We started our Ancient China unit for the youngest students by learning about the Chinese Zodiac and having a New Years celebration at school. Students learned about how the zodiac signs were formed with a folk tale about a race called: Cat and Rat : The legend of the Chinese Zodiac written by Ed Young. During our celebration, we made some paper lanterns, ate some sweets and received red envelopes with a fifty cent piece inside. Each time we started class, we went over how we “flew” from the US to China and what that looked like on the world map. Students filled out a “passport” so they could travel during each class!

We next learned about Chinese Calligraphy and practiced writing some characters. We learned how to write and say the numbers from 1 to 10. We also read many folktales and talked about all of the pictures and ideas that were in each book. With the art teacher, students explored porcelain, patterns, weaving, sundials, game playing and gods and goddesses of Ancient China.

All of the students have been introduced and tried playing a game called “Reverse” that is a two person game thought to have originated in China.