Chinese New Year

Teacher: Yadira Toledo

Age: 6-9 Grade Level 1-4

Title: Magical Dragon

Brief History:

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

Goals: To produce a Chinese decorative dragon.

Objectives: Students will be able to

1. Use their motor skills order to cut.
2. Reinforce knowledge of geometric shapes.
3. Trace from a demo head and tail.
4. Fold construction paper evenly.
5. Discriminate between the primary colors as well making marks which will give the dragon certain feel.
6. Students will recreate a dragon.

Teacher’s Prep Materials

1. Chinese calendar
2. decorative lanterns
3. images of animals which represent year student was born
4. images of dragons
5. book on Chinese new year
6. Customs and envelopes which contains candies

Supplies and Materials:

1. Construction paper
2. pencils
   
3. crayons
4. color pencils
5. markers
6. glue
7. scissors
8. sticks

Teaching:

Introduce what the Chinese New Year is all about. Read a folklore story that has dragons. Explain the calendar to the students and what the years and animals represent accordingly. Show lots of visuals as well as demonstrate or show demo of what is expected of them. Play a video showing the traditions of the Chinese New Year.

Directions:

1. Trace with tracer the dragons head onto white paper. This must be done twice.

2. On another piece of white paper trace the tail. This also must be done twice.

3. Then begin to color and decorate the head and tail of the dragon.

4. Draw big or little scary teeth. Make eyes.

5. Taking desire piece of color construction paper begin to decorate it with markers.

6. Take the decorated construction paper and fold it like an accordion.

7. Paste the head and tail to the body.

8. Pick out different color construction paper and cut out triangles to decorate the dragon head with horns.

Extensions:

Students that are done can begin to a stick in-between the tail and the head of the dragon and see how it moves. As if it is gliding through the air.

Closure:

Students are to put away all their materials and write their names on the teail of the dragon. Students will line up for next class.

Critique: Assessment:

Students will hang up work and talk about why they used the certain colors they did as well as why they drew the certain emotion the dragon has.

Time Budget:

Should take one 45 minute class but can be extended to two class periods.

Standards:

Safety Concerns:

Scissors are child proof. No running. Everything will be handed to them by helpers.

Bibliography:

1. http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
2. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/alphabet/matchwordsandpix/chinesezodiac/
3. http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/winter/color.html
4. http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm
5. www.trekearth.com/.../France/photo32942.htm
   

Dragons with second grade







Lanterns with 1st grade

Chinese Characters with 1st grade.
They pick their favorite day of the week and number. Monday -Sunday and numbers up to 10 .