Take Your Class on a Photo WebQuest Around the World: Cultural Differences Webquest

Take Your Class on a Photo WebQuest Around the World: Cultural Differences Webquest
Page content

Let the Webquest Begin

We’ll assume for a moment that you’re feeling kind of jaded and are wondering what a webquest on photos from around the world could possibly offer you. After all, if you’ve been around the Internet and opened a few history books, you’ve probably seen the Great

Pyramids of Egypt and you may also have seen the Eiffel Tower and even the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

If you haven’t seen them, though, please feel free to look them up as they are remarkable. You’ll find some links at the end of this article.

Instead, here you’re going to see sides of the world that you probably will never see anywhere else. You’re going to progress through a series of photos from around the world, including those that will show you some interesting places to sleep, what people eat, how people pray and what people wear, all over the world.

Places People Sleep

  • Wrapped in Ice – Start your photos-around-the-world webquest by checking out some fairly unusual places where people live. Let’s begin with a hotel built from ice every single year. If you’ve seen the James Bond movie Die Another Day, you may have heard of something like it, but we bet you didn’t know it was real. Check out Etolane’s collection on Flickr, and while you’re there be sure to find out how it could be that people can stay there for the long term and actually sleep there overnight. Wouldn’t they freeze if they did?

  • Underwater Hotel -- From being encased in ice to staying under the sea, check out the Poseidon Resort, a hotel literally built under the sea. Look at the photos on the website and find out why you can stay under the water without needing to go through decompression (something scuba divers must do).

  • Cave Dwelling – Finally, if being underwater isn’t your thing, maybe being underground is. Ever seen those old TV shows where they show bunkers built into the side of a mountain? Well, here’s a whole hotel built that way. Find out how it was built and how they get air down there. It’s Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast in New Mexico, and your guestroom awaits.

How People Dress

  • Chocolate Clothing – Imagine being able to eat the clothes off your back. Literally. Here, you’ll see pictures and learn about chocolate clothing. Find out what the occasion was the creation of these edible clothes.

  • Wear a Caribou – Find out about the Inuit, who live in such cold places that it can actually get to 55 degrees Fahrenheit BELOW ZERO! Yep, it’s chilly out there. Find out how these clothes are made and why they help Eskimos keep warm.

  • Little Dolls – Visit this site to see pictures of Japanese Geishas, women dressed up to look like dolls. The Myoko Odori is the annual traditional dance of the cherry blossoms.

What People Eat

  • Maggot Cheese – Yep, it’s made with real maggots! And guess what? It’s only eaten when the maggots are still alive. While you’re visiting find out how the cheese is made and why.

  • Deep-Fried Insects – They’re crunchy and healthier than French fries, as long as you don’t mind eating a cockroach. Find out where these things are served and how many varieties of insects are on offer.

  • Black Pudding – No, it’s not a super chocolatey pudding. It’s pudding made from the blood of a pig’s heart. Yum, yum! It’s a delicacy in Great Britain. Find out how it’s made.

How People Pray

  • Covered Head to Toe – Find out about the burqa and learn why some Muslim women choose to wear a garment that shows nothing but their eyes to the general public.

  • Wrap Me Up – From Muslims to Jews, find out about these black boxes, called phylacteries in English, which show Orthodox Jews’ devotion to God. Find out what they are called in Hebrew and what they have inside.

  • All the World’s Religions Together – Check out these images of the Bahai temple in Haifa, Israel, and find out what the Bahai religion says about others.

Read More About It

Here you can find your way to the Great Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, and the Wall in Jerusalem, as promised above:

Chinappi, Jacqueline. Seven Wonders of the World: Great Pyramid Lesson Plan.

Raunekk. Constructing the Eiffel Tower, Paris

Wikipedia, Western Wall of Jerusalem