanterns Light My Way
During the Festival of Lanterns,
children carry candle-lit lanterns in
the street.
The 15th day of the New Year is
known as The Festival of Lanterns
and marks the end of the Chinese
New Year celebrations. All types of
lanterns are lit throughout the
streets and often poems and riddles
are often written for entertainment.
There are also paper lanterns on
wheels created in the form of
either a rabbit or the animal of
the year (Tiger for 2010). During
the Lantern Festival, the parks in
the city are literally an ocean of
lanterns! People travel many
miles to see the lanterns. The
most eye-catching lantern is the
Dragon Pole. This is a lantern in
the shape of a golden dragon,
spiraling up a 27-meter-high
pole, spewing fireworks from its
mouth.
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A Legend of the Origin of the Lantern Festival
As you read the following story have children listen for the different kinds of nouns, verbs,
adverbs, and adjectives in the story and write them down. [As it is a Word Document, and
can be changed, what they are looking for can be also be determined by you, or
modified in the included sheet, according to your students grade level SPIs] Challenge
them to find at least two examples, for example two nouns that name people, places, and
things. Give examples in each category. If the story and word list do not contain words in a
category, have them list other examples that might fit the story. After the story is finished,
have students take turns (in a clockwise circle) reading the words they wrote down. Record
these on a word wall or white board.
Note: Depending on the skill level of your students, you may want to
have it so that if another player or players have the same word
under a category, all players with that word must cross it out
(ie. no points are to be gained). Only unique words receive
points. If a player reads off a word which another player thinks
may not be a valid word (because it isn't a noun, adjective, verb
etc.), you can either use a dictionary as the deciding factor or
all players can vote on it.
A Legend of the Origin of the Lantern Festival
One legend goes that the Jade Emperor felt lonely even though he was very rich and
comfortable. When he learnt that people on Earth lived happily, even though they didn’t
have as much as he did, he became angry and jealous. To have his revenge on the people for
their happiness he sent his
beloved pet, the Magic Goose
who breathed out fire, to
burn up the world on the fifteen
day of the first lunar month.
A little maid who served the
Jade Emperor found out about
42
the emperor’s plan and quickly flew down to earth to warn people about it. The maid also
told the people a great secret. She whispered in their ears that once the Magic Goose was
caged it could no longer breathe out fire.
A clever man listened to the words spoken by the little made and got an idea. He called up
his fellow people to quickly make red lanterns immediately and gather fireworks and
firecrackers. Then they waited, listening for the flapping wings of the magic goose.
When the Magic Goose landed on earth, the people leaped out from hiding and the magic
goose was immediately caught and locked up in a cage, before it could breathe out fire to
destroy the land, houses, people, and city. People then lit their lanterns and set off
fireworks and firecrackers.
As he watched the red lights flash and listened to the cracks and booms of the firecrackers,
the Jade Emperor thought it was the fire set by the Magic Goose and was tricked into
believing that the goose had destroyed the people and their happiness.
So now, every 15th day of the lunar new year everyone carries brightly lit lanterns with
riddles to celebrate the occasion when humans tricked the mighty Emperor and to light the
way to a bright and happy future.
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Noun
Points:
Verb
Points:
Adjective Adverb
Points:
Points:
44
Riddled with Light: Light My Way Lantern Collage
Materials:
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Tissue paper in a variety of colors
White cardstock
Glue sticks
Patterns pre-printed or made for the
students to trace
Show students the pictures of the lanterns and a
pre-made example of the lucky lantern collage
with a riddle.
What is a riddle? Explain to students the following:
Explain that "a riddle is a question that turns into a joke. It starts with a puzzling question
and ends with an answer that surprises you and usually makes you laugh. The answer is
called a punch line.
Let's look at some:


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






Why did the witch go to night school? She wanted to learn how to spell better!
Do you have any fans in your house? No, everybody hates me!
Why can't cheetahs hide very well? Because they're always spotted!
Why do spiders like baseball? They're good at catching flies!
What has an ear but cannot hear? Corn!
What is gray, has four legs, big ears, a tail, and a trunk? A mouse going on vacation!
Why did the orchestra have bad manners? Because it didn't know how to conduct
itself!
Why is a school like a kingdom? Both have lots of subjects!
How do you weigh a fish? They come with scales!
Why do you need a baseball player with you when you go camping? To pitch the tent!
Why did Grandma knit three socks for her grandson? Because he grew a foot!
45

