Dragon Tales Trinity School, Columbus, O h io

1. 2009 Second Grade Teachers: Patty Olvera and Susan Haninger Dragon TalesTrinity School, Columbus, Ohio

2. About the project The second graders were brainstorming ideas for the Chinese New Year when they discovered that most of them were born in the “Year of the Dragon”. They discovered that people born under the sign of the Dragon had been given the gifts of courage health, and gentleness. They are good leaders and sensitive to the needs of others. The children did other research about dragons. They learned that in Chinese mythology, dragons played an important role. Shen Long, called the “Good Luck Dragon” was the strongest of them all. He controlled the sun, moon, sea, sky and earth, but he was also very lazy. Shen Long had the ability to shrink himself into the size of a small mouse and hide in people’s homes throughout the year!

3. More about the project The second graders also listened to (and discussed) the story, D is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet written by Carol Crane and illustrated by Zong-Zhou Wang, Sleeping Bear Press (2006). They discovered that dragons are believed to bring strength, wisdom, good fortune and long-life to the people. Dragons were powerful yet gentle creature that helped the farmers grow good crops by bringing rain when needed, sunlight to help plants grow strong healthy, and keep the farmers cool in the heat of the summer. After reading stories and much discussion about the dragons, they were asked to write their own dragon story using information from the stories, prior knowledge and the use of their writing and English skills (nouns, verbs, adjectives) to create their very own “Dragon Tale”!

4. How to Raise a Dragon This is how you raise a dragon. First you have to find a dragon egg. Second, you have to wait for some days like 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 days and then it comes out of the egg. Then, after it comes out of the shell, you have to feed it, care for it, and you even get to keep it safe. When it grows up you have to train it. Then after that, everything will be fine! Roman Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

5. The Dragon Who Couldn’t Breathe Fire There once was a dragon, his name was Water, and because his name was Water, he couldn’t breathe fire, only water! Water was a nice dragon, not a mean one. Water lived in a neighborhood where there were a lot of fires. The fires were everywhere and no one could put them out—except Water. The only dragon who could help was Water, because he would breathe water on the fires instead of breathing fire and making more fires. Everyone in the neighborhood thought Water was a “Hero” because he put out the fires that the other dragons couldn’t put out! Yeah, Water! Lucia Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

6. My Pet Dragon Once upon a time, I was at home and I asked my mom if I could have a pet dragon. She said, “Okay” and then we had to go to the Dragon Store to buy a pet dragon. When I brought my new dragon home, I named her, Lilly. She was a nice girl, but she ate a lot of food. She was pretty and she had big wings, but she could only breathe fire and smoke, so I had to keep her outside so that she wouldn’t burn down my house! Masha Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

7. My Pet Dragon I have a pet dragon and his name is Alex. He is big and red, but he has blue wings. Alex breathes fire, but only when he has a cold! Alex is invisible to everyone except for me. He doesn’t want other people to see him because he is shy. Alex is nice to me because he helps me with all of my tests. Adam Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

8. My Pet Dragon My pet dragon’s name is D.J. He has red and blue skin and big, black wings. His wings are as big as a classroom! He also has two horns and the points on his horns are as sharp as a large needle! D.J. is not very nice because he causes destruction to many people. Anthony Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

9. My Pet Dragon I have a dragon named Seth. He is faster than the wind and scarier than a scary movie. He is friendlier to your friends than he is to you and eats lava for dinner. Seth is bright red with pointed spikes on his body and tail and he has a mustache to make him look scarier. Seth is an awesome soccer player and he has many animal friends, like Bananas, the monkey—he is also an awesome soccer player. Seth is fun to play with! Seth Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

10. My Pet Dragon “Good morning and Hello,” I said. My dragon said, “Good Morning, Olivia! How are you today?” “ I need you to pay the rent for me,” I said. “I can’t pay the rent for you, go get someone else to pay it for you,” said my dragon. “You are magic and I command you to give me the money to pay my rent,” I shouted. “You’ll have to find another friend to help you because I can only give you one hundred dollars!” “Okay, I’ll take whatever you can give me,” I said. Well, my pet dragon gave me the money and I told him that he was a really good friend and then he disappeared! I surprised my parents with the money and gave it to them, but I never told them where it came from! The End! Olivia Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

