Cultural Sampler – Italy, Puerto Rico, Egypt, China

CULTURAL SAMPLER
#1
Theme: Cultures
K-5
Italy, Puerto Rico, Egypt, China
China
Italy
Puerto Rico
Developed by
Creative Out - of - School Learning
[email protected]
Egypt
Cultural Sampler #1
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How to use this unit ………………………………………………………………………...3
Scheduling Worksheet………………………………………………………………………4
Materials List………………………………………………………………………………...5
Shopping List………………………………………………………………….…………….7
General Overview
 List of Scholastic Books ……………………………………………...………………8
 Suggested Culminating Events……………………………………………...……..…8
 Outline of Activities.………………………………………………………..….……..8
6. Overview of Academic Skill Development
 List of literacy tasks…………………………………………………………….…………9
 List of Math tasks integrated into activities…………………………………….…………9
 Academic Standards supported in Unit…………………………………………….….…10
7. Activities
 General Activities: Dictionaries, Counting from 1-10, Fairy Tales ………………..11
 Italy…………………………………………………………………………………...….13
o Introduction to Italy……………………………………………………………...14
o Mosaic Stepping Stone…………………………………………………………..15
o Italian Children’s Games: Gioco del Mondo, Palm Ball………………………..16
o Microwave Lasagna……………………………………………………….……..17
o Handouts for Italian Activities…………………………………………………...18
 Puerto Rico………………………………………………………………………...……22
o Introduction to Puerto Rico………………………………………………………23
o Making a Caratas: A Vejigante Mask……………………………………………24
o Children’s Games: El Gato y El Raton, Puedo o No Puedo……………………..25
o Puerto Rican Recipes: Besitos de Coco, Platanutres, Limbres…………………..26
o Taíno Petroglyph Symbol Jewelry……………………………………………….27
o Handouts for Puerto Rican Activities……………………………………………28
 Egypt…………………………………………………………………………………….36
o Introduction to Egypt…………………………………………………………….37
o Crocodile: Predator of the Nile…………………………………………………..38
o Sand Paper Sandy Desert………………………………………………………...39
o Nine Men’s Morris: Game of Thinking and Planning…………………………...40
o Recipe: Hummus and Lemonade………………………………………………..41
o Handouts for Egyptian Activities………………………………………………..42
 China…………………………………………………………………………………….54
o Introduction to China…………………………………………………………….55
o Traditional Chinese Children’s Games: Cat Catching Mice,
Throwing the Square, Shuttlecock Games……………………………………….56
o Chinese Cooking: Microwave Style: Chinese Green Beans,
Vegetable Chop Suey (Chinese-American)…………………………….……….58
o Chinese Lantern…………………………………………………………………59
o Dancing Lion or Dragon Toy……………………………………………………60
o Craft Stick Chinese Abacus……………………………………………………..61
o Handouts for Chinese Activities………………………………………………..62
2
Cultural Sampler #1
This unit is designed primarily for elementary school students in grades 2-5.
With supervision and adaptation, younger children can do many of the
activities. The shopping list is priced to cover enough consumable materials
for at least 20 participants.
Time needed: 8 weeks with two 1-1½ hour sessions per week with a culminating activity on the
Friday of the last week of the unit. Before you start the unit, use the scheduling worksheet to
organize your activities. If you are going to do a culminating activity, plan backwards from your
that activity. Also, make a list of any extra material that you will need for the unit, and gather
them before beginning. Be sure to include any movies, field trips or guest speakers.
Special Preparation:
 Bring in books about the different countries and a world map and have them available
throughout the unit.
Recommended scheduling:
 Select your culminating activity at the beginning of your unit. If you plan to invite
family, community members, other program participants to the culminating activity, have
the participants make and send the invitations out at least two weeks ahead of time.
Keys to successful use of the unit:
 Many activities are group activities. Groups of four are optimal in encouraging
participation and decreasing the amount of sitting around time that often leads to
disruption.
 Most activities include literacy or math reinforcement opportunities. Make sure you
include them not as an add-on but as an integral part of the activity.
3
SCHEDULING WORKSHEET
Culminating Activity: ______________________Date: ____________
Activity
Date
Time
Group
Comments
Supplies Needed:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Materials
Non-Consumable materials
 Copy of Handout of Counting numbers from Various Countries*
 Fairy tales from various countries
 Copy of Handouts on Italy and Picture of the flag
 Copy of the Handouts on Puerto Rico and the Picture of the Flag*
 Copy of the Handouts on Egypt and the Picture of the Flag*
 Copy of the Handouts on China and the Picture of the Flag*
 Copy of Handout on Mosaics *
 Copy of the Handout on the Taíno People*
 Copy of the Handout on the Petroglyphs*
 Copy of the Handout about Crocodiles*
 Copy of the Crocodile coloring page from National Geographic Kids’ Online*
 Crocodile Head, Tail and Body Templates*
 Copy of the Handouts on the Sahara Desert and The Arabian Camel*
 Copy of the Nine Men’s Morris Game Board and Handout of the Rules*
 Handout on Chinese Abacus and How to Use an Abacus*
 World Map
 Map of Italy, Puerto Rico, Egypt and China
 Staplers
 Reference material and/or access to the computer
 Container for mixing the concrete
 Rubber gloves
 Tennis or bouncy rubber ball
 Waterproof containers
 Brushes
 Cuticle Sticks
 Scissors
 Shuttlecocks
Consumable materials
 Varied colored construction paper
 White Construction paper
 White paper
 Markers/crayons
 Disposable aluminum cake/pie plans at least 2 inches deep
 Small tiles
 Cooking oil spray
 Quick-set concrete
 Water
 Chalk or floor tape
 Markers for the Italian Hopscotch
 Ingredients for the recipes of the various countries
 Balloons
 Masking Tape
* Found in Binder
5
Flour
Newspaper strips
Paint
Air Dry Clay
Shells
Cord
Guinea Feathers
Brown Tempera Paint
Paper Bags
Glue
3 x 5 index card
 Medium grade sandpaper
 Multicultural crayons
 Tape
 White card stock
 Colored stones/beads/beans
 Red Construction paper
 Chopsticks
 Bamboo Skewers
 Pony Beads
 Large craft sticks











Optional




Foam Mosaic tile pieces from Oriental Trading Company
Music from Italy, Puerto Rico
Decorative objects such as pretty stones, lucky pennies, seashells for the Mosaics
Glitter, feathers and other craft material for the Dancing Lion or Dragon Toy
* Found in Binder
6
Shopping List for Cultural Sampler: Italy, Puerto Rico, Egypt, China
Note: Does not include list of handouts found in the binder, recipe ingredients and common
material such as white paper, scissors etc. Does not include shipping costs. Price based on 2009
cost
World Map
Large craft sticks
Different size Brushes
Varied colored construction paper
White Construction paper
Brown Tempera Paint
Multicultural crayons
Red Construction paper
Air Dry Clay
Shells
Mosaic plastic tiles
Tempera powder Paint set
Guinea Feathers
1/2 inch Glass globs for playing pieces
Mosaic Square Craft tiles (Foam)
Pony Beads 2 colors
Tennis or bouncy rubber ball
Shuttlecocks
Cuticle Sticks
2 inch aluminum cake/pie
Paper Bags
Cooking oil spray
Chalk or floor tape
Masking Tape
Balloons
Medium grade sandpaper
Chopsticks
Bamboo Skewers
Barnes and Noble
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Discount School Supplies
Oriental Trading Company
Oriental Trading Company
Oriental trading company
Oriental Trading Company
Oriental Trading Company
Nasco
Nasco
Nasco
Dollar store
Dollar Store
Dollar Store
Dollar Store
Dollar Store
Dollar Store
Dollar Store
Home Depot (Norton brand)
Smart and Final
Big Lot
World and US map
500 pieces
Pkg of 24
2 boxes @ 3.29
2 x 2.5 lbs @3.88
1 lb
300 pieces x 2 x 4.99
10 pc. Set
375 pieces
1 lb @$4.20 x 2
2 bags of 1000 tiles @3.99
2 pkg of 1000 @ 4.95
Pkg of 3
2 x pk of 6 @$2.15
Pkg of 4 x 5
2 packages
25 per pack
Pkg of 40 x 2 x 1.49
2 packages @ 1.00
$6.45
3.99
6.99
.89
.89
1.69
7.00
.89
8.00
5.95
10.00
19.95
5.49
8.40
8.00
10.00
3.45
4.30
5.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
2.00
2.49
3.00
2.00
$131.82



Discount School Supply: www.discountschoolsupply.com
Oriental Trading Company: www.orientaltrading.com
Nasco Supplies: www.enasco.com
7
General Overview
Aligned with the following Scholastic Books:





Puerto Rico: A to Z by Jeff Reynolds, Children’s Press, 2004
Egypt: A to Z by Jeff Reynolds, Children’s Press, 2004
China: A to Z by Justine and Ron Fontes, Children’s Press, 2003
Chinese New Year: Rookie Read-About Holidays by David F. Marx, Children’s Press,
2002
People’s Republic of China, Revised Edition by Kim Dramer, Scholastic, 2007
Guest Speakers, Field Trips and Movies:

See the introduction to each countries’ section
Suggested Culminating Activity:

Hold a Cultural Sampler potluck and display the various arts and crafts developed during
the unit.
ACTIVITIES
General Activities



