In connection with third grade’s Ancient China Study, in Spanish class the students have been learning the vocabulary for the animals and their presumed attributes that are represented in the Chinese Zodiac. El Horóscopo Chino consists of twelve signs and is determined by the Chinese Lunar Year. There are twelve animals, one for each year of the lunar cycle.
1. la rata: the rat
ambicioso, trabajador y creativo
ambitious, hard working and creative
2. el buey: the ox
responsable, paciente y leal
responsible, patient and loyal
3. el tigre: the tiger
valiente, simpático y sospechoso
brave, nice and suspicious
4. el conejo: the rabbit
compasivo, creativo y amigable
compassionate, creative and friendly
5. el dragón: the dragon
brillante, honesto y entusiasmado
brilliant, honest and enthusiastic
6. la serpiente: the snake
sabio, callado y respetado
wise, quiet and respected
7. el caballo: the horse
alegre, hablador e independiente
cheerful, talkative and independent
8. la cabra: the sheep
amable, creativo y apasionado
loving, creative and passionate
9. el mono: the monkey
inteligente, chistoso y genial
intelligent, humorous and genius
10. el gallo: the rooster
agresivo, ambicioso y orgulloso
aggressive, ambitious and proud
11. el perro: the dog
honesto, leal y sincero
honest, loyal and sincere
12. el cerdo: the pig
cariñoso, simpático y trabajador
affectionate, kind and hard working
The third graders have been having much fun putting their new knowledge to practice. Many entertaining and engaging games have been provided for the students to practice their listening and reading comprehension. For example, el juego de los matamoscas (the Swatter Game) was first played using the photo of the animals, then with their printed name, and then with the written personality traits that the students needed to read in order to swat the correct one called out.
In addition, the students played a couple of rounds of their favorite, Pulgar Arriba (Thumbs-Up) by using flashcards with the animal photo and then with the written word.
Also, the students played a few rounds of another favorite, Bingo, created just for this study. First, they matched oral to photo and then by the three characteristic traits of the animal. The traits were called out and reference sheets were used so that the students could read and connect them with its corresponding animal logo on their board. What a fun challenge!!
Lastly, the students played a round of Bananagrams and it was a total hit among all. The third graders were invited to get into groups and using a two-minute timer, they had to build a crossword grid with the Spanish words for the zodiac animals. Way much more fun!!
The culminating activity for the study is for the third graders to make up their own zodiac sign. The question was posed, “ If you could create your own signo de horóscopo, what would it look like, what three characteristics will it have, and what would it be called?” The students first drafted their idea, gave it three characteristics (written in Spanish and English) and then began sculpting using Model Magic©. Once finished, their creations will be displayed for all to enjoy. Stay tuned…
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