Primary ESOL Links

Culture

• Asia Education Foundation

  Teaching resources, cultural information and useful links (Australian).

• Japan: Kids Web

  A fun site that introduces Japan to students from other countries. Sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Korea for Kids

  Three interactive activities - numbers, words and virtual journey. Companion site to the Australian text book "Inside King Sejong's Gate".

• Te Ara - The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand

  Visit this new online encyclopaedia developed by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

• Treaty of Waitangi Te Tiriti o Waitangi

  Visit this website for a concise account of the Treaty of Waitangi and links to related resources (State Services Commission).

• Afghanistan Online

  General information and current events from Afghanistan.

• America in 'Critical Need' of Mandarin

  As the US wakes up to China's emerging status as an economic and strategic competitor, US parents -and the Pentagon - are urging their children to learn the Chinese language (Guardian Weekly).

• AskAsia.org

  Classroom resources and cultural information. From the American Asia society.

• Bhutan

  Genral information and some teaching resources (from PBS).

• Burmese

  Links from the Yamada Language Center at the University of Oregon.

• Cambodia in Modern History: Beauty and Darkness

  Information on the recent history of Cambodia, particulary the Khmer Rouge period, including information about Cambodian refugees and immigrants abroad.

• China Culture

  A comprehensive site from the Ministry of Culture, P.R.China.

• China the Beautiful

  Learn about Chinese history, literature, calligraphy, paintings, culture and heritage. English and Chinese text. Links to maps and dictionaries.

• China Virtual Tour

  This site takes you along the route of an Australian teachers' study group tour. Each stop includes resources and a curriculum guide for primary and secondary school teachers.

• Chinese New Year Theme Page

  Links to a wide range of resources on Chinese New Year (from Teacher Planet).

• Chinese New Year, Chinese Calendar

  Make your own New Year poster.

• Chinese: Web-based Character Learning Exercises

• Culture Shock: A Fish Out of Water

  An outline of the stages of adjustment to/rejection of a new culture (John's ESL Community).

• Defining Middle Eastern Boundaries: Lines in the Sand

  Summaries of Middle East history. Teachers' resources are available.

• Diversity Vs. White Privilege

  Christine Sleeter explains why multiculturalism is a struggle against racism, and must go beyond an appreciation of diversity (Rethinking Schools Online, 2001).

• Diwali - the Hindu New Year

  Read about Diwali, India's Festival of Lights, which marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year.

• The Earth Calendar

  Find holidays by country, religion or date.

• EthnoMed: Ethnic Medicine Information

  An American site with information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other issues relevant to the health care of recent immigrants.

• Events Calendar

  Information on festivals and other multicultural events. You can add your own event. Downloadable as a poster. From the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Division.

• Fact Books

  Information on almost every country.

• FreeBurma.org

  Information on political issues and ethnic minorities.

• India: Culturopedia

  Comprehensive cultural information.

• Indonesia

  From Lonely Planet.

• Korea.net

  Current events. From the Korean Overseas Information Service.

• Korea: Grandfather's House

  Take a virtual tour of a traditional Korean house. Interactive activities for students. Includes teacher resources.

• Laos

  General infromation from the Lao embassy in Washington.

• Living Heritage: Tapa, a Tongan Treasure

  A collaborative project between the Tongan students at Marcellin College and students from Takuilau College in Lapaha to record the tapa making tradition.

• Malaysia: Culture And Information

  General information.

• The Middle East Network Information Centre

  Background information on Middle Eastern and Asian countries, from the University of Texas.

• Multicultural Awareness Activities

  Practical suggestions for assisting mainstream students to value diversity (Edchange Multicultural Pavilion).

• Muslim Women's League

  A nonprofit American Muslim organisation. Offers a range of information about Muslims and the roles and rights of women within Islam.

• The National Folk Museum of Korea

  Find out about Korean life and society here.

• New Taiwan, Ilha Formosa

  Taiwan's history, culture and political system from an independence movement perspective.

• Pacific Salutations

  Greetings and phrases in a number of Pasifika languages (Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs).

• Ramadan

  Learn all about Ramadan here.

• Say Hello to the World

  Learn about language and culture (the Internet Public Library, Kidspace).

• Somalia Watch

  Somali community profile.

• Sri Lanka

  General information from Travel Sri Lanka

• Taiwan

  From the Government Information Office, Republic of China.

• Teaching Asian Studies in New Zealand Primary Schools: A National Survey of Schools

  2004 research for the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

• Vietnam

  Lesson plans and information on Vietnam from AusAID.

• Windows to the Universe - Mythology

  Read about the gods and goddesses of different cultures. Three levels of reading difficulty.