Off the coast of Japan beneath the waves lies something amazing….
What do you think is the truth behind the Yonaguni Monument?
Happy Bastille Day
Today in France it is a national celebration that english speaking countries call ‘Bastille Day’. The French call it ‘La Fête national’ meaning ‘The National Celebration’. Every July 14th the French celebrate the beginnings of modern France based on historical events going back to 1789. What can you find out about the history of France?
‘Paris Night’ by Benh LIEU SONG
Paris has an amazing amount of beautiful buildings, statues and fountains. Moving from the cities you will find an amazing countryside. Have you heard of the Eiffel Tower? When was it built and who built it? What else can you find out about France? Let us know by clicking the balloon and leaving a response.
“Tour Eiffel Wikimedia Commons” by Benh LIEU SONG
This photo was taken in 1902!
“Lightning striking the Eiffel Tower – NOAA” by M. G. Loppé
What would you do if a gorilla escaped in your zoo?
Gorillas are magnificent creatures that can be found living in the tropical jungles of central African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo and also Rwanda. Many zoos around the world have gorillas and try to recreate a jungle environment so that the gorillas enjoy their new habitat. Visitors to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo would have seen a startling sight recently. The zookeepers were all running after an escaped gorilla! However, closer inspection would have revealed that they were chasing a man in a gorilla suit. Why would they be doing this? It was good practice for if their real gorillas ever escaped. Because they have practiced they will now know what to do should this ever happen. They used nets and sleeping darts to catch their pretend gorilla. What would you do if your gorilla escaped? The Uezo zoo has also had pretend rhinos, zebras, lions and orangutans escape. What do you think would be the hardest animal to catch? Why would it be hard to catch? Let us know what you think?
Photos from AP
Happy Chinese New Year
The Chinese calendar sees the start of the Year of the Horse. Following the cycles of the moon the new year starts this Friday. Celebrations happen in most countries and feature fireworks, dragons and feasts. In Melbourne there are celebrations that include a 100 metre long dragon. In Sydney there will be fireworks and the Opera House will be lit up red. What will you be doing to celebrate the Chinese New Year?
Marvellous Mongolia
Mongolia is a country that is north of China and south of Russia. There are lots of mountains in Mongolia. The highest mountain is over 4 kilometres tall. You will not find any beaches in Mongolia as it is completely surrounded by other countries.
You will find there are many camels in Mongolia and they have two humps.There are also snow leopards, horses and musk deer. In the south you will find the Gobi Desert which is one of the world’s coldest deserts. The first ever dinosaur egg to be found in the world was in this desert. Lots of dinosaur bones and fossils have been found in Mongolia.
Mongolia’s flag is red, blue and yellow.
Click here to learn more about Mongolia
This post was written by Grade 108 of 2013.
Sadness in the Philippines
After Typhoon Bopha a year ago the Philippines has endured the fury of Super Typhoon Haiyan. There has been much loss of life and there will be a long road to recovery. Sadly, the storms are now headed towards Vietnam. Even though we are not there, what could we do to help? Talk to your class mates and leave a comment about how you could do something to help both right now and in the future.
Curriculum Links
The Australian Curriculum guides what is taught in schools at a national level. Individual states then plan and implement the curriculum to meet the needs of all their students. These summary documents produced by the Asia Education Foundation help make links between curriculum areas and potential ways to incorporate a global perspective into the classroom. This can range from incidental moments during class discussions to planned units with an Asian focus and everything in between. Click the links to view the documents.
Literacy and Global Engagement
Numeracy and Global Engagement
Sri Lanka
What sorts of animals will you find in Sri Lanka? Where else can you find these animals? Let us know what you think by leaving a post.
Where is India?
India is the second largest country by population in the world. The first major civilisation in South Asia was thought to have originated in the north west of India. The population of India reached one billion in 200 and is currently estimated at 1.27 billion. This is also written as 1, 270, 000, 000. By contrast, Australia’s population is currently around 23.1 million or 23, 100, 00. Use the street view feature to explore India.
Lanterns Light Up The Sky In The Philippines
Lanterns are associated with many Asian countries. Lanterns have been used for both decorative and functional purposes since ancient time in many cultures. Numerous Asian cultures have a rich history of using lanterns to decorate temples, carry messages to the gods in religious ceremonies and as a beautiful way to contribute to special ceremonies. On the 25th May 2013, a total of 15,185 lanterns were released into the night sky from the the University of the Philippines Visayas, in the central province of Iloilo. It is estimated that more than 10,000 people from many backgrounds, including Buddhism, Christianity and Islam were present and the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that it was indeed a record breaking event. Organisers said that the aim was to promote and celebrate world peace.
15, 185 lanterns were floated into the night sky in the space of 10 minutes.
The aim of the event was to celebrate world peace.
How many lanterns do you think are in this photo?
How could you celebrate world peace? What do you think world peace means? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment. Just click on the balloon at the top left of this post.
Global Engagement 