Why did the student bring a king to class? Because his teacher told him he needed a
ruler!
Ask students which one they liked the best. Why?
Ask your students if they know of any riddles.
There are different types of
riddles. Some use words
that have two different
meanings. With riddles
you often have to think
about different possible
meanings. Let's look at these. Have
students read the riddles and think about
what they think makes it funny or interesting.
Model the thinking process as students read the
riddles of how to best decipher their meaning.
 How do you stop a skunk from smelling? You
hold its nose!
 How is a duck like an icicle? Both grow down!
 What has four wheels and flies? A garbage truck!
 Where can you see a man eating fish? A seafood restaurant!
 Will you join me in a bowl of soup? Do you think there's room for both of us?
 Why did the bear tiptoe through the campground? He didn't want to wake the sleeping
bags!
 What kind of stamp do you have to stick on yourself? None. You stick them on
envelopes!
 What did the doctor say to the patient who thought he was
getting smaller? You'll just have to be a little patient!
 How do you stop your dog from barking in the house?
Put it outside!
 Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants? In
case he got a hole in one!
 What is the easiest way to make a banana split?
Cut it in half!
46
A Closer Look at Riddles
 How do you stop a skunk from smelling?
You hold its nose!
 How is a duck like an icicle? Both grow down!
 What has four wheels and flies? A garbage truck!
 Where can you see a man eating fish? A seafood restaurant!
 Will you join me in a bowl of soup? Do you think there's room for
both of us?
 Why did the bear tiptoe through the campground? He didn't
want to wake the sleeping bags!
 What kind of stamp do you have to stick on yourself? None. You
stick them on envelopes!
 What did the doctor say to the patient
who thought he was getting smaller?
You'll just have to be a little patient!
 How do you stop your dog from
barking in the house? Put it outside!
 Why did the golfer wear two pairs of
pants? In case he got a hole in one!

What is the easiest way to make a
banana split? Cut it in half!
47
Explain to students: Good riddles rely upon creative use of metaphor, simile, and
metonymy; concrete imagery; and imaginative presentation and description of an object or
concept, and even better, they’re games, too. Discuss the features found in the different
riddles, such as those we’ve already discussed as well as; answers that rhyme, puns (a play
on words that sound alike but have different meanings), the use of homophones
(scent/sent) and homographs (wind/wind), metaphors, similes, and onomatopoeia to
create them. Go back to the riddle worksheet and have students think about which
one uses these concepts. Have them find one an example of each if possible. Here are
a couple of examples you can use also.
For example:
Metaphor: A figure of speech stating two things are similar.
Riddle: “I am a passport to adventure.” (Answer: A book)
Simile: A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as.’
Riddle: “I reflect like a mirror.” (Answer: water)
Onomatopoeia: Words whose sound suggests its meaning.
Riddle: “We buzz, buzz, buzz.” (Answer: bees)
Let's make a riddle
Explain to students we are going to write our own riddle as a group. Brainstorm a topic
that the riddle could be about.
Pick a subject and then think of all the words that could go with it. For example the subject
could be a chicken. Brainstorm all of the words that come to mind about a chicken.


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


chicken
 comb
 beak
rooster
 loud
 coop
chick
 crow
 egg
wing
 fox
 down
cluck
 peep
 crow
hen
 squawk
 feather
Have students think of the words and decide if they have any other meaning. List
them out and brainstorm if there is another meaning.
48
Chicken
No other meaning
Rooster
No other meaning
Crow- the noise it a rooster makes
A bird
Hen
No other meaning
comb
Also and item used to brush hair
Down- a feather
Also a motion
Peep- noise
Peep- also to take a look
Once you have a list of terms with the homonyms noted and definitions attached, tell
the students we are going to write a riddle for each homonym from the list. The idea
is to write a question that seems like it will be about baseball or chickens but which
really turns out to be about the other meaning of the word, or vice versa:
Why do spiders like baseball?
They're good at catching flies!
Here are some possible chicken riddles

Why did the chicken make it's nest on top of the car? She knew they'd be
moving!

What is a chicken after it is five days old? Six days old?

