Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is a 15-day Asian cultural holiday that marks the beginning of the new year and celebrates the coming of spring. Help build background knowledge on the holiday and explore diverse perspectives and customs by sharing Lunar New Year activities for students in ELA, social studies, and science classes.

• Build background knowledge of Asian cultures and experiences in ELA
• Discover Lunar New Year customs and history in social studies
• Try fun Lunar New Year experiments in science

[Build background knowledge of Asian cultures and experiences in ELA](id-ela)

Help students learn more about diverse holidays and cultures with these Lunar New Year ELA activities:

Teach about Lunar New Year with a paired analysis activity

Exploring both fiction and nonfiction texts can give students a better understanding of a topic or an event. Use this paired text analysis lesson to help them learn more about Lunar New Year:

• Assign the fictional story “Li T’ien and the Demon Nian” by Eugie Foster.
• Have students read the nonfiction article about the evolution of the Chinese New Year festival.
• Ask students to complete the paired text analysis worksheet with the guiding question, “What is the main idea of each text, and how are they connected?”

Build background knowledge about Chinese immigration in America

When Chinese immigrants came to America, they brought their culture and customs with them. Students can learn more about Chinese immigration in America with resources like:

• A biography of noted Chinese author Amy Tan.
• A biography of Chinese immigrant and entrepreneur Lum Fong Shee.
• An article about how Chinese immigrants were critical to developing towns and cities that became part of Washington State.

Explore how society treats Asian immigrants and Asian Americans

Chinese people and other Asian immigrants have often faced discrimination in the United States. Students can explore more about how they’re treated in society by reading articles on topics like:

• Why the term “Asian American” means different things to different people.
• How a PBS docuseries called “Asian Americans” is working to rewrite the history of this demographic. 
• Ways to help Asian and Asian American communities that face discrimination.

Discover novels by Asian-American authors

Pair your whole-class novels or independent reading selections with the upcoming holiday using Newsela’s Novel and Book Studies collection. Choose from titles like:

“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin

In Lin’s novel, a Chinese girl named Minli goes on a magical quest to find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family’s fortune. Students can build background knowledge on the topics and themes of the novel with resources like:

• An article that explores the geography, culture, and history of China.
• An article about gods, goddesses, and spirits revered in ancient China.
• An interactive video about how people perceive the fantasy genre in fiction.

“American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang

In Yang’s novel, a Chinese American teenager named Jin works to embrace his dual cultural background while navigating the pressures of fitting in at school and with friends. Students can explore more ideas and themes from this novel with resources like:

• An interview with author and graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang.
• An article about a Chinese-American superhero called the Green Turtle and what the character means to people from immigrant backgrounds.
• An article about why stereotypes and generalizations can be harmful to society.

[Discover Lunar New Year customs and history in social studies](id-ss)

Students can learn more about the customs and traditions of Lunar New Year—and other hallmarks of Asian cultures—with engaging social studies activities:

See how people around the world celebrate Lunar New Year

Though Lunar New Year also goes by the name Chinese New Year, people worldwide celebrate this festival. Students can learn more about common traditions by exploring:

• Why people dress in costumes to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
• What recipes are popular at Lunar New Year gatherings.
• The significance of the Chinese Zodiac through a digital poster lesson extension activity.

Explore New Year’s traditions in all cultures

Most cultures mark the beginning of a new calendar year with parties, celebrations, and traditions. Show students how these customs have evolved by sharing resources on topics like:

• The traditions and symbols most commonly associated with Chinese New Year.
• The history of popular New Year’s traditions around the world.
• How the concept of New Year’s resolutions began in ancient Babylon.

Build background knowledge of Chinese history and culture

Ancient Chinese history and culture heavily influence how people celebrate Lunar New Year. Explore more about the history of the country and its people with articles on topics like:

• An overview of China’s imperial dynasties.
• The ancient Chinese village of Banpo, which women ran.
• The Mandate of Heaven, a divine source of authority for China’s early kings and emperors.

Teach students about Chinese religion and philosophy

Chinese religion and philosophy also played key roles in establishing holiday and celebration customs in the country. Teach students more about these topics using resources like:

• The history of the Chinese zodiac.
• An explainer article about the ancient philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism.
• A collection of ghost stories from ancient China.

[Try fun Lunar New Year experiments in science](id-sci)

Encourage students to think creatively about the Lunar New Year and try fun science experiments to celebrate!

Create a confetti popper

How do the celebratory tools we use on New Year’s—like horns, fireworks, and confetti poppers—work? Use this seasonal STEAM lesson to teach students:

• How Newton’s laws of motion work.
• What happens when energy transfers and transforms during everyday activities.
• To test forces and laws of motion for themselves by creating confetti poppers out of balloons and paper towel rolls.

Make fireworks with magic milk

Not all fireworks light up the sky! Try this explosion-free fireworks activity with students:

• Read an article about the decline of cow’s milk consumption in the United States.
• Discover how reindeer milk is a popular baking ingredient in Mongolia.
• Create your own milky fireworks using food coloring and dish soap.

Level up your lessons with Newsela’s subject products

We hope that engaging your students with content curated for Lunar New Year helps them build background knowledge on important cultural holidays and explore diverse perspectives in every subject. But Newsela’s products have even more great content, interactive activities, and assessment tools you can use all year.

If you’re not a Newsela customer, you can sign up for Newsela Lite for free and start your 45-day trial. Get access to our premium content and everything you need to teach about Lunar New Year and any other historical event or holiday in your classroom.