Dictionaries
Counting from 1-10,
Fairy Tales from around the world
Italy
Introduction to Italy
Mosaic Stepping Stone
Italian Children’s Games:
 Gioco del Mondo
 Palm Ball
Microwave Lasagna
Puerto Rico
Introduction to Puerto Rico
Making a Caratas: A Vejigante Mask
Children’s Games
 El Gato y El Raton
 Puedo o No Puedo
Puerto Rican Recipes
 Besitos de Coco
 Platanutres
 Limbres
Taíno Petroglyph Symbol Jewelry
Egypt
Introduction to Egypt
8
Crocodile: Predator of the Nile
Sand Paper Sandy Desert
Nine Men’s Morris: Game of Thinking and Planning
Recipe: Hummus and Lemonade
China
Introduction to China
Traditional Chinese Children’s Games
 Cat Catching Mice
 Throwing the Square
 Shuttlecock Games
Chinese Cooking: Microwave Style
 Chinese Green Beans
 Vegetable Chop Suey (Chinese-American)
Chinese Lantern
Dancing Lion or Dragon Toy
Chinese Craft Stick Abacus
Academic Skill Development
Specific Language Arts Activities
 Development of dictionaries for each country
 Reading and comparing folktales/fairy tales from each country
 Reading the handouts and books about the various countries
 Reading the description of the Roman Mosaics in the Mosaic Stepping Stones
 Reading the information about the Taíno culture
 Writing a description of the Taíno jewelry developed in the Taíno Petroglyph Symbol
Jewelry.
 Writing a short story about the paper bag crocodile in Crocodile: Predator of the Nile
 Reading the handouts about the Sahara Desert and the Camel in Sand Paper Sandy
Desert
 Reading the history and rules of the game in Nine Men’s Morris
 Reading the history and directions for using an abacus in Craft Stick Abacus
Specific Math Activities
 Learning to count to 10 in the language of each country
 Measuring the ingredients for the concrete in Mosaic Stepping Stones
 Converting the amounts of ingredients in the recipes throughout the unit
 Counting in the various games
 Keeping statistics on the various games
 Strategizing, practicing game theory and developing spatial visualization in Nine Men’s
Morris
 Using the abacus to solve simple math problems in Craft Stick Abacus
9
Embedded Content Standards
Language Arts/Reading
Reading:
Vocabulary and Concept development
Apply knowledge of word analysis to achieve fluent oral reading
Comprehension
 Read and understand grade-level-appropriate material
 Follow written directions
Writing
Writing Strategies
 Create readable documents with legible handwriting
 Understand the purpose of various reference materials
 Revise original drafts to improve sequence and provide more descriptive detail.
Written and Oral English Language Conventions
 Write with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to grade level
Writing Applications
 Write narratives that relate a clear, coherent incident, event or situation by using wellchosen details
Mathematic Content Standards
Number Sense
 Count, recognize, name, and order a number of objects
 Read large numbers
 Represent equivalent forms of the same number through the use of physical models
 Add, subtract, multiply
Measurement and Geometry
 Compare the length, weight and capacity of objects by making direct comparisons with
reference objects
Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
 Collect, organize, represent, and compare data by category on graphs and charts
Mathematical reasoning
Explain the reasoning used with concrete objects and/or pictorial representations
10
ACTIVITIES
To be used for all countries
I.
Dictionaries
Literacy Reinforcement Activity
Materials:
 Construction paper
 White paper
 Stapler
 Reference material or access to the computer
Directions
1. Provide every participant with seven pieces of copy paper. Have them fold them in half, and
cover with a folded piece of construction paper. Staple along the edge. Have them name
their book “MY {name of country} DICTIONARY. (e.g. MY ITALIAN DICTIONARY)
draw an appropriate picture and put their name on the cover.
2. As they do the activities and read the books about the country, have them write one word per
page in the language of the country and English, and draw a picture illustrating it.
II.
Counting from 1-10
Materials
 Handout of numbers from various countries
Directions:
Have the participants learn to count to 10 in the various languages when studying the country.
III.
Fairy tales from the various cultures
Materials
 Copy of a fairy tale from the various countries (Websites for samples of fairy tales from
the various countries are provided in each of the countries’ introduction page.)
Directions:
1. When you begin study a specific country, read one of the fairy tales from that country.
2. After studying all the different countries in the unit, go back to the fairy tales that you read
and talk about the similarities and differences
11
Counting from 1 to 10
The pronunciation guides on this page are taken from various websites. If possible, ask native speakers of
the language to confirm pronunciations.
Puerto Rican
English
Italian
(Puerto Rico’s official
languages are English and
Spanish)
Egypt
Chinese
(Arabic is the official
language)
China has many dialects.
Mandarin and Cantonese are
the most common.
Mandarin
Cantonese
Sifar
Zero
Zero
Cero
one
Uno (OO-noh)
Uno
Wahid
yee
yat
two
Due (Doo-ay)
Dos
Itnen
èr
yi
three
Tre (Tray)
Tres
Thalatha (th=bath)
sān
saam
four
Quattro (KWAHT-troh)
Cuartro
Arba’ a
suh
sei
five
Cinque (CHEENG-kway)
Cinco
Hamsa
woo
ng
six
Sei (SEHee)
Seis
Sitta
liù
luk
seven
Sette (SEHT-tay)
Siete
Sab^a
qī
chat
eight
Otto (OT-toh)
Ocho
Thamanya (th=thin)
bā
baat
nine
Nove (NOV-ay)
Nueve
Tis^a
jyo
gau
ten
Dieci (deeEH-chee)
Dies
‘Ashra
shí
aap
Italy
Movies:

Although not very “authentic,” the movie Pinocchio is based on an Italian children’s tale.
Field Trips, Guest Speakers



Go to a Bocce Ball Court and play a game. According to the Internet, there are bocce
courts at Crocker Amazon Playground on Geneva Avenue and Aquatic Park in San
Francisco.
Explore North Beach.
Have someone from Italy come and teach the participants some new Italian words and
talk about their homeland.
Website for Fairy Tales
Italianrus: http://www.italiansrus.com/resources/fairytales.htm
Many links to Italian fairy tales including one that has an Italian “Cinderella” story. Some of the
links are to Italian sites, but others are in English.
Italian Popular Tales: http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/crane.html
13
Introduction to Italy
Materials:
• Books about Italy
• World Map and a map of Italy
• Handout on Italy including picture of the flag
• White construction paper
• Markers or crayons
• Optional: Music from Italy. Check out Rhapsody or other
websites for some songs you can play directly from your
computer. The National Geographic world music website has some more contemporary
interpretation of traditional music.
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/worldmusic/view/page.basic/genre/content.ge
nre/italian_regional_folk_736
Directions
1. Have the participants find Italy on the world map and then, looking at a map of Italy, have
them find the following towns, rivers and other geographical features.







Rome (city)
Venice (city)
Po River
Tiber River
Dolomites (mountain range)
Mt. Vesuvius (volcano)
Sicily (Island)
2. Read one of the books about Italy and/or the handouts provided.
3. Have the participants color the Italian flag, then copy it onto a white piece of construction
paper. Have them surround the flag with interesting facts they learned about Italy from the
reading including the size, language, some historical facts etc.
4. Play Italian music while the participants are doing the activities found in this section.
Italy - Answer Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A
A
C
C
D
A
C
A
South-central Europe
False
Mountains
Vesuvius and Etna;
Po
False
The Mediterranean Sea
False
14
Mosaic Stepping Stone
Note: Instead of making stepping stones, you can have the participants
make paper mosaic designs using white construction paper and mosaic
craft (foam) shapes from Oriental trading Company.
Materials:
Picture taken from www.dickblick.com/zz617/02/
 Handout on Mosaics
 Disposable aluminum cake/pie pans at least 2 inches deep
 Small tiles
 Cooking oil spray
 Quick-set concrete
 Container for mixing the concrete
 Water
 Paper face mask
 Rubber gloves
 Optional: Other decorative objects such as pretty stones, lucky pennies, seashells
Directions:
1. Look at the various pictures of Roman Mosaics. Talk about how they are made up of
small tiles positioned on a surface to make a picture.
2. Have the participants design their stepping-stone, before actually working with the
concrete. They should select what they will be putting on the surface as well as where
because once you pour the concrete they will have to work fast. Have them lay out the
tiles exactly how they go on the stone.
3. Generously spray the pans with cooking oil. This will make it easier to get the concrete
out after it sets.
4. Mix the concrete according to the directions on the bag, or five parts concrete to one part
water. (If you want a smoother surface, sift the concrete, dispose of the small rocks and
larger clumps in the mixture, and fill the pan about only ¾ of the way.) Math
Reinforcement: Have the participants do the measuring.
5. Place the mold some place where it will not have to be moved once the concrete has been
pored. Moving it might cause it to crack. After getting the right mixture, pour into the
mold.
6. Have the participants work quickly before the concrete starts setting.
Have them quickly place and press their decorative items and tiles using
the design they had previously planned. The concrete should start
setting quickly, but it is advisable to leave it the mold for at least 2 days
before popping it out of the mold to make sure it is completely set. Once
it has set, pop it out and enjoy.
Links to see pictures of Roman Mosaics
 The Joy of Shards History of Mosaic:
http://www.thejoyofshards.co.uk/roman.shtml
 Ancient Mosaics: http://www.classicalmosaics.com/photo_album.htm
15
Rest
Italian Children’s Games
Math Reinforcement: For younger children make sure they count as they go along. Keep
statistics on the games.
Gioco del Mondo (Italian Hopscotch)
7
Taken from Multicultural Games by Lorraine Barbarash, Human Kinetics. 1997
Materials:
5
6
 Chalk or floor tape
 Markers
Directions:
1. Using the chalk or floor tape, draw this diagram:
2. One player at a time takes a turn tossing a stone onto the squares from a
distance of approximately three feet. The stone must land on a space number 1
4
in order for the player to begin.
3. The player hops and straddles through the diagram, skipping over the blank
ovals, hops on one foot on numbers 1,4, and 7 and straddles with one foot
2
3
in each square for numbers 2 and 3 and 5 and 6.
4. When the player reaches the rest space, he jumps, simultaneously turning
around, then returns down the numbers.
1
5. On the return trip, the player stops one number before the marked number,
bends and picks up the marker without the other foot touching the ground, then
continues jumping. This completes a player’s turn.
6. If a player fails to complete the turn properly, on his next turn he again tosses
to the number 1 space. If he completes the turn, he tosses to the number 2 space on his
next turn. Play continues in this manner through number 7.
7. The stone must land within the correct number space for the player to take a turn.
8. If the stone does not land on the correct number space, the next player tosses. If the stone
lands on the blank oval between spaces 4 and 5 and 6, the player loses turn. If it lands on
the blank oval between 7 and rest, the player starts over at number 1.
Palm Ball
Taken from The Multicultural Game Book by Louise Orlando, Scholastic, 1993.
Over two thousand years ago, Roman soldiers took this ancient Roman game across continents. Brought to Spain,
the Spanish picked it up and moved again. The Spanish brought it to the Americas where it became a part of Aztec
life.
Materials



