Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

Gong hei fat choy! Celebrate Chinese New Year with a variety of activities that introduce learners to the Chinese myth of the race that determined which animals earned their place the zodiac.

Students create individual examples of the Chinese Zodiac using pizza boards, pictures of zodiac animals, and art supplies. Evaluation of student progress is done through full-class and small group discussions.

Learners examine the Chinese calendar and Zodiac signs in this early elementary lesson on calendars and culture. Discussions on cultural beliefs and values are emphasized and could be controversial.

As part of a celebration of Chinese New Year, class members research the Chinese zodiac and examine the description of the personality attributes associated with the animal of their birth year. Individuals then craft a persuasive essay...

In this Chinese zodiac worksheet, students unscramble the letters in 12 words to spell the names of Chinese animals in the zodiac. There is a word bank.

Students explore the Chinese culture.  In this cultural instructional activity, students create bookmarks using the Chinese Zodiac.  Each students uses the zodiac animal from their birth year to make a bookmark. 

Students explore human behavior by reading a story in class. In this stereotypes instructional activity, students read the story The Fastest Pig in the West and discuss the racist comments made by a character in the story. Students...

Learners examine the Chinese culture. They discuss the Chinese zodiac, identify their animal on the zodiac, listen to a Chinese folktale, and write an essay reflection on the Chinese zodiac or Chinese culture.

Students explore Chinese culture by reading a story with their class. For this astrology lesson, students read a chapter from the book The Fastest Pig in the West and discuss the relevance of the Chinese zodiac in modern society....