Explaining Performance Gaps
Students seek to explain discrepancies in performance at the summer and winter Olympic games with reference to geographic and non-geographic factors.

Predicting Performance
Using the CultureGrams World Edition and Olympic medals tables, students learn different ways of measuring and predicting the performance of countries competing at the Olympics.

A Visit to China
Students use text and photos to identify cultural characteristics of China. They create a list of "dos and don'ts" for interacting with Chinese.

• British Columbia sometimes experiences a weather swing known as a "west coast special." Because of the quick temperature change, British Columbians can sometimes ski and golf in the same day!
  
  
• Native legend tells of a mysterious monster known as the N'ha-a-itk, or "lake demon," who lives in the waters of Lake Okanagan. Today the monster is called Ogopogo, and sightings are reported every year.
  
  
• British Columbia is sometimes called Hollywood North because, after New York and Los Angeles, it is the largest film and television production centre in North America.
  
  
• The international environmental protection organization called Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver in 1971.
  
  
• A quarter of the world's bald eagles are found in British Columbia.

CultureGrams Photo Gallery Pick


Simao, Yunnan Province, China, June 2007

1. What is a common name for standard Chinese, which is based on the Beijing dialect?
   
2. When are celebrations held for China's most important holiday, Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival)?
   
3. What is China's dominant ethnic group, comprising 92 percent of the population?
   
4. True or false: Chinese do not punctuate conversations with gestures nearly as much as Westerners do.
   
5. China is the world's most populous nation. How many people does it have?
   
6. What is China's most popular table game?
   
7. What are China's two largest cities?
   
8. True or false: Chinese point with an open hand rather than one finger.
   
9. How many ethnic minorities consisting of at least one million people are there in China?
   
10. True or false: China covers half the area of the United States.

• Among family, friends, and business associates, eating is an important way of socializing and building relationships in China. The Chinese use chopsticks for all meals. Food is placed at the center of the table and may include more than one type of main dish to be eaten with rice. Diners place some food in their individual rice bowls, which they hold close to the mouth while eating. They place bones and seeds on the table or a dish but never back in the rice bowl.
  
  When finished, a person places the chopsticks neatly on the table, not in the rice bowl. Spoons are used for soup, typically eaten at the end of a meal. In some areas, slurping is not considered impolite; in informal situations, it is a compliment to the host.
  
  
• To wed, a couple first applies for permission from the local governing unit. If permission is granted, a legal contract is signed and recorded at a government office. The bride retains her maiden name but children receive the father's surname. Many do not consider themselves truly married until they celebrate their union with family and friends. Urban couples save for months to host a proper wedding dinner party or Western-style reception. Rural festivities may last two days. Wedding rings traditionally are not part of a marriage but are becoming more common.
  
  According to one popular tradition, a bride wears red in the morning when the groom arrives to pick her up. The wedding day continues with festivities, photos, three changes of the bride's outfit, and a main banquet where the bride wears white. Later, guests play tricks on the new couple until they retire.