How does a chicken mail a letter? In a hen-velope?
Using the Rhyming Worksheet have students write next to the words in their list,
other words that rhyme or sound some-thing like them.. For example, here are some
words that could go with the chicken words:
* Words that rhyme:

chick - stick, flick, trick

cluck - truck, stuck, pluck

wing - ring, sing, king
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* Words that contain the sound of a chicken word:

eggs - extravagant (eggs-travagant)

coop - recuperate (re-coop-erate)

peck - impecable (im-peck-able)
Have students use some of their rhyming words to write a riddle answer. For
example, an answer could be “tricky chicky”. Now all you need is a question. The
question has to hint at what
the answer will be. Here’s
one question that could go
with the answer “tricky
chicky”:
What do you call a chicken
magician?
A tricky chicky.
Now have students use some of
their “sound-alike” words for
answers to other riddles. Then write
riddle questions to go with them. Here are
some to go with the chicken words:

Why did the tired hen go home?

She needed to re-coop-erate.

Why don’t chickens wear jewelry?

They think it’s too eggs-travagant.
Once you’ve gone through several examples
of each type have students work
individually, or in pairs, depending on their
skill and confidence level, have them make up as
many riddles as they can. After children/pairs write
their own riddle, have them exchange it with a partner
or another group. Students can volunteer to share their
favorite.
50
Riddle Fun!
Word
Other Meanings
What it rhymes with
51
Lighting them Up
Once their riddles are complete. Tell
students they will be making their own lantern
collage to bring them luck in the coming year.
Tell them they can decorate their lanterns with
things that might bring them luck, their Chinese
year symbol, dragons, tigers, rabbits, writing,
plum blossoms, oranges, gold coins, etc. Have
students cut out shapes for their lanterns and
glue them to their sheet of white cardstock and
decorate it. Have students describe what their
decorations mean.
Paper Plum Blossoms
These simple yet elegant paper flowers are perfect scattered across the lantern collage. Just
like poinsettias are for Christmas, plum blossoms are
important for Chinese New Year. If flowers bloom on Chinese
New Year’s Day, it will be a prosperous year. There are some
ancient trees in Hubei, China aged more than 1,600 years old
that are still flowering today. Plum blossoms are symbols of
nobility, beauty, courage, resilience, longevity and hope.
They also represent strength in adversity, e.g. people who
excel when faced with difficulties or find opportunities in the
presence of threats. Though plum trees bloom in winter, they
are regarded as a harbinger of spring.
Materials Needed:
•
•
•
Scissors
Tissue Paper
Glue
The complete steps from diagramed on Marthastewart.com
[http://www.marthastewart.com/273275/paper-cherry-blossom-display] are as follows.
52
To create five-petal blossoms, start by cutting pink or red tissue paper into 3 1/2-inch and
4 1/2-inch squares. Fold a square into a flat cone, following steps 1 to 4.
Using scissors, make four angled cuts to remove the top of the cone as in step 5. With
scissors, cut out a small rectangular sliver on each side of the cone. Snip off a tiny bit of the
pointed tip of the cone, and unfold and shape the paper to yield a blossom, and glue it on
the lantern collage.
53
54
Ang Pow Lucky Red Envelope
(also known as "red packets" "Ang Pow" "laisee" "lai see" "hung bao" or
"Hung-Bao")
The story of "ang pow" dates back to the
Sung Dynasty in China. A village called Chang-Chieu was at
the time terrorized by a huge demon. No one was capable of
defeating it, not even their bravest warriors or greatest
politicians and speakers. However, a young orphan, armed
with a magical sword inherited from his ancestors, fought
the evil demon and eventually killed it. The villagers were
thrilled and happy and the elders gave the brave young man
a red envelope filled with money in thanks for his courage in saving them. Since then, the
ang pow has become a part of traditional Chinese customs. The amount
contained has to be in even numbers. Even numbers are lucky and odd
numbers are perceived as denoting loneliness. For example, it could be
two dollars, ten or twenty dollars. The number of coins or notes in the
ang pow may take advantage of the Chinese homophones (words that
sound the same but have different meanings). For instance, you can give
an amount ending with eight (8), as it sounds like fortune (luck) in
Chinese, or nine (9), which sounds like the word for long life. Four (4) is
not a good number to give as it sounds like death.
Acts of Courage: Ang Pow Heroes and Heroines
Give students the challenge to write stories as a single, pair, or small group of students
about how they rose to the level of heroes through tremendous acts of courage and earned
their ang pow. What acts of courage did they perform to save their village?
Ask the students what they think a hero is: A hero inspires people. A hero does
something worth talking about, but a hero isn’t just famous or a celebrity. A hero is
someone who lives a life that is worthy of imitation. A hero is a role model. A hero changes
things for the better. A hero creates new possibilities. A hero has vision and the will and
determination to make their vision real. A hero is willing to make sacrifices – to give up
things – in order to earn the results they want.
55
Challenging the Heroes:
On the included “Ordinary, No Extraordinary!” sheet, and/or as a group, have students
write down a list in each column of nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs they might
ordinarily put in a story. Then, in the next other columns, have students look in a thesaurus
for vivid synonyms to those words that could be used instead, to spice up their stories.
Students will use the word banks they create through this process to help write their
stories.
Stretching the Truth:
Have students use the following techniques to create their stories, modeling each
technique as you discuss it.

