Kristy Ambrogio         Del Rio Elementary
Introduction
Standards
Objectives
Activities
Assessment
Results
Resources
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Introduction
This is a series of lessons that will introduce the students to Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival.  Students will create and participate in many Chinese New Year activities.  The activities were chosen to encourage students to explore the rich cultural events of Chinese New Year.
Subject:  Language Arts
                Social Studies
                Math 
Topic:  Chinese New Year
Grade Level: Second Grade
Student Lesson
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Standards Addressed

Language Arts:  Writing Applications- Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences.  Students writing demonstrate a command of standard American English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.

2.2 Letter Writing
 

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Instructional Objectives
 

  1. Students will be able to describe 3 events during the Chinese New Year.
  2. Students will be able to locate continents on a map.
  3. Students will be able to identify 3 Chinese inventions.
  4. Students will produce a friendly letter, poetry and a how to paragraph.
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Student Activities

Introductory Activity:  Students will take a  PRE-TEST  on what they know about China and the Chinese New Year.

* SEI -differentiated pretest according to students language ability.  Students may draw, label or write complete sentences on Chinese New Year.

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Enabling Activities

  Day 1
          Let's visit China  --Teacher will introduce students to China and 
          the Chinese New Year with a lesson on CONTINENTS. 

 
Day 2
Zodiac Calendar  --Discuss Ed Young and give students information about this author.  Find China on a world map (review) and discuss which continent it is on.  Hand out brochure (Appendix B) and read together with students.

Read: Cat and Rat by Ed Young and discuss any unknown words and specific words to the culture such as trait and zodiac.  Discuss birthdays with the students and have them each say their own birthday.  Hand out ZODIAC WHEELS and have them locate each birthday on the zodiac wheel.  Students will discuss in small group what traits they have.  The students may go to the web page to find more information about their Zodiac Animal.  After, they will  write an ACROSTIC POEM of themselves with those traits. 

*SEI--Brainstorm words that describe themselves.
 

Day 3
Chinese Inventions:  Discuss  INVENTIONS  from China.  Introduce FIRECRACKERS as one of the Chinese inventions.  In this activity, the students make firecrackers out of toilet paper rolls to simulate Chinese New Year's firecrackers.

Procedure:  Have students cover cardboard rolls with wrapping paper, leaving about 3 inches of excess paper on each end.  Gently twist wrapping paper to close ends and secure with curling ribbon.  Before securing last end, put a few dried beans or rice inside 'firecracker' so it will make a noise when the students shake it. 

Extension Activity:  Students identify and label Chinese New Year inventions.
 

Day 4
How to Paragraph:  How to use CHOPSTICKS. 

Procedure:  Bring in a rice cooker, sticky rice and chopsticks in so the students can make the rice and use their chopsticks in class.  (The making of the rice is a great activity on measurement and reading directions).  While the rice is cooking, model how to use chopsticks.  Then model a how to paragraph.  When rice is ready let the students use chopsticks and write their own how the paragraph.
 

Day 5
DRAGON PUPPETS:  Discuss the significance of the DRAGON in the Chinese culture.  Have the students look up different kinds of DRAGONS before completing their own puppet.
 

Day 6
POST CARD:  Write a postcard to a friend about the Chinese holiday--Chinese New Year. 

Day 7: 
Write a friendly letter to someone about how we celebrated Chinese New Year or learned about China.

Day 8
POST-TEST--Every student will take the post-test to show what they have learned. 

 

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Culminating Activity
Friendly Letter:  Students will choose 2 or 3 web pages to go find more information about China and The Chinese New Year.  When they have finished, they will write a friendly letter to a friend telling them about China and Chinese New Year.
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Assessment
 
POST-TEST--Every student will take the post-test to show what they have learned.

RUBRIC -- The rubric used is based on a 4-point rubric (4 being the best)

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Results
Students have taken a pre-test, activities 1-6, and a  post-test.  The results presented in the  GRAPH shows each student's growth from beginning to end of the Chinese New Year unit.
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Web Resources & Supplementary Materials
 
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Power Point Presentation
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Del Rio Elementary
Oceanside, California
Kristy Ambrogio's email 
Last Revised: 05/19/2001