Year of the Rooster Paper Cuttings

Fourth graders researched traditional Chinese New Year paper cuttings.  They learned about the Chinese Zodiac, where each year in a cycle of twelve years is assigned a symbolic animal. This animal is believed to represent characteristics of the people born in that year.  This year is the year of the rooster.

They admired the intricate shapes and textures of the traditional paper cuts. To start the process, I projected a picture of a rooster on the board. We identified rooster characteristics, such as the different feather textures, the jutting chest, the comb, and the long neck. Then, they drew and cut two of their own roosters. One rooster is the traditional red color, which means good luck and happiness in Chinese tradition. The other rooster is in their own personal choice of non-traditional colors.