Playground
Tennis or other bouncy rubber ball
Chalk
Directions
1. Mark off a large rectangular boundary on the pavement. Draw a line across the middle.
2. Each player or team stands in one half of the box. One player begins by serving the other
side by bouncing it and hitting it with his or her palm.
3. The ball is allowed to bounce once before the other team hits it back over.
4. A player or team scores a point every time a ball goes out of bounds or missed by a
player from the other side.
 The first player or team to score 21 points wins.
16
Microwave Lasagna
Math Reinforcement: Have the participants calculate the amount of ingredients necessary to
make enough servings for the entire group. Have them measure the ingredients when cooking.
Recipe Serves: 6
Ingredients:
 32 oz Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
 Approximately 8 uncooked lasagna noodles
 1/2 cup Water
 12 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated
 1 lb Ricotta cheese, thinly sliced
 1 egg
 Pepper
 Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:
1. Microwave the lasagna. Place 2 teaspoons of oil and 5 cups hot tap water into a 12x8inch microwave casserole. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH for 5
minutes or until water boils. Uncover and add noodles. Cover tightly and microwave on
HIGH for 5 minutes or until noodles are al dente (tender, but firm). Rinse well under cold
water and allow noodles to drain on paper towels.
2. Mix the spaghetti sauce with the water.
3. Blend together the ricotta and egg, adding a generous amount of pepper.
4. Layer the ingredients in 9 x 12 glass pan as follows, starting from the bottom:









1/3 sauce
1/2 the noodles
1/2 the ricotta mixture
1/2 Mozzarella
1/3 sauce
1/2 the noodles
1/2 the ricotta mixture
1/2 Mozzarella
Remaining sauce
5. Cover tightly with a double layer Saran Wrap. Microwave on HI for 8 minutes, then
medium low for 32 minutes, turning the pan occasionally.
6. Loosen cover, sprinkle top with grated Parmesan
7. Cover loosely and let stand 15 minutes.
17
Italy
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman (Copyright © 2008 edHelper)
Italy is a country in south-central Europe. It occupies a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. It is
very easy to find Italy on the map, because the peninsula looks like a high-heeled boot about to
prod its triangular subject island of Sicily.
Italy is very mountainous, with about 40 percent of its territory occupied by high ranges. There
are two important mountain systems in Italy: the scenic Alps and the Apennines.
The barrier of the Alps forms the northern Italian boundary, with parts of the Alps shared with
the neighboring countries of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Croatia. The Apennines form the
spine of the entire peninsula and of the island of Sicily.
There are many volcanoes in Italy, and some of them are very famous, such as Mounts Vesuvius
and Etna. Throughout Italy's history, volcanic events have caused terrible disasters, sometimes
destroying entire cities. As a matter of fact, some Italian volcanoes are currently active.
Italian rivers are comparatively short. The longest river, the Po, is just 400 miles long. Rising in
the Mount Viso area, it runs across the Plain of Lombardy, through various important cities such
as Turin and Cremona, and is steadily enlarged by the numerous tributaries that join it.
Because of the considerable length of the peninsula, the climate in Italy varies throughout the
country. It is different in the north, which is attached to the European continent, and the south,
which is surrounded by the Mediterranean. The climate of the southern areas is very mild, with
hot summers. Temperatures in the north are lower, and there is a permanent snow line high in the
mountains.
Italian plants and animals have been greatly influenced by long human presence in the region.
Almost nothing remains of the original forests, and nearly all the vegetation has been planted or
destroyed by human activity.
Italy has few natural resources. With much of the land used for farming, it is a net food importer,
importing more food than it produces. There are no large sources of iron, coal, or oil. Most raw
materials needed for manufacturing and more than 80% of the country's energy sources are
imported.
Despite the fact that Italy has to import many raw materials, its industry is highly developed.
Italy produces and exports a large variety of goods from clothing and food to chemicals and
automobiles.
Italy
1.
A
B
C
D
2.
A
B
3.
A
B
C
D
4.
A
B
C
D
5.
A
B
C
D
6.
A
B
7.
A
B
C
D
8.
A
B
Italy is situated in
South-central Europe
North-central Europe
Northern Europe
Eastern Europe
There are no mountains in Italy.
False
True
The Apennines and the Alps are
Rivers
Lakes
Mountains
Peninsulas
The names of two best known Italian volcanoes are
The Apennines and the Alps
Sicily and Sardinia
Vesuvius and Etna;
Po and Tiber
The longest river in Italy is
Don
Tigris
Tiber
Po
The climate in Italy is the same throughout the country.
False
True
Italy occupies a peninsula that is situated in
The Yellow Sea
The Baltic Sea
The Mediterranean Sea
The Black Sea
Italy has rich natural resources.
False
True
Flag of Italy
The flag of Italy is a green, white, and red vertical tricolor. The ratio of its
height to its width is 2:3. This flag was officially adopted on June 18, 1946,
when Italy became a republic and the monarchy ended after World War 2.
The previous Italian flag was like the modern one with the coat of arms of the
House of Savoy in the center.
Copyright ©2001-2008 EnchantedLearning.com
Italian Flag
Art You Can Walk On - Mosaics
By Colleen Messina
Mosaics are a funny kind of art because you can walk on them. A
mosaic is a picture made from bits of glass or stone stuck into
cement or plaster. Mosaics can be on walls, floors, or ceilings.
Mosaics can be inside or outside. Mosaics can be anywhere!
Mosaics have been around for over 4,000 years. The ancient
Greeks invented mosaics. They covered their floors with pretty
patterns. They also made scenes of people and animals. At first,
they used pebbles, especially black and white ones. After a while,
they made special, colorful bits of rock or glass for their mosaics.
They were very tiny. These pebbles made the mosaics look like
paintings.
The Romans learned about mosaics from the Greeks. They made
courtyards for their fancy country houses. Sometimes they made
a pattern that looked like an intertwined rope. They used this
pattern for borders on their floors. Some Roman mosaics were
covered with lava during volcanic eruptions. They were uncovered
many centuries later. They still looked colorful.
Artists in the Byzantine Empire were good at mosaics. The empire
was in Turkey. These artists used tiny pieces of glass made out of
many colors to make their mosaics. The glass was made in
northern Italy. It had little bubbles in it. They put gold and silver on
the back of the glass pieces. This made their mosaics shiny.
Artists still make mosaics today. One man in France used broken
pottery to cover his house with mosaics. It was a lot of work. You
can make mosaics, too. You can use stones on the beach to
make patterns and pictures in the wet sand. Then, you can walk
on your artwork, too. At least until the tide comes in!
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
Art You Can Walk On – Mosaics
1. Mosaics have been around for a long time.
A. False
B True
2. Which ancient civilization first made mosaics?
A Babylonia
B Rome
C Greece
D Persia
3. Who taught the Romans how to make mosaics?
A The Greeks
B The Mesopotamians
C No one taught them
D The Persians
4. What kinds of metals did the Byzantine artists put on back of the pieces of glass for
their mosaics? Check two.
A Steel
B Gold
C Silver
D Copper
5. What kind of pattern did some Romans use in their floor mosaics?
A A checkerboard
B An intertwined rope
C An oval
D Triangles
6. Where did one modern French artist put his mosaics?
A On his cat
B On his house
C On his car
D On his computer
7. What did the modern artist use to create his mosaics?
A Broken pottery
B Glass
C Gold beads
D Stones
8. Lava ruined many ancient mosaics.
A False
B True
Puerto Rico
Field trips, Guest Speakers
 Ask someone from Puerto Rico to come and teach the participants
some words that are unique to Puerto Rico and about life in Puerto
Rico.
 Have a musician/s that plays music indigenous such as to Puerto
Rico Bomba or Plena come and play for the participants.
 Salsa exists in much of the Caribbean including Puerto Rico. Have some one come in
and teach the participants a few Salsa steps.
Websites:
 Boricua Kids: http://www.elboricua.com/BKlessonplans.html
 Welcome to Puerto Rico: http://welcome.topuertorico.org/index.shtml
There are no websites with Puerto Rican Folktales or Fairy tales. Here are books recommended
from various websites.
1. George Crespo. How the Sea Began: A Taino Myth. New York: Clarion, 1993. 32 p.
After a noble hunter disappears in a hurricane, his father hangs his bow and arrows in a gourd
from his hut's ceiling. Fresh fish replace the bow until four young boys break the gourd.
From the gourd spills the ocean and all that lives in it.
2. Nicholasa Mohr, and Antonio Martorell. The Song of El Coqui and Other Tales of Puerto
Rico. New York: Viking, 1995. 42 p. Every color of the rainbow is subtly represented on
every page in this set of three tales from Puerto Rico. The stories metaphorically represent
the people who emigrated to Puerto Rico, either by force or by choice.
3. Carmen T. Bernier-grand. Juan Bobo: Four Folktales from Puerto Rico (I Can Read Book
3). Harper-Trophy, 1995.
22
Introduction to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: A-Z by Jeff Reynolds by Children’s Press is available in the ExCel Resource Center
Materials:
 Books about Puerto Rico
 World Map and a map of Puerto Rico
 Handout on Puerto Rico including picture of the flag
 White construction paper
 Markers or crayons
 Optional: Music from Puerto Rico (Check out the following website for easy downloads
or clips that you can play directly from your computer. Music from Puerto Rico:
http://www.musicofpuertorico.com/ )
Directions
1. Have the participants find Puerto Rico on the world map and then, looking at a map of Puerto
Rico, have them find the following towns, rivers and other geographical features.





