| World Cultures & Geography: Asia |
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Architecture in East Asia - Grades 4-12 - While titled as a site about architecture, this site - created by two university students - includes photos and descriptive information about dozens of buildings and cities in east Asian countries. While the treatment is far from definitive, the information appears accurate and is reasonably current. photos are available as both thumbnails and large size images. Great resource for cultural studies.
AskAsia, The Asia Society’s Asian Educational Resource Center - Grades K-12 - World Cultures/Art/ Interdisciplinary - This site has comprehensive information, resources, and teaching materials about Asia and Asian-Americans. There is a virtual art gallery, a large selection of lesson plans, a locator for teaching materials in your region of the U.S., a page to send questions from teachers or students to experts on Asia, a page of interviews with authors about Asia, and a large collection of supplementary teaching materials, such as maps and images. This could be a great resource for familiarizing both teachers and students with Asian topics.
The Art of Tibet - Grades 6-12 - This is a beautifully-designed on-line exhibition which shows Tibetan artistic and cultural items in stunning detail. The narrative explains the significance of the items in Tibetan culture while explaining some of this history of this ancient land. Suitable for inclusion in any survey of oriental or east Asian art and culture.
Destination Himalayas - Grades 6-12 - Subtitled "Where Earth Meets Sky," this well-designed Thinkquest site provides an introduction to the geography and cultural heritage of the Himalayan region. Text and images are both well done, and the site includes resources on how the region is dealing with increasing pressure from tourism and trekkers.
Lothal - On the Indus River - Grades 9-12 - This is an elegant Indian site describing archeological excavations at the site of Lothal, an ancient city on the Indus river. There are interactive maps, descriptions of life in the ancient city, and a catalog of artifacts found during the excavations. Beautiful quality, and a little slow as a result, but if you're looking for examples of how archaeologists work, it's worth the wait.
The Hindu Universe - Grades 6-12 - This site covers dozens of aspects of Hindu life and culture. While not designed specifically for students, it offers significant resources for those studying India, Hinduism, and the culture of the Indian subcontinent.
India and Its Neighbors - Grades 6-12 - This site offers a thorough and graphically well-designed introduction to the history, cultures, and 20th century politics of India and its neighbors. While a bit text-heavy, visuals support most of the sections, and the content could be useful for research projects or general information. The site includes a short biography of Mahatma Ghandi. This is a "labor of love" site created by two faculty members at UCLA.
Virtual Villages - India and Bangladesh - Grades 9-12 - This site from CNN chronicles the role which technology is playing at the local level in helping developing to overcome basic development issues. The site offers four case studies in the ways that the addition of small amounts of technolgy can create major changes in the ways that simple communities work and behave. Lots of interesting "why and how" lesson possibilities in this one.
Maori Culture On-Line - Grades 4-12 - This site offers a general introduction to the culture and history of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and its neighboring islands. While not a strictly academic presentation, the sections include history, warfare, and daily life features such as food and crafts. Additional features are apparently in the works.
Malaysia - Grades 6-12 - This site offers historical, cultural, political, and travel information about Malaysia. The reading level may be a bit high for some middle schoolers, but the site could be a great source of research information for studies of other cultures and peoples.
Time Line for China and East Asia - Grades 6-12 - This time line from the Web Chron series offers a succinct, events-only chronology of Chinese and east Asian development. Many entries have links which lead to additional information. The site can be useful in providing context for studying China.
Virtual Mount Everest Trek - Grades 6-12 - Here's one for the armchair adventurers. This site offers an interactive trek to the summit of Mount Everest. Along the way, it explains the culture of Nepal and the Himalaya region, and the impact that increasing numbers of western climbers have had on that culture. The tour is available in both html and Shockwave versions; the Shockwave tour requires a fast connection and lots of memory, but it's worth the wait.
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