Synopsis
This fun multicultural folk tale reveals how twelve special animals got their places in the Chinese zodiac. It's long ago in ancient China and the Jade Emperor has a great idea: he'll set up a race across the river, and the first twelve animals to cross the finish line will represent the years in the Chinese zodiac. Will the Dog and the Pig ever make it across? Why is the Horse so annoyed at the Snake? How did the Rabbit arrive before the Dragon? Can the Rat really be the winner? And why is the Cat all wet?
Preview the script and songs!Key Concepts
- The Zodiac: what it is, what animals are in it and why
- Animal symbolism (e.g. significance of the dragon, pig, dog, snake, rat, panda, tiger, etc.)
- The Jade Emperor and his Guardian Lions
- Topography: Yellow River (and the Hung-He Valley), China Sea, Yellow Sea, Himalayan Mountains, Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts
- The Seven Necessities of Life: rice, tea, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, firewood
- Yin and yang
- Confucius
- The Great Wall
- Chinese inventions and discoveries: crossbow, horse harness, paper money, wallpaper, pasta, tofu, tea, ink, compass, kite, silk, porcelain, paper, wheelbarrow, collapsible umbrella, bristle toothbrush, moveable type, ice cream, rice cooking, fishing reel, gunpowder
The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary school language arts. Students will act out the folk origins of the Chinese zodiac as they learn some light curriculum about Chinese culture and contributions. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!
Aligned with national standards! View the standards and vocabulary.Publication Info
Author: John Heath (Book and Lyrics) and Mike Fishell (Music)
ISBN:
978-1-886588-55-4
© 2012
Bad Wolf Press, LLC
Kathleen Miller –
This is the first play that I ever produced and I would highly recommend this one as a first play. It is so simple yet so fun and engaging. We had some exchange students from a local college come and teach our students about Chinese culture as part of tying this play to our curriculum. They taught us how to make lanterns that adorned the stage during the performance. Our students also learned about Lunar New Year, this is a topic that really kept kids’ interest.
Amie Tedeschi (verified owner) –
We had a wonderful experience using The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac with our fourth- and fifth-graders! This was our third Bad Wolf Press play, so we expected the humor and catchy songs. They are always well-received by the students, the administration, and the audience. What I loved in particular this time was watching the students take on new challenges and share their ideas of how to improve our performance. They learned so much about communicating with an audience – diction, emphasis, pacing, facial expressions, waiting for response – skills that will serve them on and off the stage. They coached each other on lines and song lyrics. They cheered on classmates who were brave enough to sing solos – and so many of them were brave enough! We also had a fun collaboration with our art teacher who helped the students make masks to represent their characters. The chorus was enthusiastic, singing every word, doing every motion, and reacting to the main scenes. It was simply a wonderful experience!