Story stretching involves taking an ordinary scene and exaggerating first one
element and then another, until the whole situation is really outlandish and silly.
First, you replace one element, like where you live or If you start with a wagon being
pulled by a horse, for example, the horse can become a zebra. Then you see if that
helps you see a way to create a related replacement of another element, and the
wagon something more elaborate, like a chariot. Then what does that suggest? And
on it goes until step by step it becomes one of those strange Seussian contraptions
with big and little wheels, and umbrellas in odd places. Soon, there is no obvious
link back to the beginning, but you have created something wonderful that would
have been hard to do from a blank sheet of paper.
Action!: To have students see this happen, put all the students in a circle, or a long line.
One player starts a little gesture, with or without a little sound.. The next player takes it
over and makes it bigger. The last player does the whole thing to the extreme. Tips:
Make sure the players stick to the original gesture/sound, and don`t just do their own
thing. We should be able to see the movement grow organically.
Incorporate the money! Tell students that in order to earn their money in their ang
pow envelopes [directions for construction in the following project] they have to
accomplish five brave tasks and incorporate.
(1) A main character with a specific task,
(2) A problem that is solved in a humorous or outrageous way,
(3) Exaggerated details that describe things larger than they really are, and
(4) Characters who use everyday language.
56
(5) And use vivid verbs, nouns, and powerful adverbs and adjectives, from their lists and
others, to fizz up the action, paint word-pictures, and evoke feelings in their readers and
rivet readers' attention.
After they finish their first draft, have students do their revisions according to their
grade level skills, those listed in the SPIs, looking up synonyms for words they used
frequently, checking grammar and punctuation, editing for conciseness, etc.
Ang Pow Bonus:
With remaining time, illustrate their story. With such acts of artistic courage,
they can earn their reward. More ang pow for their envelopes, which they will
make in the next project, which can be used for special treats and favors in the
future, or today.
57
Ordinary? No, Extraordinary!
Noun
Vivid
Synonym(s)
Verb
Vivid
Synonym(s)
Adjective
or adverb
Vivid
Synonym(s)
58
59
What’s wrong with white?
When giving money on festive occasions like birthdays or holidays, you
should never put money in a white envelope or you would upset the
recipient! Money wrapped in white envelopes is given when the
occasion is sad, like funerals, when a gift of money is given to help with
the funeral costs. This is called 'Pak Kum' money for the family of the
departed.
My Lucky Red Valentine
Materials:
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Envelope patterns
Red Construction Paper
Glitter
Glue
Crayons
Stickers
Sample decorated Ang Pow Envelopes
To make their own:
1. Have students use the included blank envelope
pattern to cut out an envelope shape from
red construction paper
2. Have them fold A, B, and C along the dotted
lines.
3. Then the students can tape or glue A to B.
Then glue C to A and B.
4. As New Year falls right next to Valentines
day in 2010 have students write a special
Valentine’s or New Year’s wish on a
note and place it in the envelope.
Tell them they’ll be giving their
valentine luck for the New Year.
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5. Have students fold the flap and seal it with a sticker.
Option: Surprise your students by giving them a small treat or surprise inside envelopes
you made for them.
For the Dadcando Koi envelope we have supplied both the inside and the outside, so you
will need to print both sides of your printer paper with this printable. It's easy, just print
one side and then take the paper, turn it over and print the other side with the other
printable. The Chinese writing says Bless Happiness and Prosperity, and the repeat pattern
Chinese background lettering says is the word for OX, and that is because 2009 was the
Chinese Zodiac year of the ox. These words should be on the outside of the finished
envelope and the image of the swimming fish should be a surprise on the inside, and what
better picture to find lining your envelope than the Koi Carp, the symbol of surplus and
additional savings, enough to last you the rest of the year.
All dadcando Paper Envelope printables and templates are completely original and can be
found only on dadcando. You will need one set of their instructions
(http://www.dadcando.com/a3RHA2425jrwi24n2/Making/Envelopes/PDFs/Env1Instructions-USL.pdf) and the printable of the Envelope you want to make. Make sure that
your printer is not automatically resizing the image, these printables are designed to fit the
page with no resizing.
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A
C
D
B
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63
64
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Dancing Dragons
The Dragon is part of many Chinese
cultural celebrations. The Chinese
dragon is one of the most
important mythical creatures in
Chinese mythology. To the
Chinese, the Imperial
Dragon or Lung, is
considered to be the
primary of four
benevolent spiritual
animals, the other three
being the phoenix, the
unicorn and the tortoise.
Chinese people think of
themselves as the
children of Dragons.
Having unrivaled wisdom
and power the dragon
symbolized the Emperors of
China themselves, who
were actually called
dragons. Hsi, China's first
emperor, was said to have
a dragon's tail.
Shen Nung, his
successor, was supposed
to have been the son of
a dragon. The Chinese
Emperor sat on a
dragon throne, rode in
a dragon boat and
slept in a dragon bed.
To distinguish the Chinese imperial dragon from all
other dragons, only the Imperial Dragon bore five claws. The Chinese
dragon is considered to be the most powerful and divine creature and is
believed to be the controller of all waters. The dragon symbolized great
Image Credit: Dinky. Chinese
Dragon by DNK Anais. Deviant
Art. http://dnkanais.deviantart.com/art/Chines
e-Dragon-119728554. Copyright
2009. All Rights Reserved.
66
power and was very supportive of heroes and gods.
The ancient Chinese believed that dragons were real and possessed amazing powers.
Chinese dragons did not usually breathe fire and people didn’t think they were evil beasts
or monsters. They were viewed as being wise and caring, possessing personalities, and had
magical powers. Dragons only turned into beasts/monsters if people made them angry.
One of the most famous dragons in Chinese mythology is Yinglong "Responding Dragon",
said to be the god of rain. Many people in different places pray to Yinglong in order to
receive rain. In Chinese mythology, dragons are believed to be able to create clouds with
their breath.
Dragons were a symbol of power, strength, success, luck and honor. The dragon represents
prosperity, good luck and good fortune. Traditionally the dragons are considered as the
governors of rain falls in Chinese culture. They have the power to decide where and when
to have rain falls.
A Chinese dragon mask is the reigning symbol of good luck for the New
Year. This mask is an important part of the Chinese culture and
especially Chinese New Year parades.
A traditional dragon mask may feature a yawning jaw, or it may portray
a large round mouth. The Chinese dragon mask must stand out, so it is little
wonder that the mask itself is often very bright. A dragon mask used in
parades is often very elaborate. Brightly colored in red, gold and blue, with
feathers and fur highlights, a large mask is quite a sight.
Fun Facts:
Chinese dragons are made up of 9 various pieces and parts from other animals:







