Lesson Plan
TCLP teacher’s name: Chen Linlin
Grade level: 8
Language level: Introductory Title: Chinese Zodiac
Step 1—Desired Results
Lesson goals
What should students know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the lesson?
Students will be able to know:
1. How Chinese calendar is working
2. Know more about Chinese zodiac story and how the animals were picked up in the Chinese zodiac year
3. know something about students’ own trait relating to the Chinese zodiac
Essential Questions
What leading questions can you ask of students to get them to understand the Big Ideas?
1. How does Chinese Calendar work?
2. What are the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals? How were they chosen and what is the order?
3. How are the Zodiac animals used as symbols?
4. What traits are there relating to each zodiac animal?
5. Which year were you born? What traits do you have according to Chinese Zodiac year?
Lesson Objectives
Identify General Learner Outcome (GLO)
Students will be able to:
1. Understand that Chinese calendar is divided into cycles of 12 years, in which each year is represented by
an animal
2. Know about the story and can play it out about explaining the choice of 12 zodiac animals
3. Know about the traits of each zodiac animal
4. Know students’ own signs in the Chinese Zodiac year
Step 2—Assessment Evidence
Performance task — What will students do to show what they have learned?
Performance criteria — How good is good enough to meet standards?
Students should be able to
1. Read aloud the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in Chinese
2. Recognize the Chinese names for the 12 Chinese animals
3. Making a larger poster by drawing the pictures of the 12 animals and positive and negative traits each
animal have
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Step 3—Learning Plan
Materials needed
White board
flash cards
colorful papers colorful pens or crayons
computer
projector
a large piece of white or red paper
Learning activities
Step by step instructions from start to finish (including amount of minutes needed per activity), and detailed
enough for another teacher to follow. What teaching methods/activities will you be using?
1. Duty Report
2m
Revision of numbers by inviting a student come to the front to report the date, day and time now.
2. Revision
3m
Use gestures to help students to review counting the Chinese numbers from 1 to 30.
3. Introduction to Chinese zodiac and its story
10m
1) Tell the students story of how a Chinese calendar works
2) Ask the students to read aloud the Zodiac story printed ahead of time for them
3) Help them to remember the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals
4. Play it out
10m
Divide the students into 2 groups and help them to act the story out. In this way, students may have a better
understanding of how Chinese zodiac animals are chosen and what they are.
5. Teaching the Chinese names
15m
1) Teach students to say the Chinese names of the 12 animals by using flashcards
2) Ask the students to review them by using PowerPoint.
3) Students play Fly Swatter game to remember what they have learnt
6. Traits of each animal
10m
1) Ask students search on the Internet and find related information.
2) Give students a piece of paper on which a table is given so that students can write down the positive and
negative sides of each animal
7. Revision
2m
What we have learned today?
Step 4—Reflection
What happened during my lesson? What did my students learn? How do I know?
What did I learn? How will I improve my lesson next time?
Students were very interested in the story of Chinese Zodiac and they were excited about playing it out. It was
amazing that they remembered the 12 animals so well and could use it in their play.
Since students were so interested in play the story out. I plan to give them half of tomorrow’s class and let them
design their story, trying to use as many Chinese words and phrases as possible.
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Appendix:
1. The Zodiac Story
Story of the 12 Animals in Chinese Zodiac
Whenever Chinese New Year is mentioned, the first thing that comes to the minds of most people is,
“What year is this?” This is in reference to the animal representation for that year. The designation is
usually explained with a simple story that a long time ago, Buddha called together all the animals to help
guard and protect the year. Of all the animals, only twelve answered the call. In order to establish an
orderly sequence, a race was called. In the race, the Ox would have taken the honor of taking first place
had it not been for the clever and cunning Rat who rode on the back of the Ox and jumped forward at the
finish line to steal away the top award.
The Tournament of the Twelve Animals
The Jade Emperor wanted to select twelve animals to represent the different years as totems. Hearing this, all the
animals on earth rushed to the call with each desiring to be selected. Finding no suitable method on which to base his
selection, the Jade Emperor decided to have a tournament of physical skills and abilities.
The Jade Emperor appointed the Elephant to be the undisputed judge of this tournament. The elephant was known for
his calmness, great moral virtue and conduct. His judgment was principled and fair and because of this he is highly
respected by all the animals.
When this tournament and its rules were announced, the Cat heard about it and went to tell this to the Rat. In earlier
times, both the Cat and the Rat were very close friends. The Cat told the Rat that he was eligible to compete because
being an animal was the only necessary qualification. When the Rat arrived, he saw that there was already a mighty
strong brown Ox poised on the tournament platform welcoming all challengers.
