K-2 Tour of China Lesson

1. Tour of China
Social Studies Grades K-2

2. Tour of China
 OVERVIEW OF CHINA
 THE LAND
1. Location of China in the World
2. Natural Resources
 THE PEOPLE
1. History
2. Culture
a. Chinese New Year Celebration
b. Language
c. Martial Arts

3. Tour of China
 OVERVIEW OF CHINA
Eyewitness Books: China
by Poppy Sebag-Montefiore
This is a great
place to start.
This colorful,
photography
filled
informational
book includes
history, maps,
culture of the
people,
education,
festivals, the
arts, a timeline,
and a glossary.

4. Tour of China
 OVERVIEW OF CHINA
D is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine
This is an alphabetical celebration of the Chinese culture. Fun for Ages 4-8.
A- Acrobats
B – Balls
C - Calligraphy
D - Dragon Dance
E _ Evil Spirits
F - Firecrackers
G - Grandma & Grandpa
H – Haircut
I - Incense
J - Jade
K - Kites
L - Lanterns
M - Moon
N - Noodles
O - Oranges
P - Peking Duck
Q - Quiz
R - Red Envelopes
S - Steamed Dumplings
T - Tradition
U - Unity
V - Veneration
W - Wish
X - Xylograph
Y - Yo - Yos
Z - Zodiac ( 12 year cycle)

5. Tour of China
 OVERVIEW OF CHINA
Web Resources
1. China for K-12 (n.d.) Retrieved April 1, 2009 , from
www.kiddyhouse.com/SStudies/Countries/China
2. Fact file on China. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,2
8138,1728556,00.html.
3. Lamb, Catherine. (n.d.) Eleven Questions about
China. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.mondovista.com/china33.html.

6. Tour of China
 THE LAND
1. Location of China in the World
2. Natural Resources Atlas of the World by Philip Steele and Keith Lye
1. Introduce Eastern Asia on the world map
2. Eastern Asia is dominated by China p. 174-181
3. China is the 3rd largest country after Russia &
Canada
Web Resources: Interactive map at
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,28138,536985,00.html
The Great Wall at www.timeforkids.com/TFK/goplaces/china2/greatwall_hor.html

7. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
1. History
Many Chinese folktales in children’s literature illustrate life in ancient China.
An ancient Chinese tale
about selfishness and
sharing.
A Chinese tale
about individual
strength and
honesty.
Fables about each of the
Chinese zodiac's 12 animal
symbols.

8. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE Eight original stories
about the first Chinese-
1. History Americans.
More Chinese folktales.
Chinese myths about the
creative acts of the five
emperors (one for each of
the five Chinese elements:
earth, fire, wood, gold and
water).
A folktale about a boy
who frees a magic fish
that helps him defeat
an evil ruler.

9. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
1. History
More Chinese folktales in Children’s literature all by the same author, Ed Young, a
Caldecott Medalist.
An ancient Chinese proverb and
story dating from the Han
Dynasty. Three daughters
in a Chinese Red-
Riding hood story.
A story about the race to be a
part of the Chinese zodiac .

10. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
1. History
Chinese Folktale selected as an American Library Association Notable Children’s
Book.
Tikki Tikki Tembo is a
perfect book to read
aloud. It is a folktale
about a boy who falls
in a well.

11. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
1. History
More Chinese history but in a contemporary fiction book.
Jack and Annie
armed only
with their
magic library
cards, find
themselves in
ancient China.

12. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
2. Culture
An international
adoption story
For older readers:
An autobiography about a
girl who grew up during
Chairman Mao's Cultural
Revolution in China in the
late 1960s.

13. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
2. Culture
a. Chinese New Year Celebration
Web Resources:
Traditional New Year’s Food
www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/15-day_celebration.html
15 Day Celebration of Chinese New Year.
www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/15-day_celebration.html
A craft idea for the Chinese
New Year

14. Tour of China
 THE PEOPLE
b. Language
c. Martial Arts
Native Lingo-China on Time Kids Website
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0
,28138,536989,00.html
An interactive website for learning Chinese words.
For sports fans: An introduction of Martial Arts.

15. Tour of China References
1. 15 Day Celebration of Chinese New Year. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/15-day_celebration.html.
2. Chang, Margaret and Raymond (1997). The Beggar’s Magic: A Chinese Tale. New York: Margaret K.
McElderry Books.
3. Chapman, Mary Beth and Steven (2004). Shaoey and Dot. Nashville, TN: Tommy Nelson.
4. China for K-12 (n.d.) Retrieved April 1, 2009 , from www.kiddyhouse.com/SStudies/Countries/China
5. Chinese New Year Begins. LibrarySparks, Vol. 6, No. 5 pg. 4.
6. Compestine, Ying Chang (2006). D is for Dragon Dance. New York: Holiday House.
7. Demi (1996). The Empty Pot. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
8. Demi (1996). A Dragon’s Tale and Other Animal Fables of the Chinese Zodiac. New York: Henry
Holt & Co.

16. Tour of China References
9. Fact file on China. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,28138,1728556,00.html.
10. Interactive Map of China. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,28138,536985,00.html.
11. Jiang, Ji-Li (1997). Red Scarf Girl. New York: Harper Collins.
12. Lamb, Catherine. (n.d.) Eleven Questions about China. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.mondovista.com/china33.html.
13. Lye, Keith and Steele, Philip (2003). Atlas of the World. UK: Parragon Publishing.
14. Mosel, Arlene (1968). Tikki Tikki Tembo. New York: Scholastic.
15. Native Lingo-China. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,28138,536989,00.html.
16. Osborne, Mary Pope (1998). Magic Tree House #14: D ay of the King. New York: Random House.

17. Tour of China References
17. Perkins, Mitali. (2009, April 1) Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the stereotypes in Kid’s Books. School
Library Journal, Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6647713.
18. Roberston, Lauren (2002). The Best Book of Martial Arts. New York,: Kingfisher Publications.
19. Sebag-Montefiore, Poppy (2007). Eyewitness Books: China. New York: DK Publishing.
20. The Great Wall. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.timeforkids.com/TFK/goplaces/china2/greatwall_hor.html.
21. Traditional New Year’s Food . Retrieved April 1, 2009 from
www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/15-day_celebration.html.
22. Yee, Paul (1989). Tales from Gold Mountains: Stories of the Chinese in the New World. Toronto:
Groundwood Books.
23. Young, Ed (1998). The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale. New York: Harcourt, Inc.

18. Tour of China References
24. Young, Ed (1998). The Cat and Rat: The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
25. Young, Ed (1996). Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China. New York: Putnam.
26. Zhang, Song Nan (1994). Five Heavenly Emperors: Chinese Myths of Creation. Toronto: Tundra
books.