The head = a camel.
The neck and tail = a snake.
The body = Scales: Koi (fish) 117 scales total - 81 infused with yang, the good, and
36 infused with yin the bad. This evens out the dragons temper and personality.
The paws = a tiger.
The claws = 5 on each paw from an eagle.
The ears = an ox.
The horns = a deer.
67

The whiskers = a rat.
Interestingly, the dragon was given ears but legends state that they actually heard through
their horns. Other legends recount the dragon's ability to change shapes, to become
invisible, and even glow in the dark. Also, the farther a dragon went from home, the more
feet disappeared. If he went too far, he had no feet at all. Luckily the closer he got to home,
his feet came back!
There are 4 distinct dragon purposes and personalities in ancient Chinese legends:
* The Fire Dragon = these dragons are the
color red and help to guard the
natural elements that include the
wind, fire, the sky, and lightening.
The Fire Dragons are shorttempered, but the most friendly
and talkative of them all.
* The Earth Dragons = are
the color green and they
are responsible for
guarding the
earth, crops and
mountains. Earth
Dragons possess
the knowledge
involved in the
value of cooperating
with others.
* The Metal Dragons
= what else but the
color gold. They guard
all of the precious metals
and gems. Though Metal Dragons
refuse to accept failure and succeed
because of that, they also tend to be
selfish, not caring about the
feelings of others.
* The Water Dragons = appropriately
colored blue, and guarding rain, waterfalls, wells, seas,
and all sources of water. Water Dragons can accept defeat, get along
with all people, and possess the knowledge required to rebuild after
68
something breaks.
Aside from the dragons previously listed, there were also 4 main "Dragon Kings" associated
with having control over water-related weather occurrences:
* The Dragon of the East Sea = ruling the East China Sea.
* The Dragon of South Sea = ruler of the South China Sea.
* The Dragon of the West Sea = ruling the Indian Ocean and beyond.
* The Dragon of the North Sea = overseeing Lake Baikal.
Though The Dragon Kings still enjoy the worship of many Chinese people as the rulers of
weather and water-related events, the dragon is no longer viewed as a real creature.
Though it is still forbidden to disrespect or disfigure any depiction of a dragon in China.
Tissue Paper Dragons [Mural Optional]
Tissue paper is so much fun to work with and
despite it being flimsy and light, the organic
nature of this project tends to be satisfying
and not at all frustrating.
The only challenge here is to have the
children think visually, not worry about
creating a perfect dragon and basically, have
fun with the cool textures of tissue paper and
the starch.
Materials:






Paper
Paint brushes
Tissue paper
Cups/Bowls
Liquid starch
Oil Pastels
The process is simple. Have students tear tissue paper and brush liquid starch (laundry
aisle of grocery store), watered-down Mod-Podge or even watered-down glue to paper. To
start, tear a piece of tissue paper in the shape of a dragon head. Of course, everyone’s shape
69
will look different. Now, dip a paint brush into a bowl
of liquid starch (yes, the kind you find in the
detergent aisle of the grocery store) and apply a little
bit to the paper where you intend to place the head.
Set down the “head” and brush again with the starch.
Continue along this route with the body, tail, legs,
spikes, many
feet, etc. Smooth
down any dry or
rough patches
with more
starch.
After the piece
dries, the kids
use oil pastels to
create an
outline, add
details like scales
and teeth and/or
background.
Muralizing!
Assemble your dragons together to create a
mural. Simply create an appropriately Chinese
background (mountains, plum trees, etc) and
cut out dragons to paste onto your huge mural.
To create the background:
Introduce Chinese geography by inviting students to make landscape paintings. First share
the images of places like the Himalayan Mountains and the Great Wall in Alison
Behnke's China in Pictures (Lerner, 2002). Next share the scroll paintings
atwww.thavibu.com/china. Help kids follow these steps to make their own mural: 1. Dip a
brush pen into water, blot on a towel, dip the pen into ink or dark paint, and blot again. 2.
Paint on white paper. Do not sketch first; landscapes are traditionally done quickly. This is
a quick, satisfying and colorful project. Can’t ask for more!
70
Masking the Man & Unmasking the Dragon
With extra time have students
use the included template to
make a Dragon mask using
crayons, colored pencils,
glitter in the colors
according to the dragon
powers and personality
they’d like to have. They
can always make their
dragon their own and
mix types and
personalities into a
brand new kind of
undiscovered
dragon.
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Lost Letters and Dragon Hunters
The following included images are from www.dadcando.com and this project was inspired by
and modified from several of the
projects on their site. They have
100s of fantastic projects to make
with your kids, to suit all skill and
age levels and projects to suit any
ability from children working
alone to projects that will be fun to
do together and all illustrated with
their famous beautiful
instructions. All materials and
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registered trademark.
Almost nothing is better than
receiving an interesting looking
letter from a far off friend,
bearing exotic stamps. What
would life be like if, like the
Ancient Chinese believed,
dragons really roamed the earth?
Have students imagine they
found a letter from a Dragon
Hunter and what it might say.
Discussion Points:
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Imagine what life would be
like if dragons roamed the
earth.
Have they seen any movies or read any books about
Dragons and humans living together or fighting each other?
What happened in those stories/movies?
If you were a Dragon Hunter what could be some challenges to being
a Dragon Hunter?
What if hunting dragons was illegal?
What if you found a friendly dragon?
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Chinese dragons are made up of 9 various pieces and parts from other animals, what
are the dragons in your world like?
Where would you live?
How would you hide?
How would you hunt dragons?
What kind of weapons might you need?
What kinds of abilities or powers could the dragons have?
How would you protect yourself against their strength/power/abilities?
What experience about dragon hunting might you want to write about?Who would a
Dragon Hunter write to? The government who had him/her locked up for illegal
dragon hunting, your friend, your Dragon Hunter trainer who taught you, your
parents?
After your group brainstorming session, pass out the graphic organizer sheet and
structural worksheet. They can be printed on both sides of the same page. Have students
brainstorm their own ideas and write down their thoughts on the graphic organizer and
continue to develop their ideas on the worksheet. Once students have brainstormed their
ideas, work with them to model a friendly letter
Discuss the following points on friendly letter structure.
1. A friendly letter has a date, salutation
(greeting), body, closing, and signature.
2. Usually the first paragraph of the body will
consist of an introduction which will give the
recipient an idea about why you're writing to
them with a short summary of the main topic of your
letter. If you don't know the person you are writing to, you may want to introduce
yourself in this introductory paragraph as well.
3. The next few paragraphs will usually consist of the message you want to get across
along with any details you may want to convey.
4. The last paragraph will usually be the conclusion where you wrap everything up.
You can sum up your main idea in this paragraph, thank the recipient for their time,
wish the recipient well, and/or ask any questions.
And then have students:
 Finish their brainstorming for ideas.
 Write a first draft of their letter.
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Next: The Editor’s Corner
Materials:
 Red Pens
Once students have completed their
first draft discuss the following with
them: Writers and story tellers have
editors who make sure that a story is the
best it can be, drawing out the best in the
story, giving suggestions on where a story
could go, where it could be improved, and
what else they would like to know about the
characters, plot, setting, etc of a story.
1. Have students trade letters with another student.
2. Give each pair of students red pens.
3. Groups or
students get points for correcting each other’s papers and lose
points for marking things up only to make the page red.
