Chinese New Year Zodiac Race (Song, Story, Script, & Printables)

How were the Chinese Zodiac Animals selected? Legend has it that the Jade Emperor held a race, and the first 12 animals across the finish line became the zodiac animals.

Drama ensued, and many things in the animal world were explained in the process. For example, explanations for why cats and mice hate each other, why oxen hold their heads low, why horses are jumpy, why snakes don't have legs, why goats have bad eyes, why monkeys have red bottoms, and why chickens now have only two legs (apparently they originally had four).

This package includes a song (with recording), story, and script that are all aligned for easy transition between them.

The song is written with blanks for the key words so students can learn the song while also developing their pronunciation, spelling, and knowledge of the zodiac race.

The story has room for students to add illustrations. This can be done to help students visualize the race and for teachers to check comprehension.

The script is written for between 6 and 16 roles. The number of students per role is flexible.

Extra simplified pictures are included for students to either color or use as models to make masks. The pictures all use a circle as a foundation, so masks can easily be made from paper plates; the decorations are also basic shapes that students can easily cut out of construction paper or other materials.


Key words: Chinese New Year, cat, mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, rat, boar, sheep, reader's theater