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Summer Updates:
Recipes, Outline Maps, Timelines & Content
One of the best ways to learn about a culture is through its food. Native ingredients, methods of preparation, holidays and celebrations associated with the food, and even names of dishes all reveal important cultural practices and traditions. Check out our recipe section and try something new.
Our authentic recipes are all evaluated by in-country reviewers, many of whom have shared their families' favorite recipes with us. We've got recipes for empanadas from Argentina, conch fritters from the Bahamas, goulash soup from Hungary, and many more.
Did you know that, along with detail maps, the CultureGrams Kids Edition includes an outline map for every country report? These simple, clean outline maps are viewable as PDF files and can be easily printed for students to use in a variety of ways, from coloring and labeling for student presentations to forming the basis for in-class discussions.
World Conflicts Today: Curious how historic elections went in Iraq and Sudan? Want to know why Vice President Biden showed up 90 minutes late to dinner with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu? Find out by reading the recently released updates to World Conflicts Today!
All Timelines have been brought up to date, and new analysis discusses the power vacuum created by the Iraqi election, the flawed election in Sudan that could take the country a step closer to civil war, the American-Israeli stand-off over settlements and the Gaza blockade, plus more. (Don't miss our History Happenings newsletter for specialized social studies lessons and activities all year long.)
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Watch our fellow ProQuest staffer "Chef T"
whip up some global recipes.
Catch up on our 2009-2010 updates; back issues of
Culture Matters can be found here.
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Teaching Idea:
World Cup Culture Guide
From June 11 to July 11, the 2010 soccer World Cup will be held in South Africa. This tournament, held every four years, is the world's most widely-viewed sporting event, bringing together teams from 32 qualifying nations.
To coincide with the World Cup, help students understand differences in behavior patterns between their own culture and those of the competing countries. (Full lesson plan.)
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Enroll & Save: Vendor of Choice Program
At ProQuest, we know that many of our customers are facing budget cuts (ProQuest CEO message). With each passing month, it's becoming more difficult to afford all of the online research resources you would like to provide to your students.
In response, we've put a program in place to help you during these hard times. ProQuest's new Vendor of Choice program has already helped schools just like yours save thousands of dollars. Find out more and enroll today.
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Regional Quiz
Recent financial crises in Greece and Portugal have had rippling effects across the globe. Test your knowledge of these two countries and their neighbors in southern Europe:
- Which island nation was one of the staging areas for the Allied invasion of Sicily during World War II?
- In Greece, families often cover the a.) photographs, b.) mirrors, c.) beds, or d.) door frames in their homes when mourning the death of a loved one.
- True or False: In Portugal, pinching the earlobe and shaking it gently while raising the eyebrows means that something is very good.
- Both Greek and Turkish are official languages of which southern European nation?
- Although the positions are largely ceremonial, which southern European principality is governed by a French president and a Spanish bishop?
- Which country was considered one of the most powerful empires in the world from the 16th until the early 18th century?
- Which country shares its name with a northern Greek province?
- What is the world's smallest independent nation?
- This Balkan nation's name literally mean "black mountain" and it is home to Europe's deepest canyon.
- True or False: Spaghetti and meatballs is a traditional Italian dish?
Answers: Malta. 2) b. mirrors. 3) True. 4) Cyprus. 5) Andorra. 6) Spain. 7) Macedonia. 8) Vatican City. 9) Montenegro. 10) False.
Did You Know?
Andorrans travel only by car, bus, or motorcycle. There are no trains, boats, or planes. In many neighborhoods, almost everyone works at home or lives so close to the office they can walk there. A national bus network connects Andorra's seven parishes.
Wedding festivities in Albania last about a week, with the actual ceremony traditionally taking place on Sunday. Two days of celebration are paid for by the bride's family, while the groom's family pays for three to four days plus the main celebration, which takes place at the groom's home or another venue (such as a hotel reception hall).
Traditionally, the ceremony itself was held at the groom's home and the bride's family was not present. It is now more common for weddings to be held elsewhere with both families attending. Both Albanian and Serb weddings include traditional music, dances, food, and drink.
Albanian couples are usually not married in a religious ceremony. Instead, they go to the city hall to do the paperwork either before or after the celebrations. Serb weddings tend to be more religious and hold tightly to Orthodox traditions.
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World Holidays
Holidays provide a great way to introduce students to the culture and history of a country. Observe a world holiday in your classroom by asking students to research the holiday's origins or learn more about a particular aspect of the country.
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Focus on a
Canadian Province:
Newfoundland & Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is Canada's easternmost province. It includes two main sections: the island of Newfoundland in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and a large chunk of mainland Canada known as Labrador.
Labrador is more than twice the size of Newfoundland. The two sections are separated by the Strait of Belle Isle. The province covers a total area of 405,212 square kilometres (156,453 sq miles), which is about the size of California.
Newfoundland covers 111,390 square kilometres (43,008 sq miles), while Labrador stretches across 294,330 square kilometres (113,642 sq miles). Newfoundland and Labrador has a subarctic climate, with long, cold winters and short, cool summers that start around the middle of June. The cold Labrador Current mixes with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream to create a thick fog that lingers off the coast of Newfoundland. The current also produces cold winds that gust across the province year-round.
Given its large size, Newfoundland and Labrador is not highly populated. A little over half a million people live in the province. Just fewer than 30,000 of these are Labradorians, while the rest are Newfoundlanders.
Here are some more interesting facts about Newfoundland and Labrador:
- Newfoundland and Labrador is Canada's "newest" province. It joined the federation in 1949.
- Newfoundland's rugged coast is known as Iceberg Alley. About 40,000 of the fastest-moving icebergs in the world break off of glaciers in Greenland every year and float through the alley.
- The island of Newfoundland juts so far out into the Atlantic, it's actually closer to Europe than much of North America.
- The island of Newfoundland has its very own time zone—Newfoundland Standard Time. It runs a half hour ahead of the east coast of North America, so Newfoundlanders get to celebrate the New Year ahead of everyone else on the continent!
- Almost every family in Labrador owns a snowmobile. It's their main form of transportation in the winter when everything freezes over.
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Social Studies Financial Support: Grant Wrangler & ProQuest
Learn how to publish this information on your website
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CultureGrams Photo Gallery Pick
Struga, Macedonia, August 2007
Diving: Boys dive off of a bridge into the River Drim, which flows north out of Ohrid Lake, to cool off during a hot summer afternoon. Macedonians enjoy spending their leisure time outdoors.
Access our complete, updated CultureGrams Photo Gallery.
BONUS: Spotlights & Challenge Quests
Each June, the National Safety Council sponsors National Safety Month. In 2010, safety themes include prescription drug overdose, teen driving, overexertion, using a cell phone while driving, and summer safety.
SIRS Knowledge Source helps researchers learn more about these and other safety concerns
in this month's Spotlight of the Month.
Jacques Cousteau is a famous ocean explorer and scientist. His fascination with the sea began when he was a young boy.
SIRS asks:
What did he invent that allowed him to explore the ocean?
Top 3 Websites @ ProQuest
Each month, our SIRS team scours the Internet for top-quality websites for classrooms and libraries. Dive into this month's selections: TED talks, Click! photography, Big Read.
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