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Project 5: Countries Introduction For this project, you will research about a foreign country that, at this point, you know little about. Unlike your previous presentations, you will research this country as a small group, but you will present alone. You will give this presentation individually as a PowerPoint. As an introduction you will do a mini-project on a world trip, a listening exercise on travel, and learn about three countries through a mini-presentation. Mini-Project: World Trip Your teacher will give you a blank map of the world and, in small groups, you will plan a world trip with the following rules: Duration: 30 days Money: unlimited You must use at least five forms of transport. You may take ONLY three pictures. You must do one thing that scares you. You must begin and end in Nagoya. You must show on the map exactly where you go, how long you spend there and what you do. Make sure that everyone has a voice in the discussion.

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World Trip Presentation Make notes about your trip on the timeline below. Don't write in full sentences, but be sure to include all of the information you need. You will present this to a classmate. Day

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Listening: Travel Interviews You will watch a video of some of your seniors being interviewed about their travel experiences. Watch the first part part of the video and write the questions below. Then, watch the rest of the video and note the seniors' responses. You don't have to write in full sentences. 1. 2. 3. 4.

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Countries Mini-Presentation Preparation To begin work on your mini-presentation, you will be assigned one of the readings about countries on pages 38 through 42. Next week, you will give a five-minute mini-presentation on the country you read about. You may use notes up to 70 words. Write your notes in your workbook. Your teacher will check them next week. While you prepare, remember that this should be a communicative mini-presentation, so don’t memorize anything. Try to talk naturally. Practice your presentation several times and time yourself. Record your times in your workbook.

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Thailand Thailand is an amazing country and is one of the most popular places to visit in Asia. It has about 60 million people, and most of the people are ethnic Thais who practice Buddhism. Thailand is often called the “land of 1000 smiles” because Thai people smile a lot. Although Thailand is a developing country, about 99 percent of Thailand's population is literate. Elementary education is free of charge and required for six years beginning at age seven. About 95 percent of primary-school aged children go to school and most students continue through high school. Thailand's universities are growing, and these days, 30 percent of university-aged Thais are attending school. However, some children, especially in rural areas, actually begin working when they are very young to help their parents. Some work after school and others stop going to school. Farming has always been important in Thailand. Today, about 50 percent of the workforce works in agriculture, and the rest work in service or industry jobs. Many Thais from the country do seasonal work. They work in factories and services in cities for part of the year and return to the countryside when there is planting and harvesting to do. Unlike women of some other East Asian countries, Thai women are active in business and the professions such as medicine and law, and it is not uncommon for women to hold management positions. Thais believe in equality between the sexes. Many Thai holidays are Buddhist events or honor the royal family. Most Thais return home during two important holidays: Songkran and New Year. Songkran is celebrated in April by symbolically washing sins away and blessing friends with a little shower of water. Young people have fun hiding with buckets of water, turning garden hoses on passing cars and motorcycles, and in general keeping everyone wet. New Year is celebrated by visiting temples, friends and family. Extended families consisting of parents, children and other close relatives are still common in Thailand, and they often live together or near each other. The husband and wife depend on each other greatly, and although they may have separate bank accounts, their money is shared. Even extended families combine their money. Thai children have little responsibility; however, at home they are expected to help wash clothes and clean the house. Parents give few choices to their children and do not include them in family decisions. After children grow up, they often stay at home because it’s less expensive than living on their own. If they work or live in another city, they usually return home for major holidays. Parents expect their children to take care of them when they get older and either live with them in their own homes or to visit them regularly. When Thais work, they usually dress neatly but somewhat casually. Thais do not like to hurry; they like to take it easy. A popular Thai expression is sabai, which means, “relax and enjoy.” When people have time off from work, they often get together with friends. It is common to visit friends unannounced. Friends are often invited for dinner at home or to go out to a restaurant. Thais also take pleasure in music and dance. Karaoke has been imported from Japan and is very popular now. Many kinds of dancing are enjoyed from traditional Thai dancing to ballroom to disco.

