Bringing the Chinese New Year into your classroom is a wonderful way to celebrate diversity and expose students to global traditions. With the right books and activities, your students will build background knowledge, engage in creative projects, and strengthen their reading comprehension skills while learning about another culture. Below, you’ll find ideas to help thoughtfully teach Chinese New Year, even if it’s your first time!
{Disclaimer: Affiliate links have been used in this post but I only share books I’ve read and enjoy!}
Start by introducing Chinese New Year with an informational read-aloud to help students learn about the holiday, its traditions, and its cultural significance. This is a great way to build background knowledge before diving into fiction books.
As you read, focus on key elements such as the symbolism of the dragon, the importance of red in decorations, and the traditions practiced during the holiday. This introduces students to new cultural ideas and sets the stage for further exploration throughout the week.
After reading, brainstorm and record facts with your class to create a Chinese New Year anchor chart. This can be a reference throughout the week to help students remember key details about the holiday.
Encourage students to share facts they learned from the informational text and fill the chart with important traditions (like the dragon parade, red envelopes, and family gatherings). As you add more activities and readings throughout the week, you can continue to fill in and refer back to the anchor chart.
Add a creative spin to your lesson by having students draw a Chinese New Year dragon. Dragons play an important role in the celebration, symbolizing power, strength, and good luck.
Follow a step-by-step guide to draw the dragon, and as students work on their creations, have them write facts they’ve learned about the Chinese New Year with their dragon drawings. This is a fun way to reinforce learning while allowing students to use their creativity.
Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon is a fantastic picture book to engage students in a traditional tale related to the Chinese New Year. Use book-specific questions to explore the story’s plot, characters, and message as you read.
Encourage your students to discuss how the dragon Nian is portrayed and how this legend ties into Chinese New Year traditions. This is a great opportunity to build on their background knowledge and dive deeper into cultural stories.
Now that your students are familiar with Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon, guide them in a comparison activity using the book and a website about Chinese New Year. Together, discuss how the information presented in the story compares to the factual information found on a website.
As students compare and contrast, they can draw conclusions about how stories and factual information are related, giving them a better understanding of how traditions and myths shape the celebration of Chinese New Year.
To further explore Chinese culture, read Ruby’s Wish, a beautifully illustrated story about a young girl determined to follow her dreams despite societal expectations. This book offers a great opportunity to teach the comprehension skill of understanding characters’ feelings, traits, and motivations.
As you read, focus on Ruby’s relationship with her grandfather and how her determination and bravery drive her actions. Discuss how the characters interact and how Ruby’s unique traits help her achieve her wish, making this an inspiring story to tie into your Chinese New Year lesson.
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
Sample a day of Rooted in Reading with these lesson plans and activities for Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Grammar!