4. Each group or student gets to edit another groups letter (or multiple letters) and give
suggestions and ask questions.
Then: Have students write a second/final draft, after revising and correcting the first for
punctuation, content, vivid word use, unneeded information, etc.
Once students have a final draft: As a group, follow the included directions for making
the tattered (and authentic envelope) and book of stamps to house their letters.
Finally, students will trade letters with a student at another site, reading their
partner’s letter, and then writing back as themselves.
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What is the main idea of your
experience or story?
Closing Sentence:
What do you hear during this
experience?
Topic Sentence:
What do you see during this experience?
Describe how you feel during this
experience:
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You, Hunter of Dragons!
Who are you writing to? Sample Suggestions: Your friend, your Dragon Hunter trainer
who taught you, your parents.
Your Topic Sentence: Sample Suggestion: Let me tell you about this amazing experience
I had!
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What do you want to explain about this experience?
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Think about this experience. What is it you see?
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What is it you feel? Describe it using vivid adjectives. Are you fearless, are you just a
little scared, or are you absolutely terrified, shivering with dread, running in panic?
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What is it you hear? Describe it using vivid adjectives. Is it just warm, or is it so hot
you can feel your skin blistering from the heat?
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Adjectives to describe what you see around
you. Is it hot and dusty, no water in any
direction, is it freezing cold, a world made
of ice and snow?
Your Closing Sentence: Sample
Suggestions:
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And that is how I was able to
survive my first Dragon Hunt!
So, please, come help me before…
And that was how I discovered…
Now, I have my own…
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Making an old envelope and postage booklet:
If you have an old one then
that's good, but it doesn't have
to look old to start with,
because we are going to age it
a bit as part of the project.
For the stamps: All you
have to do is cut them out (all
very old stamps were unperforated and just cut out)
and stick them on your parcel
and envelope models.
Aging the Envelope:
Now, dirty the envelope up a bit. Use a soft lead pencil to draw on your finger tips and then
smudge some pencil lead round the edge of the envelope. If you want a really tatty look,
wipe a wet teabag round the base of a tea cup and use the
cup to make part of a ring on the envelope, as if someone
had carelessly rested their cup on the front, or used the
envelope as a coaster at some point in the past.
Postage: Have students use doublesided tape to stick
their stamp or stamps on
it as if it were a normal
envelope, in the top right
corner.
Travel Stickers: Then have students make up the
Dragonmail sticker booklet, using the instructions. This part
of the project is really easy and you learn how to make a
simple little booklet that looks really cool, but if you only want the
stickers then you don't even have to make up the booklet.
Note: Tell students that when they tape the
Dragonmail stickers on their envelope, they don't line them up too
carefully. Usually, the people sending letters are in a hurry or careless, because stickers on
old envelopes are always stuck on haphazardly, so for the most authentic look, you
shouldn't stick them on so that they line up with the edges of the envelope.
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In your stickers sheet, for each booklet, you get a few each of three different Dragonmail
stickers and a four special Dragon Registered Mail stickers.
Now have students write and old fashioned looking address on the letter (remember they
didn't have post or zip codes in the 1800s). For a really original look, you will need to draw
a cross right across the front of the envelope and squiggle a number over or near one of the
stickers. Have students use a soft blue colored pencil and just draw a couple of straight
confident lines across the envelope, like the ones in the picture shown on above.
Postmarks: For the final finishing touch, have students cut out the dragon postmark /
franking image and tape it on to the front of the envelope so that it goes over part of the
stamp or stamps, just like a real postmark. If they lack the skill to be able to cut between
the lines at the end they can tape it next to the stamp and use a pen, pencil, or marker to
extend the lines over their stamp.
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Superstitions and Myths
What are they and where did they come from?
Do you or your students have any superstitions you believe in? What about
when you spill salt? Should you walk under a ladder? What is going to
happen if a black cat crosses your path or a mirror breaks? What do you do
when someone sneezes? What will happen if you find a four leaf clover
or if you blow out all the candles on your cake in one breath?
People believe in superstitions all around the world. The Chinese have
superstitions that are very important on New Years. The following are a
few examples. Have students read the following superstitions, completing them with a
sentence that supports the topic sentence and its ideas. Then read the students the real
reasons why people believe what they do.
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Chinese New Year Superstitions
There are certain customs and superstitions that many Chinese follow to during the New
Year festival BECAUSE _________________________________________________________________________..
1. Exploding firecrackers on Chinese New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