11. My Pet Dragon! My pet dragon is a protector and he helps people all around the world, especially in China where there are a lot of people to help. His name is Shilong and he was born in China. He has to stay outside my house because he is too big to be in it. His favorite food is sushi and he loves to eat birthday cake! He is blue and purple and he shoots orange flames that glow red when they come out of his nose. One time, Shilong was in my house, during my birthday party and he tried to light the birthday candles with his nose, but he blew so hard that he went through the dining room floor. When I found him, in my basement, he wasn’t hurt and all he wanted was a big piece of my birthday cake! Alysia Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

12. Dracko the Dragon Once upon a time there was a boy in China who saw a giant dragon in the street. He told his neighbors that the dragon had giant, pointy horns and giant, sharp teeth. He had a huge nose, giant wings, and a big, gold chain that hung around his neck. The dragon’s name was Dracko and he said that he was mighty and powerful and he would hurt anyone that would come near him. Dracko said that he lived in a nearby cave and that he only left the cave when he was hungry and wanted food. The boy warned the people in the village about the huge dragon, but no one would listen to him. The boy was terrified and he tried to stay away from Dracko. The boy warned the people in the village three more times, but still no one would listen to him. So, the boy left the village and ran away from Dracko and no one knows whatever happened to the boy or to Dracko! Mary Clare Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

13. The Dragon of Terror Once there was a big, mean dragon named Jason. Nobody ever went to his cave because they were afraid that they would be killed! Once he tried to destroy a whole city not because he wanted to hurt the people in the city, but because he wanted to get rid of the evil king. When the evil king finally died, Jason, the dragon, came out of his cave and everyone realized that he was a good dragon and not really scary! Ivan Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

14. How to Give a Dragon a Bath! This is how you give a dragon a bath: First you have to put him in a swimming pool. Second, you get a big brush and go down the back of him with the brush and a lot of soap. Then you have to find a picture of a rain cloud because whenever he looks at the picture, it rains and the rain washes away all of the soap suds. After the suds are gone, you will see a clean, shiny, red dragon with black spines. Lastly, put him in a really hot place so that he can dry up! Connor Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

15. How to Give a Dragon a Bath! Once upon a time there was a little girl named Lexi and she had a pet dragon. One day, Lexi tried to give her dragon a bath, so she put him in the bathtub. Next, she put soap all over him. She had to SCRUB, SCRUB, and SCRUB, him to get him to be clean and shiny. Then, after she gave him a bath and dried him off, Lexi had to go to the store. She wanted to take her pet dragon to the store with her, but he was missing. Where had the dragon gone? Lexi looked everywhere for him and she finally found him—outside rolling around in the snow! He was so wet and dirty that she had to bring him back inside and give him another bath! Kayla Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

16. My Pet Dragon My pet dragon, Wally, likes me. He likes to play with me and take walks with me. He sort of looks like a dinosaur, but he really is a dragon. Wally is fun to be around and he can transform into anything that he wants to be. Wally is a good pet! Quinn Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

17. How to Catch a Dragon The first thing that you have to do to catch a dragon is get a cage and some rope and tie the cage to a big rock. Put the cage outside a cave and when the dragon comes out, cut the rope and it will trap the dragon in the cage. Another thing you could do would be to make a girl dragon and stick it outside the cave of a boy dragon. When the boy dragon sees the pretty girl dragon, he will come out of his cave to talk to the girl. When the boy dragon comes out of the cave, throw a rope on him and then pull him into the cage. Nail the cage shut or the dragon might fly away. Once you have him in the cage, you can make him your pet! Ethan Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

18. How to Catch a Dragon A dragon is very fast so, if you want to catch a dragon, this story will give you the information. First, you have to see one. Second, you have to set a trap. Then, the dragon will get into the base of the trap that you have made. Finally, you operate the trap and catch the dragon! Make a good trap and that’s how you catch a dragon! Ethan Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

