Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

This activities in this packet, the second in the series of support materials for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt thematic units on animal habitats, are designed specifically for English language learners.

Learners define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and vocabulary activities,...

Students react to a series of statements about elephants, then read a news article about how workers at an elephant orphanage are working to return the animals to the wild. In the animal studies and current events lesson, the teacher...

Get your kinesthetic learners engaged in a vocabulary study using Karen Pandell's book, Animal Action ABC. They move around as you read, and raise their hands whenever they hear one of the words you are learning. Pre-teach the terms:...

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...

Here is an art instructional activity that combines visual arts and language arts into one very nice package. In it, youngsters study a fascinating painting called Painting of Bear and Sun Dances. They begin to understand the importance...

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....

Students identify Chinese culture and find that New Year is the most important of many Chinese holidays. Then they research many facets of the Chinese New Year celebration, and identify the symbols of the animal zodiac. Students also...

After several short 15-minute mini-lessons, your learners will gain an understanding of the characteristics of a non-fiction text. Using the book Map It by Elspeth Leacock, your class will become acquainted with non-fiction terms such as...

Students determine the names of animal babies, then read a news article about zoo's experiencing animal births. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with vocabulary activities, then students read the news...