On June 12, Grades 6 and 7 students at Canora Composite School (CCS) took over the school auditorium as they created displays which featured countries from around the world at the annual International Bazaar.
In an event that was open to the general public, the students were given the assignment to educate visitors on their displays, said Jennifer Sleeva, teacher.
鈥淭he Grade 6 students focused on countries on the Atlantic Ocean while the Grade 7 students featured countries on the Pacific Rim,鈥� said Sleeva. 鈥淲e wanted the students to learn about countries outside of Canada and find out how they are similar to us and where there are differences.鈥�
In the selection process each student was asked to indicate multiple countries of interest, as a way of ensuring that there was no more than one presentation on any country.
Desmond Ritchie and Alaina Roebuck, Grade 6 students, chose to do their presentation on Morocco, a north African country bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
They were surprised to discover that some parts of Morocco at higher elevations receive snow and have skiing available. Inland areas have hot and dry desert-like climates, but coastal regions are more humid with higher amounts of precipitation.
Coastal regions feature a large portion of the country鈥檚 food production, including tropical fruits. Agriculture is vital to the country鈥檚 economy, employing close to 40 per cent of its workers.
Soups and meats are quite common on Moroccan menus, another similarity to Canada, Ritchie and Roebuck discovered.
Poverty is a major issue in Morocco. Only about half of the population can afford a good education, which means roughly 50 per cent of the people are illiterate.
The most popular types of music in Morocco are traditional Berber, Gnaoua, and modern Arabic music. Poetry is also popular, and usually accompanied by drums or a stringed instrument, they said.
China was the country of focus for Josh Rock and Brayden Goetzinger, Grade 7. One fact that got their attention right away was that its national sport is ping-pong, also known as table tennis.
China has a population density of 145 people per square kilometre, which Rock and Goetzinger admitted was a bit difficult to fully comprehend, since Canada鈥檚 population density is only around four people per square kilometre.
The Chinese mined over two billion tonnes of coal last year, making it one of their most important natural resources. The country has many factories, which contribute to its significant pollution problem and resulting health issues for many residents.
Rock and Goetzinger were somewhat surprised that snake is a popular food in China. But it was not very surprising that the Chinese eat a lot of Chinese food, including dumplings, wantons, sweet-and-sour pork and fortune cookies.
The currency is the yuan, with a conversion rate of approximately one Canadian dollar worth five Yuan.
The North Atlantic country of Iceland was featured in the project by Aidyn Kaytor and Erika Sweeney, Grade 6. They said they found it interesting that, even though it has 鈥淚ce鈥� in its name, Iceland is actually warmer than the closest country to it, Greenland. Iceland temperatures tend to range from around zero to minus 10C in winter.
An interesting fact about Icelandic culture is that children don鈥檛 have a last name until their father gives it to them. For instance, a man named Jonas would name his son Jonasson and his daughter Jonasdottir (daughter.)
Iceland has achieved a reputation for 小蓝视频 one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, said Kaytor and Sweeney. A new law requires equal pay for equal work, and there will be fines for businesses that don鈥檛 comply.
Since the country is an island, many items are more expensive here than in other parts of the world, they said.
Icelanders eat a lot of fish, with shark 小蓝视频 one of their most popular choices. The country is also known for Skuffukaka, an Icelandic brownie which contains coffee, and was available at Kaytor and Sweeney鈥檚 display.
Callie Sznerch, Grade 7, was interested in Samoa, and wanted to learn more about this colourful country located in the 小蓝视频 Pacific.聽
Agriculture employs nearly 70 per cent of the labour force, and furnishes 9 per cent of its exports. The coconut is very important to the economy, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil and copra, the coconut kernel from which the oil is extracted.
Naturally, Samoans eat plenty of coconut-related foods. But the country鈥檚 farmers also grow cereal crops such as wheat and corn, adding variety to local menus, explained Sznerch.
Traditional clothing is made from straw. Colour is added with dyes created from fruit.
The country has a population of just over 200,000 across an area of 2,800 square kilometres. This produces a population density of 71 per square kilometre, which is nearly 18 times higher than Canada.
Brazil was the country of choice for Rhett Ludba and Makayla Heshka, Grade 6. They said Brazil might be best known for its prowess in football, which is referred to as soccer in North America. There are over 20,000 teams across the country.
It鈥檚 the fifth largest country in the world, but still smaller than Canada. In a geographical oddity, Brazil borders every country in 小蓝视频 America except Ecuador and Chile.
The most popular dish on Brazilian menus in the feijoada, a stew made with black beans and meat. They said it is served with white rice, orange slices and kale.
Since Brazilians have shown a preference for smoothies, Ludba and Heshka served samples of a smoothie they made from peaches, mangos and an assortment of berries.
Brazil is known for making hammocks. Rugs are weaved with pictures of houses and churches. Pottery is created with a clay that comes from the northeastern region of the country, they said.
Their research indicated that there is a large gap between the rich and the poor in Brazil. Rich people live in large houses and have maids and cooks to do housework and prepare meals. On the other hand, many poor people can not afford houses, and have moved to large urban areas in an effort to find better-paying employment. A large number of those who were unsuccessful were forced to move to favelas, which are slums or shanty towns in Brazil.
Brendon Harder, Grade 7, decided to focus his project on Vietnam. Harder said that the southeast Asian country is located on the 小蓝视频 China Sea. Its neighbours are China, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
Vietnam has been featured on numerous reality TV shows, including The Amazing Race. In his research, Harder discovered that Canada is about 30 times the size of Vietnam but only has about one-third as many people.
The main language is Vietnamese, but a significant number of residents also speak Chinese and English. Pop music is enjoyed by many, along with a number of different types of dances. Those include lantern, candle, flag, ribbon, platter and fan dances.
Harder said rice is the most important crop grown by Vietnamese farmers. Other major food crops include: sugarcane, cassava (a root vegetable), corn, sweet potatoes, and nuts.
Due to a variety of factors, average life expectancy is 8 to 9 years less than for Canadians.
Harder said he wouldn鈥檛 like to live in Vietnam, but he hopes to appear as a contestant on The Amazing Race in when the competition is held there.