19. My Pet Dragon My pet dragon is named Roman. He is very good at hiding and he likes to go out at night. He likes to get into a lot of trouble by messing everything up. He likes to play in the dirt and he doesn’t like to get cleaned up. Roman, my dragon, is really lazy, but he really is fun to have around! Megan Second Grade Trinity Catholic School

20. My Awesome, Cool, Pet Dragon! Once upon a time there was a dragon named Bob. He was shy when he was around people. A little girl, named Isabella, found Bob hiding behind a big group of trees. He was frightened, but she took him home and trained him. They really liked each other and they became very good friends! Rileigh Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

21. How to Raise a Dragon It is really hard to raise a dragon. I have a baby dragon and her name is Sunshine. She is very small, only about three inches tall, but she goes wherever I go. One day I couldn’t find her and I looked everywhere for her. I looked all around the mountains that were around my house. Finally, I climbed up the highest mountain and found her! “Sunshine,” I called. She finally came out from her hiding place in the mountain and told me that she wanted to stay on the mountain, grow up and have a family. I knew that she would be close by, so I left her up on the mountain. Thirteen years later, I went up the mountain to visit her and guess what I saw—she had a husband and a lot of babies! There were eleven babies in all and they were so small and cute. Sunshine asked me to help her take care of all of the babies and I said that I would help her. The End! Madison Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

22. How to Give a Dragon a Bath Once upon a time, my dragon needed a bath. I didn’t know how to give it a bath, so I just tried my best. I used toothpaste for the soap and I used my toothbrush to scrub his back. Then, I used my mom’s big, blue, fluffy towel to dry him off. When he finished his bath, he was still a little sticky! I decided that the next time I give him a bath; I will use human soap to get him clean! Mary Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

23. Draco the Destroyer Once, in another galaxy, on the planet, Exom, there was a dragon named Amy. She laid an egg in the darkest volcano on Exom. The father dragon was hunting while Amy cared for the baby egg. The father was named Pyro because his eyes looked fierce and fiery. While the egg was hatching, Pyro was hunting and Amy was sitting outside of the volcano. When the egg finally hatched, Baby Draco looked everywhere for his parents, but he couldn’t find them. All Baby Draco could find was a Volcanist. When the Volcanist saw Baby Draco staring at him, the Volcanist said, “Hi, I am Michael. I can see that your parents are gone, so I’ll take care of you!” Baby Draco was extremely happy and he roared with happiness.Time passed and their days were spent hunting, eating, and growing. The years flew by and Baby Draco grew up. Draco and Michael spent a lot of time together playing and flying. While Draco and Michael flew, Michael said, “Draco, could you do me a favor? Could you fight the village that kicked me out many years ago?” “Mmmm...,”said Draco as he swooped down over the village. With some roars and some bites, Draco started destroying the village. The mayor of the village came out and yelled, “Go away!” and the fight was on! After some fire-breathing and some bites, the mayor screamed, “Away with you!” One last blast of fire from his nostrils and Draco blasted away with the village in ruins and his good friend, Michael, nearby! Reiley Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

24. How to Catch a Dragon First, I set a trap deep in the woods. Then, the dragon goes into the trap and I get him. The dragon said his name was Ben and that he didn’t want to be captured. I set the trap outside my house, but he tried to escape many times. Then, his family was worried about him so; I tried to catch them, too! Ben the dragon escaped and I never saw him again! Zach Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

25. My Pet Dragon My pet dragon is named Elizabeth. I like to give her a bath when she is dirty. Elizabeth likes to be my friend. She likes to play with me. She plays jump rope with me. Logan Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

26. How to Catch a Dragon Once upon a time there was a dragon that lived in a cave. One day a big girl named Ginevra tried to catch the dragon. I used my imagination to picture what a dragon would look like so; when I saw the dragon, it was as big as the one I imagined! One night, I set out a big trap to capture the dragon, but the next morning the trap was still empty. You know, I never caught that dragon! Ginevra Second Grade Trinity Catholic School 2008-2009

27. One day Reiley brought his cool dragon puppet!

28. Do you like our Dragon Tales?Trinity School, Columbus, Ohio