San Juan (city)
Cerro La Puntita (mountain)
Tres Picachos (mountain)
El Yunque (mountain)
Grande de Arecibo (River)
2. Read one of the books about Puerto Rico and/or the handouts provided.
3. Have the participants color the Puerto Rican flag, then copy it onto a white piece of
construction paper. Have them surround the flag with interesting facts they learned about
Puerto Rico from the reading including the size, language, some historical facts etc.
4. Play Puerto Rican music while the participants are doing the activities found in this section.
Puerto Rico - Culture - Answer Key
1 a False
2 c Slaves
3 b Tainos
4 d Gourd
5 a False
6 b True
7 d Drums
8 c King of Mambo
Puerto Rico - Geography - Answer Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
c Deep space
b Arecibo
b Caves
b Spanish
d San Juan
b True
d Caribbean Sea
b To defend Puerto Rico
23
Making a Caratas: AVejigante Mask
Adapted from Children's Book Press Lesson Plan for Solidad Sigh- Sighs by Rigoberto
Gonzalez and Vejigante Costume at El Boricua, http://www.elboricua.com/vejigante1.html
The traditional vejigante masks have multiple horns, pointed teeth, and large snouts.
Traditionally they are painted with bright primary colors. Read the book, Vejigante
Masquerader, author and illustrator Lulu Delacre published by Scholastic.
Material










Balloons
Paper
Masking Tape
Flour
Water
Waterproof containers
Newspaper strips
Scissors
Paints
Brushes
Directions
Directions for Making Papier Mâché Solution: Mix one part flour to one part water in a waterproof
container until it becomes a smooth paste. (Begin with 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of water).
1. Make the base for the mask using a 9-inch blown up balloon. (The balloon should be blown
up to roughly the side of a participant’s head.)
2. Make a papier mâché solution (see below). Dip newspaper strips into the solution one at a
time. Remove the excess liquid. Then lay the newspaper strips over half of the balloon,
smoothing out the wrinkles as they appear. Make a couple of layers of newspaper.
3. Allow the strips to dry completely. Pop the balloon. After popping the balloon, cut holes for
eyes and if desired for the mouth.
4. If you plan to wear the mask, make holes on the sides of the mask so that when the mask is
finished you can tie ribbons through the holes and use them to secure the mask to your head.
5. If desired, make a pointed rounded snout by folding paper, taping it secure with masking
tape, and taping it to the mask. The snout will later be covered and secured with layers of
papier mâché.
6. Make different size horns by rolling the paper into a cone, folding paper to form a flute,
taping it closed, and then taping each horn to the mask. Make at least 3 horns, 2 around the
forehead and one from the chin (the chin horn should be shorter). Cover the snout and horns
with the newspaper and papier mâché solution. When the horns are covered with papier
mâché, they will be moist and flexible and can be curved. Again allow the strips to dry
completely.
7. Paint the mask. If you want to attach ribbons and bells to the horns. When the paint has
dried, the mask is complete.
8. Literacy Reinforcement: Have the participants write a short story about a young person’s
experience of wearing the mask during Carnival.
24
Puerto Rican Children’s Games
Math Reinforcement: For younger children make sure they count as they go along. Keep statistics on the games.
El Gato y El Raton/The Cat and the Mouse
Material:
 None
Directions:
This game can be played by 10-30 participants
1. Have all the participants form a circle holding hands. The staff member will initially select
one player as the “mouse” and one player as the “cat.” The “mouse” starts out the game
inside the circle and the “cat” begins outside. The children holding hands try to prevent the
“cat” from sneaking inside the circle and touching the “mouse”.
2. On the signal to begin, the “cat” starts running around the circle trying to get into the middle
of the circle to catch the “mouse.” The “cat” is allowed to force his way in as long as he
doesn’t hit or hurt anyone, or he can stoop down and go under the other participant’s arms.
3. Once the “cat” gets into the circle, the “mouse” escapes outside. The members of the circle
help the “mouse” escape. The “cat” then tries to sneak out of the circle to the catch the
“mouse.” This continues until the “cat” eventually catches the “mouse.”
4. Once the “cat” “catches the “mouse”, whether inside or outside the circle, the leader chooses
a new “cat” and “mouse” and the game begins again.
In Puerto Rico, this game is done as a “song game.” The children sing the following song while
playing and skip in a circle while singing the song over and over while the “cat” chases the
“mouse”.
EL GATO Y EL RATON
Ahí viene el gato y el ratón,
a darle combate al tiburón.
Ratón, que te cojo,
que te cojí,
detrás de la mata de ajonjolí.
Puedo o No Puedo/ May I or May I Not
(Version of Mother, May I?)
Materials
 None
Directions:
1. Practice counting to 10 in Spanish.
2. Players line up on a starting line facing the leader (Mamá or Papá), who is standing some
distance away. Mamá (or Papá) gives directions to one player at a time: "Laurie, you may
take cuatro (four) mouse steps."
3. That player must say: "Mamá, puedo o no puedo?" (PWAY-doh oh no PWAY-doh?),
meaning "May I or may I not?" Mamá will answer: "Puedes." (PWAY-dayss) meaning "You
may." If a player moves without asking the question, he or she must return to the starting
line.
4. The leader continues to tell players, one by one, how to move, naming a number and a
special kind of animal step. "Take dos (two) frog steps." "Take cinco (five) pigeon steps."
25
Puerto Rican Recipes
Math Reinforcement: Have the participants calculate the amount of ingredients necessary to
make enough servings for the entire group. Have them measure the ingredients when cooking.
Besitos de Coco (Coconut Kisses)




2 cups grated coconut or flakes
1 cup water
1½ cups brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan bring the coconut and water to a boil. Add the brown sugar and stir well. Cook on
low for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. When the mixture begins to harden, add the vanilla
and stir well. Cook another few minutes until it gets very sticky. Drop by tablespoons onto a
greased cookie sheet. Let the candy cool completely. This recipe makes approximately 15 pieces.
Platanutres: Plantain Chips
 2 green plantains (very green)
 Garlic salt
 Oil for frying
1. Peel the plantains have to be peeled by cutting off both ends of the
plantain, and making a lengthwise slit on the skin. Using the tip of
a dull knife pry the skin off by sliding the tip of the knife into the slit and pushing the peel
away from the plantain.
2. Wash the plantains after peeling.
3. Using the slicer end of a metal grater slice the plantains into think slices. This could make
your hands sticky. Wash them using a little water, soap, and salt. The salt helps to take what
Puerto Ricans call "mancha de plátano" off.
4. Fry the plantain slices over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place
over paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
LIMBERS
Freeze any kind of juice in an ice-cube tray. In Puerto Rico the favorite flavors are coconut, and
guava.
Puerto Rican Recipes from El Boricua, a Puerto Rican Monthly on line cultural publication
http://www.elboricua.com/recipes.html#entremeses
26
Taíno Petroglyph Symbol Jewelry
Check out the following website for pictures of the petroglyphs found in Puerto Rico
http://ltmtnele.tripod.com/elyunque/id3.html
Materials










