Purpose: To introduce students to Asian/Pacific American Heritage month in May. Students will learn about China, Chinese culture, language, and contemporary history as it relates to the world today. To help celebrate shared experiences, diversity and all our unique contributions. To show students that it is important to bridge with all communities and understand that we do have shared experiences that can help us live together in peace and harmony.
History/Social Science Standard:
K.4 Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and
describe their characteristics.
Reading Foundational Skills:
RF.1.3.A Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
Reading Standard:
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Speaking and Listening Stardard:
SL.2.6Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
Language Standard:
L.2.2.A Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.
Overview: This series of lessons will be an introduction to China, its culture, Maya Lin and China’s contribution to our world today.
The first lesson will be a phonics lesson with the Ch digragph and /Ch/ sound. The words China, Chinese New Year, Chinese, chair, cheese, and Chinese food will be introduced and their meaning will be discussed. A mini book about China the Country will be read aloud to the students. They will have an opportunity to color the pages after learning about China. The students will listen to a read aloud about a famous Chinese Women and answer simple comprehension questions.
China Country Coloring Booklet
Maya Lin Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by Jeanne Harvey: Interactive Read Aloud Book for Kids (18).
The second lesson will be about Giant Pandas that can be found in China. Students will view a Video about China and Pandas where students interview a Zoo Keeper. The students will ask and answer questions about the video. As a follow up, they will complete a writing assignment involving a Panda/China Word bank where they set up the words to form a complete sentence using correct capitalization, spacing, spelling and punctuation. They can then copy the sentence and or create their own sentences about pandas and China.
“China: Pandas Travel Kids In Asia” YouTube Webm & Panda/China Word Bank writing page
The third lesson will cover the subject of recycling and taking care of the earth on April 22. I plan on showing effort to recycle our trash and how China has helped the world by leading recycling efforts. They also have been trying to limit plastics from ending in our water supply. I will definitely have a lesson about needs, wants, waste, reuse, recycle or upcycle.
Lastly, we will conclude with a New Years Celebration in California and a Chinese New Year Celebration in China or China Town. We will talk about the Lunar Year and the Year of Rabbit. We will do a directive drawing of a bunny, label the bunny and write a sentence together. The students will view various stamps of Rabbits which honor the Year of the Rabbit. I will give clues describing my favorite stamp and have students find my stamp. The student would have an opportunity to describe or write a description of their favorite stamp using complete sentences. The other students can try to find their favorite stamp by reading their clues. For early finishers, they can design their own bunny stamp.
How to Draw a Chinese New Year Rabbit
To conclude the celebration, I plan on showing “The Belt and Road is Now” video with the children singing in English and calling for unity. The Belt and Road is Now
Lesson 1: Phonics, Reading Comprehension, spelling, writing and vocabulary development
Review the digraph ch and the sound /ch/ using a circle map and ‘ch’ words.
Find China and California in an Atlas Book and describe their location.
Write Ch words with a capital Ch for words like China, Chinese new Year etc.
Read, echo read a book about China and find words with the /ch/ sound.
Listen to a Read Aloud about a Maya Lin and answer questions about the book.
RF.1.3.A Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
L.2.2.A Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
K.4 Students compare and contrast the locations of people, places, and environments and describe their characteristics.
I will present the IMSE Power Point with the lesson for /ch/.
Students will do the alphabet drill, provide the sounds for each letter’
They will do the vowel tent activity where they provide the short vowel sound for each vowel using picture cues.
They listen to a target sound when a word is presented orally and write the letter that corresponds to the sound in their sound tray, then say: “man, the beginning sound is /m/, m says /m/”.
They then blend cvc words and words with blends/consonant digraphs using the slide show and my support.
I will introduce the (Ch, ch) digraph and /ch/ sound with a corresponding slide with words and pictures that contain the sound such as: chin, cheese, chair, chain, chips, chick, China, Chinese Food, Chow Mein, Chinese New Year.
The Students air write the Ch while the slides show a cheese icon stamping the ‘ch’ as they say the /ch/ sound.
The students then use their dot to dot dotters to dot the Ch on their page while they make the /ch/ sound with teacher guiding the activity by projecting the same page on the board and dot dotting the Ch.
The students will raise their hand to say a word that starts with the ch and I will make a circle Thinking Map by circling the ch and making a bigger concentric circle outside of the little one. I will draw the pictures of the words that the students say and will label them so they can copy them in their page.
I will explain that China, Chinese and Chinese Food start with the digraph ‘Ch’. “We must start with a capital C as China is the name of a country on the other side of the world.”, I will say to the class. (I usually like to celebrate the Spanish Language by mentioning that CH or ch (pronounced che) is actually a Spanish letter that has the /ch/ sound like in the word chico (small) or chango (monkey)).
I will show students the “It’s a Big Big World Atlas” and have them find China and California. They will learn that China is in the East and California is in the West. I will show a picture of China Town in Los Angeles and in San Francisco and point to the cities in the California Map and explain that San Francisco is in the Northern part of California while Los Angeles is in the Southern part of California.
I will share that Chinese food is very delicious and may include rice, meats, Chow Mein and Egg Rolls. I will explain that Egg Rolls were invented in California either in San Francisco or in Los Angeles according to my Professor Dr. Clay Dube. I will share that our state helped create a popular Chinese food item that we can buy.
