Gone Globe-trotting

Shiao-Chuan Kung

Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages (Taiwan, Republic of China)

<sckung@mail.wtuc.edu.tw>

QUICK GUIDE

Key Words: World Factbook, Internet, treasure hunt, scavenger hunt
Learner English Level: Beginner
Learner Maturity Level: Upper elementary school and above
Preparation Time: The time needed for the teacher to become familiar with the content and design of the World Factbook website.
Activity Time: 1 hour
Materials: At least one computer with Internet access for every two or three students, copy of crossword below.

Introduction

The World Factbook is a reference book on countries around the world published by the Central Intelligence Agency. It contains current data on each country’s geography, people, government and economy. This lesson seeks to introduce students to the electronic version of the World Factbook and to practice Internet searching skills. Students will need computers with a web browser and Internet access. Depending on the number of computers available and the size of the class, students can work individually or in teams of two or three.

Procedure

Step 1: Introduce the activity by asking the students to name two countries where English is spoken.

Step 2: Ask the students where those countries are located and what the names of the capital cities are.

Step 3: Have the students launch their web browsers and point to the web site http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html.

Step 4: Point out what data regarding each country can be found in the World Factbook and demonstrate how to locate information about a particular country.

Step 5: Assign the following crossword puzzle.

Step 6: Circulate around the classroom addressing technical difficulties or answering questions.

Step 7: Go over the answers before the end of class.

Across

3. Addis Ababa is the capital of this country.
4. This large Spanish-speaking country is in South America, between Chile and Uruguay.
7. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of this country.
10. This is a country located in Southeastern Asia. It is made up of several islands between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Jakarta.

Down

1. Even though this country has many native American languages, this is the official language of Venezuela.
2. This is the capital of Bosnia.
5. This is one of the languages spoken in Switzerland.
6. The people in Turkey speak this language.
8. This is the official language of Sudan.
9. The people from Denmark are referred to by this name.

Answers

Across
3. Ethiopia
4. Argentina
7. Malaysia
10 Indonesia
Down
1. Spanish
2. Sarajevo
5. Indonesia
6. Turkish
8. Arabic
9. Danes