Monday, February 24, 2014

Tour the World with CultureGrams

After using the atlas to locate countries on a world map, fourth-graders are learning more about the history and culture of their countries. For example:

  • Spanish children wait for Ratoncito Perez, the tooth mouse, to exchange their lost teeth for gifts.
  • Japan gets hit by more than 1,000 earthquakes each year - an average of three a day!
  • Every Icelander is required by law to learn how to swim.
  • Most of Canada's population lives within 100 miles of the US border.
  • The president of Argentina lives in a pink house.
  • India's national fruit is the mango.
  • In Wales, there are more sheep than people.
  • There are ancient pyramids still standing in Sudan.
  • Bhutan is the only country to outlaw tobacco.
  • The word "Mali" means "hippopotamus" in the Bambara language.
  • Pets outnumber children in France.

How did they find this information? By using CultureGrams! This online resource is written and reviewed by natives and updated every year to ensure that it reflects the most accurate information (for example, South Sudan is already included).

It includes slideshows, interviews, national anthems, and all kinds of charts and tools like currency converters.

To use CultureGrams at home, you can follow the link under "Reference/Resources" on the Garden City RICAT page, or just click here.

See Ms. Moore for the user name and password if you forgot it.

Have fun exploring the world! If you find out something especially fascinating, feel free to share in the comments below.

No comments:

Post a Comment