Handout about the Taíno People
Handout on Petroglyphs
Air dry Clay
Shells
Cord
Feathers
Cuticle stick
Brown tempera paint
Black Permanent marker
3 x 5 index cards
Directions
1. Look at pictures of jewelry worn by the Taíno people. You can find these pictures in the
book A to Z: Puerto Rico by Jeff Reynolds. Talk about how the Taíno people made
jewelry out of shells and feathers and sometimes gold and silver. Talk about the petroglyphs
that they made on rocks in the area.
2. Have them make 2-3 inch flat disc out of the air-dry clay and carve one of the petroglyph
symbols into the clay. Make a hole in the top of the disc so they can hang it on a cord when
dry. After it dries, have them fill in the carved figure with the permanent marker and then
paint the disc with the brown paint. You can also use a sealant.
3. Make smaller discs and press the shells into them making a hole on the top of the disc so it
can be strung later. Glue the feathers to the cord or press them into the clay. Use a high
temperature glue gun to attach the feathers, if possible.
4. Literacy Reinforcement: Have the participants write a description of their necklace including
why they chose the petroglyph symbol for the necklace. Display the jewelry with the cards.
27
Puerto Rican Flag
Puerto Rico's official flag was adopted in 1952 (on the same day that
Puerto Rico became a commonwealth). The origins of Puerto Rico's flag
are uncertain. There are two competing beliefs; some people think that it
was created by Manuel de Besosa and sewn by his daughter, Mima; others
think that it was designed by Antonia Velez Alvarado and made by Micaela
Dalmau de Carreras.
The flag has 5 equal horizontal bands of red and white (the top and bottom
bands are red); a blue isosceles triangle anchored on the hoist side has a
large white star. The red symbolizes blood, the white symbolizes individual
liberty and rights, and the blue triangle symbolizes the three branches of
the republican government (and also the sky and coastal waters of this
beautiful Caribbean island). Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth associated
with the USA.
Questions:
1. What colors are in Puerto Rico's flag? ____________________________________
2. What does the white color in Puerto Rico's flag represent? _____________________
3. When was the Puerto Rico's flag officially adopted? __________________________
Copyright ©2000-2008 EnchantedLearning.com
Puerto Rico - Culture
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
There is a small island in the Caribbean Sea called Puerto Rico. This small island is a
nation whose culture is full of lively, rhythmic music and dance. The instruments and dances of
this small nation come from all over the world. This nation may be a small island, but Puerto
Rican culture is anything but small.
Puerto Rico's music starts with the country's earliest history. Many years ago, some of the
Caribbean's first people lived on Puerto Rico. These people were called the Taino. The Taino had
a very developed culture. Taino women were as important as men, which was unusual in most
cultures at the time. The Taino liked sports. The Taino even invented the rubber ball!
The Taino also invented several musical instruments. Many of these instruments would become
very important to Puerto Rican culture. One of them is called the guiro. A guiro is a simple
instrument with a fun sound. It is a hollowed-out gourd, with many grooves cut across it. The
gourd is then rubbed with a stick. It makes a kind of rhythmic scratching sound. The guiro has
become an important part of Latin and Caribbean music.
When the Spanish arrived in Puerto Rico in the 16th century, they brought their culture with
them. The Spanish tried very hard to influence the Taino. Mostly, the Spanish were very mean to
the Taino. The Spanish made slaves out them, abused them, and killed them. The Spanish also
brought slaves from Africa to work on tobacco, sugar, and coffee farms.
These African slaves, too, brought culture with them. An important part of African music that
arrived in Puerto Rico was drums. Traditional African music is very rhythmic and uses many
drums. Because of this influence, Puerto Rican music also started to make use of lots of drums.
One famous drummer of Puerto Rican heritage was a man named Tito Puente. Tito was born in
1923, in Spanish Harlem in New York City, to a Puerto Rican family. Young Tito wanted to be a
dancer, but an ankle injury ended that dream. So Tito turned to music. At age 13, he became a
drummer in a big band. He went on to study music at Juilliard, one of America's greatest music
schools.
He went on to become a master of Latin percussion. He played the drum set, vibraphone, congas,
and bongos. But the instrument he is known for is the timbale. He earned the nickname "The
King of the Mambo," after the music and dance craze he made popular. Many Latinos call him
just "El Rey," or "The King."
Tito Puente helped bring Puerto Rican culture to America. The rhythms and instruments of
Puerto Rico are now very common in many places in the Western world. Puerto Rico's unique
and joyful music started in many places--in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. And thanks to
popular Puerto Rican musicians, that music has made its way all over the world!
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
Puerto Rico - Culture
1. Tito Puente was born in Puerto Rico.
A False
B True
2.
A
B
C
D
Some music was brought to Puerto Rico by African ______.
Businessmen
Explorers
Slaves
Royalty
3.
A
B
C
D
The guiro was an invention of the ______.
Spanish
Taínos
Americans
African
4.
A
B
C
D
A guiro is made from a ______.
Steel drum
Animal skin
Bamboo reed
Gourd
5. The Spanish were kind to the Taíno.
A False
B True
6. The guiro is an important part of Latin music.
A False
B True
7.
A
B
C
D
Puerto Rican music uses lots of ______.
Screaming
Silence
Violins
Drums
8.
A
B
C
D
Tito Puente is known as the ______.
King of Rock and Roll
King of Salsa
King of Mambo
King of Jazz
Puerto Rico - Geography
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
Do you like to explore? Do you like to find new, interesting
places? Imagine a big building made out of stone. This building is
very old. It is hundreds of years old. An army once used it to
defend a piece of land. Inside this building are lots of rooms,
many hallways, and some windows. On the roof of the building are cannons. This kind of
building is called a fort, and its dark rooms and hallways are lots of fun to explore!
Puerto Rico has many old forts. An army doesn't use these forts anymore. In fact, it has been
hundreds of years since soldiers lived in them. After the Spanish arrived in Puerto Rico in 1508,
they built many of these forts.
Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean Sea. It is located not far from the American state
of Florida. The capital of Puerto Rico is a city called San Juan. San Juan is on the country's
northern shore. Many years ago, Puerto Rico was a very popular place. Europeans, like the
Spanish, were exploring the rest of the world. They called North and South America the "New
World." Of course, it wasn't new. There were already many people living there. But it was new
to the Europeans.
The Spanish used Puerto Rico as a kind of "home." From there, they explored North America.
But the British and French wanted Puerto Rico, too. So the Spanish built many forts to defend
"their" island.
Like the Spanish forts, San Juan is a very old city. There are many buildings built by the
Spanish. There are also entire streets made of bricks. Can you imagine what a bumpy ride it
would be on a street of bricks?
There is also something very new and amazing in Puerto Rico. It is called the Arecibo
Observatory. Arecibo has a radio telescope. Do you know what a telescope is? It is a long tube
with many pieces of glass, called lenses, that allow you to see deep into space. A radio telescope
allows you to listen deep into space. To do this, Arecibo's radio telescope uses a huge bowl to
catch radio waves. How big? 305 meters across! Scientists at Arecibo use this to listen for other
living things in outer space.
Puerto Rico's northeast has an amazing place, called the Rio Camuy Cave Park. This park has
more than 200 caves! Some of those caves are hundreds of meters deep! There's even an
underground river system there. It is a popular place for cave explorers. But since it is a
dangerous place, it is only for very good cave explorers.
Puerto Rico has many things old and many things new. Its huge radio telescope, caves, old brick
streets, and forts are great places to explore. And if you went to Puerto Rico to explore, you
would be like many people who have explored Puerto Rico for hundreds of years!
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
26
1.
A
B
C
D
Puerto Rico - Geography
A radio telescope allows you to listen to ______.
Telephone calls
Television shows
Deep space
Music
2.
A
B
C
D
Puerto Rico's radio telescope is called ______.
San Juan
Arecibo
Rio Camuy
Ponce de Leon
3.
A
B
C
D
Rio Camuy is a system of ______.
Trees
Caves
Mountains
People
4.
A
B
C
D
The ______ built many forts in Puerto Rico.
Germans
Spanish
Chinese
Russians
5.
A
B
C
D
What is the capital of Puerto Rico?
Arecibo
Ponce
Rio Camuy
San Juan
6. Puerto Rico is an island nation.
A False
B True
7.
A
B
C
D
In what body of water is Puerto Rico located?
Indian Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Caribbean Sea
8.
A
B
C
D
Why did the Spanish build forts?
For the fun of it
To defend Puerto Rico
For parties
To have a place to live
Taíno Indians of Puerto Rico
Adapted from http://www.elboricua.com/BoricuaKidsTainos.html
When Cristóforo Colombo {Christopher Columbus (Eng.) - Cristóbal Colón
(Esp.)} discovered Puerto Rico the tiny island was inhabited by the Taíno
Indians. The Taínos were friendly and peaceful Indians who were farmers and
fishermen. They called their island paradise Borikén.
Taínos lived in small yucayeques (villages) that were run by a cacique (chief) with the help of
the bohique (priest or medicine man). Taínos were divided by a social class structure that
included naborias (serfs), who performed hard labor, and nitaínos (noblemen), who were
soldiers, leaders, and craftsmen. The cacique and bohique came from the nitaíno class.
They spoke Arawakan. Cristóforo Colombo wrote in his journal that Taínos had beautiful
muscular slender bodies, with copper color skin and wore short haircuts with a long hank at the
back of the head, and their forehead was flattened (Mothers carried their babies on their back on
a padded board that was secured to the baby's forehead. The board flattened the baby's forehead.
Thus Taínos had a flat forehead - something they found attractive). They were clean-shaven and
hairless. According to Cristóbal Colón the Taíno tongue was "gentle, the sweetest in the world,
always with a laugh".
Taínos wore no clothes except for a nagua (a frontal slip) used only by married women. Dressing
up meant painting their bodies with bright color paints with intricate designs. Body paints were
made from plants. Their jewelry, necklaces, earrings, armbands and bracelets, was made from
seashells, feathers, animal teeth and bones, and stones. Some was layered with gold and precious
or semiprecious stones. Men and women, and boys and girls wore body paint and made and wore
lots of jewelry. Boys and girls often made their own jewelry.
Their round thatch roofs homes were called bohíos. Bohíos were made from, reed, bamboo and
tree branches tied together; grass was woven into them and they were packed with mud. Bohíos
did not have much furniture. Taínos slept on cotton nets that hung from the ceiling called
hamacas (hammocks). Hamacas were also used to sit on or to move sick people around in much
like a hospital gurney.
Music was an important part of Taíno life. Their drums were hollowed tree trunks that were hit
with sticks to produce rhythmic sounds. They made shakers called maracas out of hollowed out
gourds. Güiros were a rhythmic instrument made from the marimbo gourd. These musical
instruments are a legacy of the Taínos and are still used today. Children learned to play
instruments early and helped their parents make the instruments.
Not much hunting went on because there was no large game on the island. But, Taínos hunted
birds, manatees, snakes, parrots, jutías (small rodents), iguanas and waterfowl. The Taínos would
hollow a calabash, a type of gourd, cutting "eye holes" into it. They would wear the calabash on
their head while submerged in rivers or beaches and thus were able to catch birds by grabbing
them by the legs. They would use hats covered with leaves to catch parrots - a delicacy. The
women made round break cakes called casave from yucca. Taíno children had fun wearing a
calabash hunting hat to catch parrots for snacks.
TAÍNO PETROGLYPHS
Taken from http://www.elboricua.com/BKTainoSymbols.html
Petroglyphs are images created by craving or chisling out part of a rock surfaces. You can find
petroglyphs throughout the world. These images are examples of petroglyph images found in
Puerto Rico, probably done by the Taino people.
Egypt
Movies:
Check out the National Geographic movies about the pyramids and pharohs. One that is highly
recommended is

Mysteries of Egypt
Field Trips, Guest Speakers

Ask someone from Egypt to come in and talk about his or her experiences.
Websites:

Mr. Donn’s Modern Egypt: http://countries.pppst.com/egypt.html
Books and Website of Egyptian Fairy Tales
1. Hellanic World: Website version of the Egyptian Cinderella by Sherry Climo:
http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/461904
36
Introduction to Egypt
Egypt: A-Z by Jeff Reynolds by Children’s Press is available in the ExCel Resource Center
Materials:
 Books about Egypt
 World Map and a map of Egypt
 Handout on Egypt including picture of the flag
 White construction paper
 Markers or crayons
 Optional: Music from Egypt (Check out the following websites for easy downloads or
clips that you can play directly from your computer:
o Egyptian Music http://www.focusmm.com/egypt/eg_musmn.htm (uses Real
Player)
o Egypt: National Geographic:
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/country/content.count
ry/egypt_39/en_US
Directions
1. Have the participants find Egypt on the world map and then, looking at a map of Egypt, have
them find the following towns, rivers and other geographical features.
 Cario (city)
 Giza (City)
 Luxor (City)
 Bahariya Oasis
 Sahara Desert
 Nile (River)
 Red Sea
 Mediterranean Sea
 Suez Canal
 Lake Naswar
 Sinai Peninsula
2. Read one of the books about Egypt and/or the handouts provided.
3. Have the participants copy the Egyptian flag, onto a white piece of construction paper. Have
them surround the flag with interesting facts they learned about Egyptian from the reading
including the size, language, some historical facts etc.
4. Play Egyptian music while the participants are doing the activities found in this section.
Egypt – Geography – Answer Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
D The Middle East
B Cairo
B False
A The Nile River
B False
B Africa from Asia
C A wind that blows in Egypt in spring
A True
37
Crocodile: Predator of the Nile
Materials








Handout about Crocodiles
Crocodile coloring page from National Geographic Kids’ Online
Crocodile Head, Tail and Body Templates
Paper Bags
Glue
Markers/Crayons
Scissors
3 x 5 index card
Directions:
1. Discuss the Nile River and its importance to Egypt. One fact about the Nile is that it is the
longest river in the world. Also, it previously would flood its banks yearly, allowing the
Egyptians to grow food even though nearly two-thirds of Egypt is desert. All the major cities
of Egypt are located on the Nile. Crocodiles are one of the animals that live on the Nile.
Read the handout on Crocodiles and have the participants color the coloring page provided.
2. Next make a standing crocodile by using the templates and a paper bag.
3. Cut out the body, tail and head of the crocodile.
4. Paste the head of the crocodile on the top flap of a paper bag.
5. Paste the crocodile body on the paper bag, positioning the top slightly below the flap.
6. Attach the tail.
7. Color the crocodile and draw a background scene on the bag including the sand and the Nile
River.
8. Literacy reinforcement: Write a short story about your crocodile on the index card and attach
it to the paper bag.
Images Copyrighted by Historylink101.com & found at Egyptian
Picture Gallery.
38
Sand Paper Sandy Desert
Adapted from www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/sandy-desert-craft/
The Sahara Desert covers nearly two-thirds of Egypt, which
Egyptians call the Western Desert.
Materials