A mini book about China the Country will be read aloud to the students. The students will highlight all the Ch words including: China, Chinese, chicken. They will have an opportunity to write their favorite fact and color the pages after learning about China. China Country Coloring Booklet
The students will listen to a read aloud about a famous Chinese Women and answer simple comprehension questions. (Who was Maya? Where was she born? What did she do? What did she like to play with? What did she build with recycled material? Why did they leave China?)
Maya Lin Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by Jeanne Harvey: Interactive Read Aloud Book for Kids
Lesson 2: China and Giant Pandas Video Interview & write a sentence using a word bank.
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
SL.2.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
L.2.2.A Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.
I will remind students that we learned about China and that it was the only place where giant pandas could be found. I will introduce the “China: Pandas Travel Kids in Asia”.
China:Pandas Travel Kids in Asia YouTube Webm
Students will view the video and listen to the kids interviewing the Zoo Keeper in China. The students will ask and answer questions about the video using complete sentences.
As a follow up or for independent practice, they will complete a writing assignment involving a Panda/China Word bank where they set up the words to form a complete sentence using correct capitalization, spacing, spelling and punctuation. They can then copy the sentence and/or create their own sentences about pandas and China.
Lesson 3: China, Recycling and Earth Day
The third lesson will cover the subject of recycling and taking care of the earth on April 22. I plan on showing effort to recycle our trash and how China has helped the world by leading recycling efforts. They also have been trying to limit plastics from ending in our water supply. I will definitely have a lesson about needs, wants, waste, reuse, recycle or upcycle.
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
SL.2.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
Play the following videos and have students orally answer wh questions about the videos using complete sentences.
Why Should I Recycle? Read Aloud Children's Book (3.41)
What a Waste by Jess French Read Aloud
What If Everybody Did That? Read Aloud (7.24)
Explain to students that China has produced lots of things that we have in our homes or buy in our local store. China has also tried to recycle some of our trash for example, a company from California would send out paper trash items in the big containers that were shipped back to China. This helped California have less trash and China was able to recycle or reuse the paper trash.
Earth Day Chinese Lesson-Learn About the Climate Crisis in Chinese!
Garbage Classification Song Video
Little Baby Bum Recycling and Craft Ideas
After viewing the recycling and craft idea, student can plant a seed inside a plastic cup, plastic bottle or tin cup.
Lesson 4: New Year’s Celebration in California and a Chinese New Year Celebration
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
SL.2.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
I will talk about the Lunar Year and the Year of Rabbit. We will do a directive drawing of a bunny, label the bunny and write a sentence together.
How to Draw a Chinese New Year Rabbit
The students will view various stamps of Rabbits which honor the Year of the Rabbit. I will give clues describing my favorite stamp and have students find my stamp. (My stamp is red. It has a Mom and two bunnies cudling next to flowers in nature. This stamp reminds me to spend time with my two kids enjoying nature and smelling the flowers. Can you find my favorite stamp?)
The student would have an opportunity to describe or write a description of their favorite stamp using complete sentences. The other students can try to find their favorite stamp by reading their clues. For early finishers, they can design their own bunny stamp.
To conclude the celebration, I plan on showing “The Belt and Road is Now” video with the children singing in English and calling for unity. The Belt and Road is Now
China
Artist: Huáng Yǒngyù 黃永玉
2011
1999
1987
Hong Kong
2011
1999
1987
1975
Macau
2011
1987
Taiwan (Republic of China)
2011
1999
1987
1975
United States
Artist: Camille Chew; Art director: Antonio Alcalá
2011
Artists: Kam Mak, Clarence Lee (paper cut), Lau Bun (calligraphy), Art director: Ethel Kessler
1999
Åland
Armenia
Australia
Designed by Chrissy Lau
2011
1999
Belarus
Cambodia
1999
Canada
2011
Artist: Tracy Walker, Design: HM&E
1999
Artist: Ken Koo, Design: Ken Fung
Cuba
2011
1999
Estonia
France
Artist: Chén Jiānghóng 陈江洪
Born in Tianjin, Chen has lived in France since 1988 and is well-known for his children's books and abstract paintings.
2011
Artist: Li Zhongyao
French Polynesia
Grenada
Guernsey
Guinea-Bissau
2011
Guyana
Hungary
Isle of Man
Artist: Stanley Chow
Japan
2011
1999
1987
1963
1951
Jersey
1999
Laos
1975
Liechtenstein
New Zealand
2011
1999
Philippines
2011
South Korea (Republic of Korea)
2011
1975
Thailand
2011
1999
Ukraine
2011
United Nations
Vietnam
Vietnam's twelve animal cycle varies slightly from that found elsewhere in East and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, this is the year of the cat, rather than the year of the rabbit. In Australia, some communities have incorporated cats (e.g., giant inflatables, Hello Kitty and more) into this year's celebration.
2011
1999
Want more lunar new year stamps?
2022: Year of the Tiger
2021: Year of the Ox
2020: Year of the Rat
2019: Year of the Pig
2018: Year of the Dog
2017: Year of the Rooster
2016: Year of the Monkey
2015: Year of the Ram/Goat/Sheep
2014: Year of the Horse
2013: Year of the Snake
2012: Year of the Dragon
2011: Year of the Rabbit
2010: Year of the Tiger
2009: Year of the Ox