The brown Ox was both large in size and extremely mighty. He thought little of having the tiny Rat as his opponent. He
was over confident as he stood boldly on the tournament platform. Readying himself for the battle, the Ox raised his front
legs and pawed and scratched on the ground as he was prepared to stomp on the Rat and flatten him into a small meat
patty. However, the Rat was light in weight and quick and agile in movement so that he was successful in side-stepping
the charging Ox. The Rat jumped onto his feet and catapulted himself onto the back of the Ox. The Ox was helpless to
this attack and the pain inflicted caused him to scream out with an admission of defeat. The judge had no alternative than
to award the Rat with the coveted First prize. The Ox was embarrassed and speechless to have lost to the Rat.
The rest of the animals battled one another, and this is how the ranking of the twelve animals came to be: (1)Rat, (2)Ox,
(3)Tiger, (4)Hare, (5)Dragon, (6)Snake, (7)Horse, (8)Ram, (9)Monkey, (10)Rooster, (11)Dog, (12)Boar.
There are several legends about how the animals were chosen for the Chinese zodiac. This is one of them. The Jade
Emperor is the name of the Emperor of Heaven.
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Long ago, in China, the Jade Emperor decided there should be a way of measuring
time. On his birthday he told the animals that there was to be a swimming race. The
first twelve animals across the fast flowing river would be the winners and they would
each have a year of the zodiac named after them.
All the animals lined up along the river bank. The rat and the cat, who were good
friends, were worried because they were poor swimmers. Being clever they asked
the strong ox if he would carry them across the river.
'Of course' said the kind ox. 'Just climb on my back and I will take you across.'
The rat and the cat quickly jumped up and were very excited when the ox soon
took the lead in the race. They had almost reached the other bank when the rat
pushed the cat into the river leaving him to struggle in the water. Then just before
the ox was about to win the race the rat leapt on his head and on to the bank to
finish first.
'Well done,' said the Jade Emperor to the proud rat. 'The first year of the zodiac will
be named after you.'
The poor ox had been tricked into second place and the second year of the zodiac
was named after him.
Shortly after the exhausted tiger clawed his way to the river bank to claim third place, Swimming across the river had
been an enormous struggle for him against the strong currents. The Emperor was so delighted with his efforts that he
named the third year after him.
Next to arrive was the rabbit, who hadn't swum across at all. He hopped across on some stepping stones and then found
a floating log which carried him to the shore.
'I shall be very happy to call the fourth year after you,' the surprised Jade Emperor explained.
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Just then a kind dragon swooped down to take fifth place.
'Why didn’t you win the race, as you can fly as well as swim?' the Jade Emperor asked.
'I was held up because some people and animals needed water to drink. I needed to make some rain,' the dragon
explained. 'Then when I was nearly here I saw a poor little rabbit on a log in the water and I blew a puff of wind so that the
log would float to the river bank.'
'Well that was very kind of you and now you are here you will have the fifth year of the zodiac named after you.'
The next thing the Jade Emperor heard was the sound of the horse’s hooves. Just as he was thinking the horse would be
the next animal to arrive, a sneaky snake wriggled out from around one of the horse’s hooves. The horse was so
surprised that he jumped backwards giving the snake a chance to take the sixth place in the race. The poor horse had to
be satisfied with seventh place.
Not long afterwards a raft arrived carrying the goat, the monkey and the rooster.
They explained to the Emperor how they had shared the raft that the rooster had found. The goat and monkey had
cleared weeds and pushed the raft to the shore. The Emperor was very pleased that the animals had worked together.
He said the goat would be the eighth zodiac animal, the monkey the ninth and the rooster the tenth.
The next animal to finish was the dog.
'Why are you so late when you are one of the best swimmers?' asked the Jade Emperor.
'The water in the river was so clean that I had to have a bath on the way,' explained the dog.
Now there was one place left in the zodiac and the Emperor wondered when the last winner would come. He had nearly
given up when he heard a grunt from the boar.
'You took a long time to cross the river,' said the Emperor to the boar.
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'I was hungry and stopped to eat,' explained the boar. 'After the meal I felt so tired that I fell asleep.'
'You have still done well,' said the Jade Emperor. 'The last year of the zodiac will be named after you.'
As for the cat who had been pushed into the water by the rat, he finally crawled out of
the water but was too late to have a year named after him. He felt very cross with the rat and since then cats have never
been friends with rats.
From that day to this the Chinese Zodiac has followed this cycle of years named after these twelve animals.
2. The trait table
Animal
Positive Traits
Negative Traits
Rat
Ox
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
Horse
6
Sheep
Monkey
Rooster
Dog
Pig
7