Read & Explore 66: The Chinese New Year

Have you ever been to China? If you plan to visit China one day, you might not want to miss the Chinese New Year.

The Chinese New Year is one of the biggest celebrations in China. It is called the Spring Festival. It takes place in late January or early February. The Chinese New Year is based on a lunar calendar. It follows the cycles of the Moon. A lunar year is around eleven days shorter than the 365-day solar year, which is based on Earth’s movement around the Sun.

To celebrate the Spring Festival, many cities hold parade. People dress up in colorful costumes. Some people dress up as lions or dragons. Many Chinese people believe lions and dragons bring good luck. People often shoot off fireworks, too. During the Chinese New Year, you might also receive some bright, beautiful red packets. These are filled with money. The red packet is also called “money warding off old age”. It symbolizes good wishes and luck for the new year ahead.

Activities:

1. Lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year. The Chinese lion dance is normally operated by two dancers. How many lions are there if eighteen people perform the lion dances?

2. When do Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival? Why is it usually not on the same day every year? Discuss with your pals in simple English.

3.  Is there any story behind the Chinese New Year? Watch the video to learn about it.Draw pictures to show how you celebrate the New Year.

 

Read & Explore 51: The Path of the Salmon

Salmon do a lot of traveling in their lives. Salmon travel to a shallow, quiet place in the water to lay their eggs. After they are born in a stream, they travel long distance downstream to the ocean to eat and grow. When a female salmon is at the end of her life, she then dies.

A salmon that wants to go home faces many obstacles. Some other animals catch salmon for food. For example, salmon are a favorite meal for bears. Bears wade into the cold water of a river and catch salmon with their paws. Even if a salmon escapes, it faces other obstacles, such as waterfalls and fallen trees.

The salmon’s biggest problem is human beings. People sometimes change rivers or streams by building dams or bridges. Then salmon cannot swim back home to lay their eggs. Over the years, some towns have dumped waste and trash into their rivers. Dirty water makes fish sick or too weak to keep swimming. Today, oceans, rivers, and streams have far fewer salmon than they used to.

Activities:

1. What is the main idea of this selection? List the details to support the main idea.

2. What are your suggestions to solve the salmon’s problems? Discuss with your partners.

3. It would be an amazing journey for the salmon to swim upstream back home. How do they make it? To explore this, watch the videos on the salmon’s life missions.