Chinese New Year: Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

Celebrate the Chinese New Year! 2009 is the year of the Ox.

This activity is for beginners or lower-level learners.

Print the pictures for the song  – chinese-zodiac-animals Cut.  Allow students in groups to match the word with the picture.

Next play the song “Animals of the Chinese Zodiac.”  Young learners might enjoy acting it out – making the sounds the animals make or moving like them.  You’ll find the lyrics printed in the document above.

Key (the text):

Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

There’s a monkey, and he does this [monkey sound]

There’s a snake, and he can hiss [snake sound]

There’s a horse, and he goes, “Neigh!” [horse sound]

There’s a sheep; he likes to say,

“Baa-Baa-Baa-Baa-Baa-Baa-Baa-Baa!”

There’s a tiger, and he likes to roar [tiger sound]

There’s a rooster; he says, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” [rooster sound]

“There’s a dog, and he goes, “Woof-Woof!” [dog sound]

There’s a pig, and he says,

“Oink-Oink-Oink-Oink-Oink-Oink-Oink-Oink!” [pig sound]

There’s a rabbit, he’s very quiet

There’s a rat, he’s quiet too [rat sound]

There’s an ox, and he goes, “Moo!” [ox sound]   

There’s a dragon, and he says…

“Yo!  None of your business what I say.  I’m magic.  I say what I want. I’s* a dragon. Don’t go round tellin’ me what to say…”

 

*Note: “I’s,” pronounced like “eyes” is “I is”—a regional or slangish version of “I am.”  But you might not to bring this up, unless students ask, especially if they’re young or just beginning.