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Thai people are devoted to their king and Buddhism. The royal family is highly respected, and most people have a picture of the king in their home. Nearly all young Thai men enter a Buddhist monastery for at least a few days or months for religious training. Some of the most beautiful works of architecture in Thailand are the “wats”, or temple complexes, in Bangkok. Brightly decorated wats are all over Thailand; every village has one, and it is used for religious and social events and even for sports. Thai sculpture is beautiful and can be seen in the temples throughout the country and in people’s homes – lovely food carving is common on tables at restaurants, at homes when special guests visit, and at weddings and funerals. Thailand is also known for producing beautiful silk fabrics. Both men and women wear traditional silk clothes for festivals, marriage ceremonies, and the King and Queen’s birthdays. Although dress shoes are worn for work and formal occasions, sandals are very common footwear, and useful in the hot or rainy weather typical there. Thailand is filled with interesting customs and beautiful things. It is truly an amazing country.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The United States The United States is a unique country. It has about 250 million people who have come from many different places in the world over the last 250 years. There are a lot of different cultures alive in the US, but there are still many things that are considered very "American". Most Americans graduate from high school. Many students continue their education after high school at colleges and universities while others get jobs immediately after they graduate from high school. Some people begin working part-time before they graduate from high school and after graduation, they work full-time. While they are working, they don’t get much vacation. It may be surprising, but most American companies give employees only ten days of vacation a year. In the workforce there are about the same number of women as there are men working. Equality between the sexes continues to improve there, but in top management positions, there are still more men than women. In the home, sexual equality is growing as well. More and more men are taking care of children, cooking and cleaning. Even though this is true, statistically, American women work more hours a day then men do; they work at their jobs and then work at home. This often causes problems for married couples. Some couples can talk about these or other problems and improve their relationship, but others can't and they get divorced. The divorce rate in the US is about 50%. This is a high percentage and these days, many young people are worried about getting married. They wonder if their marriage can survive, so often they live with their partner before they get married. Some people think this is OK and others think it is wrong. American children are very independent. They often have to get ready for school on their own because both their parents work. Parents give their children a lot of responsibility and expect them to grow up quickly. It is not unusual for high school students to fix their own lunches, wash their own clothes and help clean the house.

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Parents give many choices to their children and let them participate in family decisions such as where to go for vacation or even what house to buy. After children grow up, they often move away from their parents, but they usually go back home for the major holidays. As Americans live longer because of better medicine, many children are helping take care of their parents in their own homes or often visiting them at retirement homes. There are many wonderful holidays in the US. The most famous are Christmas and Thanksgiving. Christmas is a Christian celebration of Jesus Christ's birth. Jesus was the son of the Christian God. Christmas is Christian, but many people who aren't Christian celebrate it as well. It is an important family holiday. Families get together on December 25, give each other presents and eat an elaborate meal. For dessert on this day, people usually eat pie or special Christmas cookies. Thanksgiving is another Christian-based holiday. It is in the fall, always the third Thursday of November, and it is to celebrate their thankfulness. Originally it was for the summer harvest but today, for everything good in life. On this day people usually eat a turkey dinner. When Americans work, they usually have to dress rather professionally, but when they aren't working, most Americans are very casual. Some companies are casual, too. These days many big companies have "casual Friday". This is a day when people don't have to wear suits to work; they can wear nice jeans and athletic shoes! When people have time off from work, they often listen to music. There are many kinds of popular music in the States: jazz, country, classical, hip hop, rock and roll and more. Each person chooses his or her own favorite. Some people enjoy listening to live music and going to concerts. People also like other kinds of arts. There are museums all across the US, and additionally, there are many plays and dance performances to watch. Americans are busy people. They are always "on the go". That is why almost all families in the US have at least two cars, some have more. Even though Americans are busy, they can find time to be kind. Of all the countries in the world, the US gives the most money to charity. The US is a place filled with interesting things and generous, hard-working people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Egypt When most people think of Egypt, they probably visualize pyramids, camels, mummies and the treasures of Tutankhamen. While these are certainly wonderful things that any tourist would want to see, modern Egypt is much more. Egypt is correctly called the Arab Republic of Egypt and is a fascinating mix of a very modern society and ancient traditions handed down over a long history. Located in North Africa, Egypt spans the Sinai Peninsula, creating a bridge between Africa and the Middle East. Egypt is bordered by Israel, Sudan and Libya. The Arab Republic of Egypt is one of the most populous nations on the African continent, and is home to many different ethnic groups. While the majority of people are Sunni Muslims, a significant number of Coptic Christians also live there,