2. On the stroke of midnight, every door and window in the house has to be opened
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
3. Many people also don’t eat meat on the first day of Chinese New Year festival
because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
4. Some may eat a whole fish
because_____________________________________________________________________________, or a
chicken with its head and feet intact,
which______________________________________________________________________________________.
5. Any noodles in your bowl should be left uncut because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
6. A home is thought to be lucky if a plant blooms on New Year's Day because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
7. On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning
equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's
Day because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
8. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and
trash on the floor are swept to the middle of the room, then placed in the corners
and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the dust or trash in
the corners be walked on upon because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
9. Dust and dirt must always be swept inwards and then carried out and All dirt and
rubbish must be taken out the back door because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
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10. All debts had to be paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
11. Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad words because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
12. References to the past year are also avoided because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
13. You can’t cry on New Years Day because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
14. On New Year's Day, one should not wash hair because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
15. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
16. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given little red
envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
17. The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
18. Everyone, even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
19. Do not use knives or scissors on New Year's Day because
_____________________________________________________________________________________________..
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Chinese New Year Superstitions
There are certain customs and superstitions that many Chinese adhere to during the New
Year festival to bring them luck during the New Year.
20. Exploding firecrackers on Chinese New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out
the old year and welcoming in the new
21. On the stroke of midnight, every door and window in the house has to be opened to
allow the old year to go out and the new year to come in, if you don’t you will have
bad luck.
22. Many people also don’t eat meat on the first day of Chinese New Year festival
because it is believed that this will ensure a long and happy life.
23. Some may eat a whole fish which represents togetherness and having many things,
or a chicken with its head and feet intact, which symbolizes wealth.
24. Any noodles in your bowl should be left uncut, as a sign of long life.
25. A home is thought to be lucky if a plant blooms on New Year's Day, as this foretells
the start of a good year.
26. On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning
equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's
Day for fear that good fortune (luck) will be swept away.
27. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and
trash on the floor are swept to the middle of the room, then placed in the corners
and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the dust or trash in
the corners be walked on upon, or that will ruin that years luck BECAUSE
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
28. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold,
you will sweep one of the family members away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out
of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family;
it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All
dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.
29. All debts had to be paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone
who does so will be giving money to other people all the rest of the year.
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30. Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words.
Negative terms and the number 4, sounding like the word for death, are not to be
uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally
forbidden.
31. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward
the New Year and a new beginning.
32. If you cry on New Year's Day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children
are tolerated and are not chastised less they cry.
33. On New Year's Day, one should not wash hair because it would mean that good luck
for the New Year could be washed away.
34. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright,
happy colour, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that
appearance and attitude during New Year's sets the tone for the rest of the year.
35. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given little red
envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.
36. The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant as to what the
fortunes would be for the entire year. It is a lucky sign to see or hear songbirds or
red-coloured birds or swallows.
37. It is considered unlucky to greet anyone in their bedroom so that is why everyone,
even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room.
38. Do not use knives or scissors on New Year's Day as this may cut off fortune.
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