The Dragons without Eyes and Other Chinese Folktales

Overview

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Dragons without Eyes brings together twenty-five classic Chinese folktales, each adapted into a concise one-page reading passage designed for accessible and meaningful use in the ESL/EFL classroom. These timeless stories—rich in symbolism, humor, and cultural wisdom—give students a glimpse into centuries of Chinese storytelling traditions while also providing a structured platform for developing key English skills.

Each folktale is thoughtfully presented to support a full cycle of language learning. A curated list of key vocabulary accompanies every passage, enabling learners to internalize essential terms before engaging in speaking tasks. Students are encouraged to retell the stories using these words, promoting fluency, narrative structure awareness, and confident oral expression. A built-in dictation exercise reinforces listening accuracy and pronunciation, while targeted discussion questions help students connect the themes of the tales to their own experiences and to universal values.

The text is easy to use across a range of proficiency levels, making it ideal for integrated-skills classes, reading courses, conversation practice, and cultural units. The availability of a downloadable audio program allows students to listen to the stories read aloud—an invaluable tool for improving intonation, comprehension, and overall fluency. A free photocopiable teacher’s guide provides additional support, classroom ideas, and ready-made activities.

Dragons without Eyes is an engaging, culturally rich resource that builds vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening accuracy, and storytelling confidence—all through the enduring power of folktales.

Features

• Twenty-five classic Chinese folktales adapted for accessible one-page readings.
• Key vocabulary lists for each story to support retelling, discussion, and fluency practice.
• Dictation exercises that strengthen listening accuracy and pronunciation.
• Discussion questions that promote critical thinking and cultural comparison.
• Flexible format suitable for reading, conversation, storytelling, and integrated-skills lessons.

Sample Materials

• Download the introduction & user’s guide, table of contents, and The Fox and the Tiger.

Free Resources

• Free accompanying AUDIO program, available to download from https://www.prolingualearning.com/ or to stream on https://www.youtube.com/@ProLinguaLearningAudio
• Download free teacher’s guide offering support and additional activities, from https://www.prolingualearning.com/

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Author Biography

Phebe Xu Gray studied at Henen University and Nanjing University in China. She received her Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Gray has taught English as a Second Language and Chinese at secondary and college levels.

Dr. Gray is a licensed Oral Proficiency Tester with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, and her primary research interest is in second language acquisition.