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especially in the capital of Cairo. The Copts, as they are called, are one of the oldest Christians groups in the world. Any evening in Cairo, tourists can hear the call to prayer for the Muslim population from high towers called minarets, or see Coptic priests walking in robes to their services. Unfortunately, the two groups have often experienced conflict. Family values are very important to almost all Egyptians, and extended families often live together. Egyptians see the paternal line of the family as most important, and marriage is highly valued, with many women marrying at a relatively early age. Women are highly respected, making Cairo one of the safest capitals in the world for women traveling alone. There is a significant gap between rich and poor people in Egypt, with just over half the population made up of peasant farmers, who live in rural villages and whose lifestyle has changed little since ancient times. There are still many illiterate people living in Egypt. As Egypt develops however, more and more students are able to enter universities. Education is now compulsory for 9 academic years between the ages of 6 and 14. Egypt offers a unique blend of arts and crafts, drawing on many sources. The heritage of ancient Egypt may be seen in the high quality reproductions of hieroglyphics on papyrus offered by street artists in Cairo for very reasonable prices. The beautiful geometric designs of Islamic art may also be seen on pottery as well as in the many mosques found throughout the country. Like people around the world, Egyptians love to relax and play. Football is the most popular sport and is played with great enthusiasm throughout the country. Egyptians are also very proud of their film industry. Egyptian movies often combine song, dance, romance, comedy and action into one film! Along with movies, many Egyptian writers are highly respected around the world. Naguib Mahfouz created a moving portrayal of Egyptian family life in his Nobel Prize winning novel “The Cairo Trilogy”. Egypt is a truly amazing nation with a complex culture, well worth a visit by anyone seeking to broaden his or her knowledge of the Middle East. Most travelers are delighted to find that The Arab Republic of Egypt is far more than pyramids and camels.

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Mini-Presentations Discussion Complete the chart on the following page using the information you learn from each other. Note that you will not be able to write something in every box.

Thailand The USA Egypt

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Researching

For this project you will be doing a fifteen-minute presentation. Because this is a larger project, you will work with a group to research and organize your information, but on presentation day, you will present alone. During your presentation you will stand. Your group has chosen a country that you want to learn more about. For homework, you all will do research independently on that country and bring it to class next week. You are welcome to do research in Japanese, but bring notes to class in English. If you collect information in Japanese, you must take notes on it in English. In your workbook, write the important information that you collected from your research. Be sure to write down the source, where you got the information from. When you record an Internet source, you should record the name of the website and the website’s address: Date: November 15, 2010 Website Name: Lonely Planet Address: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ When you record a book, record its title and author. Date: 2008 Book Title: Lonely Planet: India Author: Sarina Singh Pages: 46-48 In addition to your research notes, you may bring photocopies from books or printouts from the Internet with important information highlighted or underlined. If you do this, print out or copy only what you know will be useful. It is wasteful to print out many pages of information that you don’t need because you will just throw them away. Please be kind to the environment and think before you print or copy.

Homework Mini-Presentation: Next week, each group member will share her research in a five-minute presentation. You will use your research notes that you record in your workbook. After the presentations, you will have time to discuss all the information together and begin organizing your final presentation.

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Organizing A. Today you are going to begin to organize information for your presentation.

After your group members discuss the information they have collected for homework, group it together. Give a heading to each group of information in a box below and then put that information in note form. See the example below.

Information about Vietnam Vietnamese Food * uses fresh vegetables * uses a sauce made from anchovies in many dishes

People’s Names * most names female and male * three names, listed: last, middle then first

Geography * in Southeast Asia * long, thin country * large river: Mekong

B. After you have organized your notes, together choose what aspects of your

country you want to present on. Divide those among your group members and then circle the ones you are responsible for. You will do more research on these. While you are researching, keep the other aspects in mind, and if you find something interesting, you can bring information on other aspects of the country, but you should focus on your topics. Remember, all the information you bring to class should be in English and that you need to record your research on your research notes in your workbook.

C. Below is an example of an outline for a presentation on Vietnam. This outline

has four main points. Each of the main points has sub points that are related to them.

I. Introduction… II. General Information A. population B. language C. religion III. Geography A. long, thin country in Southeast Asia

B. has long river – Mekong IV. Food

A. uses a lot of fresh vegetables B. uses “fish sauce” made from anchovies C. uses cilantro & lemon grass D. restaurants family owned & usually outside

V. People’s Names A. most names can be for men or women B. 3 names – listed last, middle, then first VI. Conclusion

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Making an Outline Now you understand the basic structure of an outline. In your earlier presentations, you’ve used your poster to help you remember what you want to discuss. In this presentation, you will use an outline for this. Choose interesting facts about your country and with your group members, make an outline together on the next page. (Everyone in your group will have the same outline.). After you have finished, show it to your teacher, and then he or she will give you some cue cards. Cue cards are small easy-to-hold cards or pieces of paper that you put your outline on.