The Chinese New Year begins on February 16, 2018 this year based on the lunar calendar and I'm excited to say that it will be "the year of the Earth Dog." I was born in 1958 so my zodiac animal is also the dog.

Which Chinese Zodiac Animal are you?

· Rat: 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960
· Ox: 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961
· Tiger: 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962
· Rabbit: 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963
· Dragon: 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964
· Snake: 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965
· Horse: 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966
· Goat: 2015, 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967
· Monkey: 2016, 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968
· Rooster: 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969
· Dog: 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958
· Pig: 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959

All of you cat lovers are probably wondering why Cat is not part of the twelve zodiac animals. Cat was late to the race! Here's the tale:
The Great Race - found here.

Long ago in ancient China, legend has it that the Jade Emperor announced a great race of all the animals in order to determine who  would become part of the calendar - and that the 12 who arrived first would be selected. At the time, the cat and the rat were good friends. When they heard the news, the cat said to the rat: "We should arrive early to sign up, but I usually get up late."
The rat promised to wake his pal up so they could go together but, because he was so excited, forgot and went alone.
On the way, the rat bumped into the tiger, ox, horse and other animals - who were all much faster than him.
He hatched a plan and convinced the ox to carry him on his back - on the condition that the rat sang throughout the journey.
The ox arrived first, but the rat sneaked in front of him and became the first lucky animal.
By the time the cat arrived, the selection was over - which is why the cat hates the rat and will always try to chase and kill him.
 

A longer version of this wonderful legend can be found here.

I discovered a fun animated tale of the Ancient Chinese Zodiac Story that would be fun to storytell. Check it out below.

Why not tell dog tails (oops, I mean dog tales) to celebrate one of the most beloved pets of all time! ​I love Karen Chace's Storytelling Blog called Karen Chace- Catch the Story Bug! and often share her posts on Facebook. Here's a list of dog stories that she had collected on her Dog Post:

STORIES

Black Dog of Hanging Hills – USA 
http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/the_black_dog_of_hanging_hills.html
The Dog and the Pig – India
http://www.pitara.com/fiction-for-kids/folktales/the-dog-and-the-pig/
The Dog and the Sparrow - Grimm
http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-8.html
The Faithful Dog and the Serpent - Jewish
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0178a.html#rappoport 
The Giant Dog - Eskimo
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/eft34.htm 

The Golden Beetle or Why Dog Hates Cat - China
http://worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales/Chinese_Folktale_1.html
The Sheep, the Shepherd and the Dog - Fable
http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/oxford/67.htm 
Spectre Dogs – England 
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/efft/efft65.htm
The Three Dogs - Germany
http://tinyurl.com/qbxjnmj

The Tortoise, the Dog and the Farmer - Africa
http://allfolktales.com/wafrica/tortoise_dog_farmer.php 
Why Dogs Sniff Tails - Iroquois
http://pets.families.com/blog/animal-folktales-why-dogs-sniff-tails 

Of course, I have plenty of Jack and Sadie tales to bark out on February 16th. What dog tales do you know? Please share. Happy Chinese New Year to all!

I  am frequently asked to incorporate fun interactive writing workshops into my storytelling day at elementary schools and have had a blast using simple folktales that most kids are familiar with, including ELL students. The tales I use are Goldilocks and the Three Bears andThe Three Little Pigs. I assure the 3rd and 4th graders that although these are tales we've heard since we were babies it's now time to add the details through strong verbs, perfect nouns, and awesome adjectives. It takes storytelling power to create a new visual interpretation of these tales!

Image and video created on "Doodlecast Pro" App

Sharing stories, anecdotes, problem solving, and summarizing are all part of successful writing which means storytelling has to happen in every writing classroom. I ask the kids to "Pair Share" which is a protocol to turn to some one right next to you and one partner at a time summarizes The Three Little Pigs the way they remember it. This way EVERYONE has the opportunity to share! If needed, share the story yourself or read it out loud.

Here comes the fun part! Once everyone recalls the barebones of the tale, I ask the kids to draw the three bowls of porridge (oatmeal) in their writing notebooks as their graphic organizers. I ask "Why did Goldilocks say the large bowl was too hot? What made it hot? Here, I use the protocol "TIPS" aka Think, Ink, Pair, Share. All the kids think (no talking), and then jot down their own ideas to answer my question. Next, they pair-share with their partner. At this point, they are encouraged to add any new ideas that their partner talked about to there own. Now, as a large group, I ask for partners who loved their ideas to share out to the entire group. It's pretty amazing what happens. I write down what is said on my projected iPad or large white board so all can see. Great vocabulary comes out - verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

Typically the elements of each bowl of porridge is detailed (heat hot, freezing cold, and perfectly warm). So, I guide there thoughts to ingredients that might have added to Goldilock's comments. Too hot could have meant Ghost peppers, cayenne peppers, jalepeno peppers, etc. The kids go crazy over this for each bowl. The graphic organizers are filled with ideas contributing to each bowl of porridge. I believe the favorite ones are Pappa Bear's and Baby' Bear's bowls. What would the most perfect bowl of porridge have in it? Well, it's been reported that cinnamon sugar, banana pieces, chocolate chips, topped with whipped cream, coconut shreds and a you guessed it - cherry on top!!

Finally piece - Everyone pretends to be Goldilocks/Guido and spouts out the details of each bowl with pazzaz! So much fun! We then write down in sentences that piece of the folktale!

More?? Sure! Have the kids move on to the chairs and the beds of course!
By the end of the week, you should have whoppers of tales!