Handouts on the Sahara Desert and The Arabian Camel
White paper
Medium grade sandpaper
Crayons
Multicultural construction crayons
Scissors
Tape
http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail
/sandy-desert-craft/
Directions
1. Lightly make an outline of desert dunes on a piece of white paper with pencil.
2. Lay sandpaper on a hard, flat surface. Place the white paper on top of the sandpaper. Unwrap
various colors of brown crayons. (Multicultural Crayons have many shades of brown.) Rub
crayon on the paper in the areas that you outlined to create a bumpy, pebbly texture just like
find in a desert. Remove the sandpaper.
3. Color the sky so it has a contrasting smooth texture.
4. On separate paper, use crayons/ markers to draw and color desert plants and animals such as
yucca, cacti, flowers, camels, or snakes. Carefully cut out each piece. Some of the animals of
the Sahara include Dromedary Camels, Fennec Foxes, the Addax, Dama Gazelles and
Saharan Horned Vipers. Check out the web for pictures of these animals. Cactus and other
water saving plants exist in parts of the Sahara. Date palms exist near the Nile and the
Mediterranean.
5. Take small pieces of tape and roll them, adhesive side out, so that they will attach to the
picture and the objects that you have cut out. When you attach the cut out pictures to your
desert scene, do not press them down too hard. They will pop out and give you a 3dimensional effect.
Great websites with pictures of the plants and animals of the Sahara desert are
OXFAM’s Cool Planet:
Desert Plants: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/nature/deserts/plants.htm
Desert Animals:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/nature/deserts/animals.htm
Animal Spot: Desert Animals. http://www.desertanimals.net/
39
Nine Men’s Morris: Game of Thinking and Planning
For easier versions of this game check out the book, Math Around the World, GEMS, Lawrence Hall of Science.
History of the Game: A Nine Men’s Morris game board was found etched into an ancient Egyptian Temple in
Kurna that dates back to 1400 B.C.E, although it possibly was craved into the temple later. The game spread
throughout Rome and Greece, and there are reports that it was played in China as early as 500 B.C.E. (Before
Common Era) It was very popular in 14th century Europe. It used to be played in England during the time of
Shakespeare with black and white pebbles on a board marked out with a trowel dug into village greens as well as in
taverns on boards marked with chalk on a table. Shakespeare mentioned it in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Act 2,
Scene 1 – “The Nine Men’s Morris is filled up with mud,” which is what must have happened to the boards marked
in the village green when it rained.
Materials:
 White card stock
 Markers
 Glue
 Two sets of colored stones/beads/beans
 Template of the game board
 Copy of the rules
Directions
1. Give the participants a copy of the blank game board and have them color the
board squares. Have them glue the paper to the card stock. If desired, have
them decorate the border of the board with Egyptian symbols.
2. Have them pair up and play the game.
3. Math Reinforcement: The game itself provides opportunity to practice strategic thinking and
supports logic, spatial visualization and the understanding of the principles of game theory.
You can increase the opportunity to reinforce basic math skills by keeping track of wins and
losses, the number of moves it takes to win etc.
Rules of Nine Men’s Morris
Object of the game:
1. Reduce the number of your opponent’s pieces to two; OR
2. Block all of your opponent’s pieces so your opponent cannot move.
Mills: You reduce the number of the opponent’s pieces by making a “mill.” A mill is three of your pieces in a row
(which is called a “mill”). All the pieces in a “mill” must be on circles that are connected by lines. In other words,
diagonal mills don’t count. When you get a mill, you may remove and keep one of your opponent’s pieces from the
board. The only time a piece can be removed from an opponent’s mill is when there are no other pieces available
except those in a mill.
1. Flip a coin to see who goes first.
2. The first person to play puts a piece over any of the white circles on the game board. The second person does
the same.
3. Take turns putting the pieces down, one at a time. If you place a row of three pieces along any line, you have a
mill. When you form a mill, you can remove one of your opponent’s pieces from the board, as long as it is not
part of a mill. Any piece in a mill is “safe” and cannot be taken.
4. Once both players have put down all their pieces, they take turns moving their pieces along the lines in an effort
to form a mill. You can only move one space at a time, and you can not move diagonally. Also, you may only
move to adjacent open circles. You may not bump or jump an opponent’s piece. Again, the forming of a mill
allows for the removal of an opponent’s piece.
5. If well planned, it is possible to play a piece that forms two mills. If this occurs, you can remove two of your
opponent’s pieces.
6. Play continues until a player can no longer move or is left with only two playing pieces on the board.
Whichever outcome, this person loses the game.
40
Hummus and Lemonade
Although there is no definitive proof that hummus originated in Egypt, we know that it was
eaten in Ancient Egypt. “Garbanzo” is a Spanish word for chickpeas. “Hummus” is an
Arabic word. Lemonade is thought to have been invented in Egypt over 1,500 years ago.
Math Reinforcement: Have the participants calculate the amount of ingredients necessary to
make enough servings for the entire group. Have them measure the ingredients when cooking.
Ingredients








garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish
Directions:
1. In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup
water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.
2. Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
3. Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread.
Makes about 3 cups.
Make a pitcher of lemonade and enjoy!
41
The Flag of Egypt
Egypt is a country in northeast Africa. Egypt’s flag is a red, white and black tricolor
with horizontal stripes; a yellow Eagle of Saladin, Egypt’s national symbol, is in the
center. The black strip at the bottom stands for the Egypt of long ago. Modern Egypt
is represented by the white stripe in the center. The red stripe at the top stands for the
people of Egypt. The flag has a ratio of 2:3. Egypt’s flag was adopted on October 4,
1984.
Egypt – Geography
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
Egypt is an Arab country in the Middle East. It is almost square in shape and occupies the
northeastern corner of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula of southwestern Asia. The territory of
Egypt is about one-ninth the size of the United States, or a little larger than Texas and New
Mexico together. The Mediterranean Sea forms the northern boundary of the country, Israel and
the Red Sea lie to the east, Sudan lies to the south of Egypt, and Libya to the west.
Cairo, the largest city in Africa, is the capital of Egypt. It is situated on the banks of the River
Nile. It is a city of contrasts—a mixture of ancient culture and modern life, where westernlooking buildings and skyscrapers stand side-by-side with Roman antiquities, the tombs of the
Caliphs (Muslim rulers), and minarets (a tall slender towers attached to an Islamic worship
buildings).
The broad Nile River flows the entire length of the country, but most of Egypt is covered by the
wind-swept Sahara Desert. The Nile floods its banks every year, depositing rich soil along a
narrow strip of land. The majority of the population lives on this strip, even though it makes up
only about 3 percent of the country’s territory. Only scattered groups of people live in the desert,
mostly around oases. An oasis is a place in a desert where underground water works its way to
the surface so that vegetation can grow. There are several large oases with up to several thousand
people living in them. The best-known oasis is El Faiyum, about 80 km (50 mi) southwest of
Cairo.
The famous Suez Canal, separating the African continent from Asia, cuts through Egypt. It is the
longest large-ship canal in the world. It links the Red and Mediterranean Seas. It took 1.5 million
people 10 years to build (1859-1869). It is 162.2 km (100.8 mi.) long. The Suez Canal gives
Egypt an important role in world affairs, providing a trade route between Europe and Asia.
Egypt’s climate is hot and dry most of the year. Winters are warm, with average temperatures
varying between 55 and 70 degrees F. Winter nights only get down to 8 0C (45 o F), a very
Egyptian version of chilly. A very specific feature of Egyptian spring is the khamsin—a wind
that blows from the south of Egypt. It brings sand and dust, and sometimes raises the temperature
in the desert to more than 100 degrees F. Summers in Egypt are very dry and hot, with
temperatures averaging between 80 and 90 degrees F. A steady wind from the northwest helps to
hold down the temperature near the coast.
Animal life in Egypt used to be very rich, and ancient Egyptians worshiped different animals,
such as the leopards, cheetahs, oryx (antelope) and hyenas. Many of them are now extinct in the
country. But there is still a variety of animal life in Egypt. There are plenty of rodents and bats,
gazelles, wildcats, mongooses, domesticated camels, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
There are around 430 species of birds, some of which breed in Egypt, but most pass through on
migration from Europe to southern Africa. Up to two million birds are thought to pass over
Egypt on annual migrations. There are also 34 varieties of snakes, the best known of which is the
cobra. Scorpions are common throughout the country, but being nocturnal (nighttime creatures),
they are rarely seen. The Red Sea supports sharks, stingrays, turtles, dolphins, colorful corals,
sponges, starfish and various mollusks.
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Egypt is situated in:
A. The Far East
B. Southeastern Asia
C. Central Europe
D. The Middle East
The capital of Egypt is:
A. Tashkent
B. Cairo
C. Baghdad
D. Rome
Egypt does not have a coastal line.
A. True
B. False
The river in Egypt that flows the length of the entire country.
A. The Nile River
B. The Volga River
C . Tiber
D. The Yellow River
The majority of the Egyptian population lives in deserts.
A. True
B. False
The Suez Canal separates:
A. Europe from Africa
B. Africa from Asia
C. Africa from America
D. Europe from Asia
Khamsin is:
A. A river in Egypt
B. A desert in Egypt
C. A wind that blows in Egypt in spring
D. An oasis in Sahara
Scorpions are common in Egypt.
A. True
B. False
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Nile-crocodile National Geographic.com
Nile Crocodile
Adapted from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/nile-crocodile.html
The Nile crocodile has a somewhat deserved reputation as a vicious man-eater.
The closeness of its habitat to people means run-ins are frequent. And since it
almost eats anything, a villager washing clothes by a riverbank might look just as
tasty as a migrating wildebeest. Firm numbers are sketchy, but estimates are that
up to 200 people may die each year in the jaws of a Nile croc.
Africa’s largest crocodilian, these primordial brutes reach a maximum size of about 20 feet (6
meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730 kilograms). Average sizes, though, are more in
the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds (225 kilograms). They live throughout subSaharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove
swamps.
The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything unfortunate
enough to cross its path, including zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles.
It will also scavenge carrion, animals that are already dead, and can eat up to half its body weight
at a feeding.
One unusual characteristic of this fearsome predator is its caring nature as a parent. Where most
reptiles lay their eggs and move on, mother and father Nile crocs ferociously guard their nests
until the eggs hatch, and they will often roll the eggs gently in their mouths to help hatching
babies emerge.
Hunted close to extinction in the 1940s through the 1960s, local and international protections
have helped them rebound in most areas. In some regions, though, pollution, hunting, and habitat
loss have severely depleted their numbers.
Fast Facts
Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore – Meat Eater
Average lifespan in the wild: 45 years (est.)
Size: 16 ft (5 m)
Weight: 500 lbs (225 kg)
Group name: Bask (on land) or float (in water)
Did you know? Mummified crocodiles and crocodile eggs have been discovered in Egyptian
tombs.
Protection status: Endangered
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
Taken from http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/animals/reptiles/bagcroco.htm
The Sahara: The Biggest Desert in the World
Taken from California Academy of Science:
http://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/ romed/exhibit/sahara/index.html
It’s parched, forbidding landscape took shape over thousands of years, but even today, the
Sahara is constantly changing. Why is this desert so important to Africans? How do people
survive its harsh, dry climate? And is the Sahara getting bigger, or
smaller?
By studying satellite photos, some scientists have come to believe
that the Sahara regularly shrinks and grows. In the early 1980s, the
Sahara’s southern edge expanded into the Sahel, a dry band that
separates the desert from the savanna. But by the mid-1980s this area
was green and wet again.
The Sahara receives less than three inches of rain a year; Chicago’s
annual precipitation, its combined rainfall, snow and sleet, is 33.34 inches (84.68 cm). Even in
the Sahara’s wettest areas, it may rain twice one week and not rain again for years.
For centuries caravaneers have traveled through the Sahara desert. Even though there are many
oases in the Sahara, the desert is so immense that travelers may go for days to reach them.
Oases make trade possible between the ports of North Africa and savanna markets further south.
Without these wet rest stops for humans and animals, crossing the desert would be almost
impossible.
As the world’s biggest desert, the Sahara covers a third of the African continent-an area about
the size of the United States.
What makes the Sahara a desert?
The Sahara is one of the hottest places on Earth. Even though temperatures there may rise to 136
F (57.7 C), its dryness, not heat, that makes a place like the Sahara a desert. The frozen continent
of Antarctica is so dry that some scientists consider it a desert, too. As the world’s largest desert,
the Sahara receives less than three inches (7.6 cm) of rain a year. Even in its wettest areas, rain
may arrive twice in one week, then not return for years.
Arabian Camel or Dromedary
Camels are large mammals that live in dry areas. There are two types of camels: the one-humped
camel (the Arabian Camel or Dromedary) and the two-humped camel (the Bactrian Camel). The
Arabian camels are found in the very hot deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Bactrian
camels are found in the rocky deserts and steppes of Asia that get very hot and very cold.
The Hump: The camel’s hump contains fat (and NOT water). The camel can go without food
and water for 3 to 4 days. It is well adapted to desert life.
Anatomy: Camels are very strong mammals with wide, padded feet. They have thick leathery
pads on their knees and chest. Camels have nostrils that can open and close, protecting them
from the desert environment. Bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes protect their eyes
from sand. Their mouth is extremely tough, allowing camels to eat thorny desert plants. Camels
are over 7 feet (2 m) tall at the hump and weigh in excess of 1,600 pounds (725 kg).
Diet: Camels are herbivores (plant-eaters). Most camels are domesticated and are fed by people;
they eat dates, grass, wheat, and oats.
Classification:Class Mammalia (mammals), Order Artiodactyla, Suborder Tylopoda, Family
Camelidae, Genus Camelus, Species C. romedaries (dromedary camel) and C. bactrianus
(Bactrian camel).
Copyright ©1999-2008 EnchantedLearning.com
Nine Men’s Morris
History
A Nine Men’s Morris game board was found etched into an ancient Egyptian Temple in
Kurna that dates back to 1400 B.C.E, although it possibly was craved into the temple
later. The game spread throughout Rome and Greece, and there are reports that it was
played in China as early as 500 B.C.E. It was very popular in 14th century Europe. It used to
be played in England during the time of Shakespeare with black and white pebbles on a board
marked out with a trowel dug into village greens as well as in taverns on boards marked with
chalk on a table. Shakespeare mentioned it in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Act 2, Scene 1 –
“The Nine Men’s Morris is filled up with mud,” which is what must have happened to the boards
marked in the village green when it rained.
Rules
Object of the game:
 Reduce the number of your opponent’s pieces to two; OR
 Block all of your opponent’s pieces so your opponent cannot move.
Mills:
You reduce the number of the opponent’s pieces by making a “mill.” A mill is
three of your pieces in a row (which is called a “mill”). All the pieces in a “mill”
must be on circles that are connected by lines. In other words, diagonal mills don’t
count. When you get a mill, you may remove and keep one of your opponent’s
pieces from the board. The only time a piece can be removed from an opponent’s
mill is when there are no other pieces available except those in a mill.
1. Flip a coin to see who goes first.
2. The first person to play puts a piece over any of the white circles on the game
board. The second person does the same.
3. Take turns putting the pieces down, one at a time. If you place a row of three
pieces along any line, you have a mill. When you form a mill, you can remove
one of your opponent’s pieces from the board, as long as it is not part of a mill.
Any piece in a mill is “safe” and cannot be taken.
4. Once both players have put down all their pieces, they take turns moving their
pieces along the lines in an effort to form a mill. You can only move one space
at a time, and you cannot move diagonally. Also, you may only move to
adjacent open circles. You may not bump or jump an opponent’s piece. Again,
the forming of a mill allows for the removal of an opponent’s piece.
5. If well planned, it is possible to play a piece that forms two mills. If this occurs,
you can remove two of your opponent’s pieces.
6. Play continues until a player can no longer move or is left with only two
playing pieces on the board. Whichever outcome, this person loses the game.
China
Movies:

Mulan by Disney
Field Trips, Guest Speakers
 Talk a walk in Chinatown or a Chinese grocery store
 Visit the Asian Art Museum
 Have someone from China come in and talk about his or her experiences.
Websites:
 Mr. Donn’s China’s Past and Present: http://countries.mrdonn.org/china.html
 Teach-nology: The On-line Teacher Resource Chinese lesson plans and resources
o http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/current_events/china/
o http://www.teach-nology.com/themes/country/china/
 Chinese New Year: http://www.vickiblackwell.com/chinese.html
Websites for Chinese Fairy Tales
 D. L. Ashliman's folktexts, a library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/china.html
55
Introduction to China
Chinese New Year by David F. Marx for primary grades and A to Z: China by Justine and Ron Fontes for
intermediate grades, both by Children’s press and People’s Republic of China: Enchantment of the World by
Kim Dramer by Scholastic are available in the ExCel Resource Center.
China is a very large, complex and varied country. Make sure to talk about that diversity
with the participants. Just like the United States, there are many parts to China with much
similarity and some differences in geography and culture.
Materials:
 Books about China
 World Map and a map of China
 Handout on China including picture of the flag
 White construction paper
 Markers or crayons
 Optional: Music from China. Check out the following website for easy downloads or
clips of traditional, folk and more contemporary music.
http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/country/content.country/china
_170
Directions
1. Have the participants find People’s Republic of China on the world map and then, looking at
a map of China, have them find the following towns, rivers and other geographical features.
 Himalayas (mountain range)
 Mount Everest (mountain)
 Beijing (Capital city of China)
 Yangtze River
 Gobi Desert
 Yellow River
 Taklimakan desert
2. Read one of the books about China and/or the handouts provided.
3. Have the participants color the Chinese flag, and then copy it onto a white piece of
construction paper. Have them surround the flag with interesting facts they learned about
China from the reading including the size, language, some historical facts etc.
4. Play Chinese music while the participants are doing the activities found in this section.
China - Answer Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
C The only ancient civilization that has continued to the present.
B False
C The compass, gunpowder, movable type printing and papermaking
A A protection from the enemies
A True
C Sculptures of people and horses, buried with a Chinese emperor
56
7 B False
8 B False
Traditional Chinese Children’s Games
Math Reinforcement: For younger children make sure they count as they go along. Keep statistics on the games.
Cat Catching Mice
Preparation:
None
Directions
One child is chosen to be the Cat (the chaser) and one child is
chosen to become the Mouse. All the other children form a circle,
holding hands, with the Mouse inside and the Cat outside.
The children in the circle move around while calling out the following rhyme:
"What time is it?"
"Just struck nine."
"Is the cat at home?"
"He's about to dine."
When the rhyme stops, the children stop moving and the Cat starts to chase the Mouse, weaving
in and out of the ring of children to do so. However, the Cat MUST follow the mouse's path.
When he catches the Mouse he can enjoy pretending to "eat" him, and then two more children
take a turn.
Throwing the Square
Throwing the Square is a traditional Chinese game which can be played with two players or
teams, indoors or out.
Preparation:
Draw a rectangle, about 24 inches by 12 inches, on the ground with chalk or scrape it in the dirt or cut one out of paper or felt for an indoor game. Divide the rectangle in two so that you have
two squares side by side. Draw or mark a further line about 8 feet away from the rectangle (you
can adjust this according to the ages of your players).
The game is played with two players or teams. Each side will need a throwing object - perhaps a
miniature Frisbee, a beanbag, a flat rock or a wooden disk.
How to play:
One player places his object in one square. The other player moves to stand behind the line and
tries to throw his object to land in the same square as the other player's object. Score as follows:
The same square: 2 points
The other, empty square: 1 point
Outside the target: 0 points
The first side to an agreed score - perhaps 10 - wins.
57
Shuttlecock Games - - a flying object made out of feathers, known to
most of us through badminton, has been used traditionally in kicking
games of skill in China.
How to play:
1 person games:
Throw the shuttlecock into the air, and then keep it in the air bouncing
from one palm to the other. How long can you keep it going? Throw the
shuttlecock up in the air, and then keep it up in the air using only your
feet. See how long you can keep it going before it hits the ground!
When you have had some practice at this, try hitting it up into the air with your knees. Now try
alternating between your feet and your knees, and between left and right, too!
2 person games:
How about playing with a friend? One of you throws the shuttlecock up in the air, and the other
kicks it back. How many times can you pass the shuttlecock between you?
Group games:
Play with more than 2 children: Stand in a circle and see if you can keep the shuttlecock in the
air using only your feet, passing it around the circle.
Variations:
1. Put your best player in the center of the circle and pass it from the center out and back
each time.
2. One person throws the shuttlecock high into the air and calls out the name of the child
who should hit it next. That child hits it at high as possible, too, with the palm of her
hand, calling out the next player, and so on.
3. See if you can pass the shuttlecock down a line of children with your palms, your feet or
your knees.
58
Chinese Cooking: Microwave Style
Math Reinforcement: Have the participants calculate the amount of ingredients necessary to
make enough servings for the entire group. Have them measure the ingredients when cooking.
Chinese Green Beans (6 servings)
Taken from http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/green_beans.htm
Be careful if you have a participant who is allergic to peanuts.
Ingredients:
 1 package frozen green beans -- (16 ounce) 500g
 1 packet chicken broth -- dry crystals
 1 bunch scallion
 2 large garlic bulb
 1/2 tsp ground ginger
 1 tsp sugar
 1 tbsp peanut butter – creamy
 1/8 tsp sesame oil
Directions:
In a 2-quart 2 liter microwave-safe casserole dish, combine green beans and broth granules.
Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, slice white bulbs of scallion into rings
and mine garlic. In small bowl, combine ginger, soy sauce and sugar. Add scallion rings and
garlic. Set aside. Remove green beans from microwave and uncover. Pour sauce over beans and
stir. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and sesame oil until sauce
coats the beans and serves immediately.
VEGETABLE CHOP SUEY (6 servings)
Note: Chop Suey is not a traditional Chinese dish. It is more of a Chinese-American recipe. This recipe is
taken from http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/chinese/vegetable-chop-suey1.html
Ingredients
 2 cups sliced celery
 1 cup chopped onion
 8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
 2 tablespoon butter/margarine
 1/2 cup water
 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
 1 teaspoon Instant beef bouillon
 1 teaspoon Sugar
 28 oz Can Chinese vegetables
 1/8 teaspoon Pepper
Directions:
Mix celery, onion, mushrooms and butter in 2-quart casserole, cover. Microwave on high 6-8
minutes, or until tender-crisp. Set aside. In 2-cup measure, combine water, soy sauce,
cornstarch, bouillon and sugar. Microwave on high 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring twice
during cooking. Mix sauce and remaining ingredients with celery mixture. Microwave at high 4
6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring after half the time. Serve over rice or chow mein
noodles.
59
Chinese Lantern
Taken from http://members.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/lantern/index.shtml?p
Materials:
 Construction paper
 Scissors
 Tape
Directions
1. Fold a rectangular piece of paper in half, making a long, thin rectangle.
2. Make a series of cuts (about a dozen or more) along the fold line. Don't cut all the way to the
edge of the paper.
3. Unfold the paper. Glue or staple the short edges of the paper together.
4. Cut a strip of paper 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Glue or staple this strip of
paper across one end of the lantern - this will be the handle of the lantern.
5. Optional: Make many lanterns and string them along a length of yarn.
60
Dancing Lion or Dragon Toy
Taken from http://members.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/lion/
Material
 Colored construction paper
 White construction paper
 Scissors
 Crayons or markers
 Glue, tape
 Disposable chopsticks
 Optional: glitter, feathers
Directions
1. Draw the head and tail of a lion or dragon on a piece of construction
paper.
2. Cut the head and tail out and decorate with bright colors. Optional:
Decorate with glitter and feathers.
3. Fold a piece of paper in half the long way. Cut along the fold line,
making two long rectangles.
4. Fold each piece of paper up like an accordion. Tape the two
pieces together, forming one long piece that will be the
animal's body.
5. Tape one end of the body to the head. Glue or tape
the other end of the body to the tail.
6. Tape one chopstick to the head and the other
chopstick onto the tail.
61
Craft Stick Chinese Abacus
http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/abacusr.pdf
Materials:
 Handouts on Abacus and How to Use an Abacus
 Glue
 Bamboo Skewers
 Pony Beads (one or two colors)
 Large Craft sticks
Directions:
For ease of reading your abacus, try making your “heaven beads” all one color and your
“earth” beads, another color. Do not complicate your abacus by using too many colored
beads.
1. Cut each skewer into 4" rods.
2. Place the tips of the rods onto one craft stick, centered and equidistant from each other.
Trace the tips with a pencil.
3. Remove the rods and draw lines of glue over the pencil marks. Carefully place the rod tips
onto the glue. (A craft stick placed under the rods helps to prop up the rods so the tips
maintain contact with the first craft stick while the glue is drying).
4. After the rod tips dry, thread two pony beads onto each rod. These will be your "Heaven"
beads.
5. Place the second craft stick (for the center bar or beam) under the rods
about 3/4" down from the first craft stick. Mark the rod placement by
tracing with a pencil. Draw lines of glue onto the pencil marks and
glue the rods onto this stick. Be careful not to let the beads stick to the
glue.
6. Thread five pony beads onto each rod for the "Earth" beads. Place a
third craft stick under the rod tips and glue the tips to the stick.
7. Line up and glue a craft stick over each of the three sticks you glued
the rods to earlier.
8. Another layer of three craft sticks will raise the abacus to prevent the beads from rubbing on
the table surface. This is the back of the abacus. Flip the abacus over and enjoy!
62
China
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
China is one of the planet's oldest civilizations. It has a written history
of 4,000 years and boasts rich cultural relics and historical sites. Together with ancient Egypt,
Babylon and India, China is recognized as one of the four great ancient civilizations of the world.
Moreover, it is the only ancient civilization that has continued to this very day.
Archaeological studies have revealed that around 5,000 years ago the Chinese entered the
stage of patriarchal society. Not only did villages begin to appear but also the initial forms of
cities began to become evident.
China was one of the most powerful countries of the ancient world; occupying a leading
position in the development of productivity and technology. Ancient China enjoyed and
developed agriculture and advanced irrigation system, an independent tradition of medicine and
advanced botanical knowledge.
China's so called "four great inventions"-the compass, gunpowder, movable type
printing, and papermaking-not only changed the world but also accelerated the evolution of
world history. China was also rich in ceramics and silk textiles, great inventions that had a
tremendous influence in the world. Chinese porcelain with abstract blue-and-white patterns is
still popular worldwide.
China also kept the world's most detailed and earliest astronomical records. The first
people to take note of such astronomical phenomena as comets, sunspots, and new stars were
Chinese. It was also the Chinese who produced the most advanced astronomical observatory
apparatus of the time.
In metallurgy, (working with metal) China long held a leading position. When
Europeans still could not turn out a single piece of cast iron in the 14th century, Chinese people
had already produced cast iron on an industrial scale four centuries earlier.
The Great Chinese Wall has become one of the world's most recognizable constructions.
It was built in the third century BC to protect the country from the enemies. It extends about
2,414 km from the Yellow Sea into central Asia and is the only man-made object visible from
the moon. It is one of China's most important cultural and historical symbols.
One of the other Chinese wonders is the so-called "underground army." Over 6,000 lifesize terracotta figures, horses, and chariots were made for the tomb of Emperor Ch'in Shihuangdi in 210 BC. The burial mound was discovered in 1974. The terracotta warriors of the
"underground army" guarding the mausoleum amazed the world. It has been called the "eighth
wonder of the world."
China is a country with a great diversity of religions, with over 100 million followers of
the various faiths. The main religions are Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and China's indigenous
Taoism.
China's great ancient inventions made tremendous contributions to the world's industry,
economy, and culture. They were also important symbols of China's role as a great world
civilization.
Looking back at the contributions China's civilization has made to the world, there is a
strong reason to believe that a more prosperous and stronger China will surely make new
contributions to the civilization of mankind.
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
1.
A
B
C
D
China is:
One of the world's youngest civilizations.
The world's oldest civilization.
The only ancient civilization that has continued to the present.
None of the above
2. Papermaking was invented in Egypt, not in China.
A True
B False
3.
A
B
C
D
China's four great inventions are:
Algebra, astronomy, law, hieroglyphs
Stone-carvings, tobacco, calendar, and basketball
The compass, gunpowder, movable type printing and papermaking
The wheel, irrigation, asphalt making, and pottery
4.
A
B
C
D
The Great Wall was:
A protection from the enemies
A famous Chinese sculpture
A palace of Chinese emperors
A Chinese mausoleum
5. The Great Wall is visible from the moon.
A True
B False
6.
A
B
C
D
The "underground army" is:
What Chinese called their enemies
Remains of warriors, servants, and horses buried with Chinese emperor in his mausoleum
Sculptures of people and horses, buried with a Chinese emperor
What Chinese called Australians
7. China is a country with one religion.
A True
B False
8. There are no Christians in China.
A True
B False
China's Flag
China's national flag was adopted in September, 1949. This flag was first
flown in Tiananmen Square on October 1, 1949 - the day of the founding of
the People's Republic of China.
The rectangular flag has a red field with five golden-yellow stars (each with
five points) in the upper left corner. The star on the left is larger than the
other four. The red color of the flag symbolizes revolution. The large star
symbolizes the Communist Party (which rules China) and the smaller stars
represent the people of China.
Copyright ©2001-2008 EnchantedLearning.com
History of the Abacus
The word “abacus” comes from the Greek word "ABAX",
meaning "calculating board" or "calculating table". Its
Mandarin name is "Suan Pan" which means "calculating plate".
Its inventor is unknown. The abacus is often referred to as the
"first computer" because it was used as a mathematic model for
early electronic computers. You can use an abacus to ADD,
SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE as well as work with
sophisticated mathematical problems such as fractions and
square root.
http://www.joernluetjens.de/sammlungen/abakus/abakus-en.htm
The origin of the abacus is not completely certain. The
first “calculating board,” was probably nothing more than a flat surface with sand
spread over it. With the help of fingers or a stylus, the person would write on the
surface, moving the sand to make calculations. It was only later that the abacus
was made with beads placed on wire or wooden rods. The abacus was used in
early Rome, Egypt and Medieval Europe.
The Chinese had what we think of as an abacus, a portable “calculating board”
using moveable beads on wires or sticks, as early as the Song Dynasty (960-1127).
During this time, Zhang Zeduan, a famous Chinese painter painted his famous
Riverside scenes of a Qingming Festival with detailed pictures of the daily life of
this time. On this scroll, he painted an abacus lying beside an account book and
doctor’s prescriptions on the counter of an early pharmacist. During the Ming
Dynasty (1368-1644), the abacus was introduced into Japan.