China, Around the World

The folktale recounted in this unit is The Terrible Dragon. It is illustrated with cheerful line art of a little boy named Wen Li and the fabulous Chinese dragon he invites to his 10th birthday party. It is a story of courage and kindness sure to hold your students' attention, as they begin their education in Chinese culture and family life. Complete follow up instructions and suggestions focus on traditional Chinese clothing and food, and help students produce their own picture book of the story. Cut-out characters and a story mat are included.This unit also helps children learn subjects as varied as language, math and art with activities tied to a variety of Chinese cultural subjects, Writing Chinese Words; Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival; Making Lanterns; Cooking Won Ton; Using Chopsticks; Making Red Envelopes, an activity centered around a Chinese gift-giving tradition; Raising Silkworms and Making Crickets, which includes the writing of a silkworm journal and study of the silkworm life cycle; Doing Tai Ji Exercises; Playing Jump Rope; Playing a Game of Sticky Red Bean, similar to "It"; and counting chart pages. There are also pages devoted to the Flags of Mainland China and Taiwan, a Map of both Chinas, and a glossary of terms. Activities are always begun with a paragraph of Cultural Background and a Preparation list, followed by complete, step-by-step instructions. All pages are reproducible and perforated for easy removal.