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Lunar New Year in the Classroom

Lunar New Year is a very important celebration for those who observe this holiday.ย  You canย  help your students understand the rich history of this celebration by learning more about Lunar New Year through engaging activities.ย  In this post, I will share some of my favorite ways to include Lunar New Year in the classroom.ย ย 

 What is Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year has been celebrated for thousands of years in China and other Asian countries.  It is a festival that lasts for 15 days, beginning with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ending with the first full moon.  Due to this fact, the Lunar New Year festivities begin on a different calendar day each year. 

Lunar New Year is a festival that is deeply rooted in legend and tradition. There are many different symbols and customs associated with this holiday. It is a time for celebrating new beginnings and spending time with loved ones. 

Lunar New Year reading passage and graphic organizer

Learning About Other Cultures

Discussing Lunar New Year in the classroom is a great way to help students learn about other cultures.  There are three main reasons why I feel itโ€™s important to teach students about important holidays and traditions from around the world.

1) Increase Representation for All Students

First and foremost, itโ€™s important that all students feel represented in the classroom curriculum.  Many of the students in our classrooms have Asian heritage and celebrate Lunar New Year in their homes. This is among the most important holidays that they celebrate with their families. Acknowledging and learning about Lunar New Year in the classroom shows students that their culture is recognized and valued by their teachers and peers.

A booklet for learning about Lunar New Year

2) Build Community

Representing other cultures in the classroom curriculum is a great way to help build classroom community. However, those feelings of representation and belonging can extend into the school and local communities as well. If you donโ€™t have any students in your classroom who celebrate Lunar New year, you could invite a student from a different class to share about how they celebrate this holiday.

You can also encourage connections between the school and local community. Consider asking a member of your local community to be a guest speaker in your classroom or school.  Since this is such an important festival, chances are that they would be more than happy to share about Lunar New Year.  Students can ask questions and learn more about people in the community. This will have a positive impact on the way students interact with people they encounter in their day-to-day lives.

3) Prepare Children for the Future

Learning about other cultures prepares children for the future.  Right after high school graduation, many of our students will choose to live abroad for college, volunteer work, military service, or life experience.  Many students will end up in careers where they are an active part of the global economy. Learning about countries and cultures outside of their own will prepare students for an expanded worldview that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

Learning About Lunar New Year in the Classroom

With so much curriculum to cover during the year, it can feel challenging to add other learning opportunities into the regular routine. This includes learning about holidays celebrated around the world. I wanted to share some ways that your students can learn about Lunar New Year while practicing important academic skills at the same time!

Print and digital Lunar New Year reading passages

Lunar New Year Reading Comprehension

Reading passages are a great way for students to learn facts about Lunar New Year.  They can practice close reading skills as they learn about Lunar New Year traditions, food, clothing, and symbols.  

After reading about Lunar New Year, they can answer a variety of different comprehension questions about what they learned.

Geography and Map Skills

Your students can practice their map skills as they learn more about the parts of the world that celebrate Lunar New Year!  They can identify Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Vietnam.  Then they can see where they live on the map in relation to Asia. 

Vocabulary

Vocabulary and map practice worksheets

Many of the symbols of Lunar New Year include vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to students.  Students can practice reading and understanding words like โ€œpouch,โ€ โ€œcarp,โ€ and โ€œlantern.โ€  Learning about holidays can be an engaging way to help students expand their vocabulary.

Compare and Contrast

After learning about how Lunar New Year is celebrated, you can discuss with your class the way we celebrate New Year on January 1st.  Students can use a Venn diagram to record similarities and differences between the two New Year celebrations. This is a great way for students to practice the important comprehension skills of comparing and contrasting!

Fact or Opinion

Lunar New Year fact and opinion worksheet

Another engaging comprehension activity is to have students identify facts and opinions.  This is a great way for students to apply their new knowledge of Lunar New Year!  They can read a variety of sentences about Lunar New Year and color it based on whether the statement is a fact or an opinion.  

Printable Lunar New Year Activities for the Classroom

If youโ€™d like your students to learn more about Lunar New Year, I have created a resource with a variety of reading passages and comprehension activities! Students can learn facts about the Lunar New Year celebration as they read 13 different reading passages.  The engaging comprehension pages will help your students apply what they have learned to important grade-level literacy skill practice. 

A variety of Lunar New Year printables

If youโ€™d like to take a closer look at everything included in this printable resource, you can find it on TPT.  

Save These Lunar New Year Ideas for the Classroom

I hope these activity ideas will be useful as you help your students learn more about other cultures.ย  If youโ€™d like to discuss Lunar New Year in the classroom, save this post!ย  Just add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest.ย  Youโ€™ll be able to quickly find these resources whenever youโ€™re looking for Lunar New Year activities for the classroom.

Learning about Lunar New Year in the classroom

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Teaching in a primary classroom can be overwhelming! Have you ever wondered… How can I meet all the demands of teaching and still make sure I am teaching my students to be good world citizens? How can …

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