In groups of 3 to 5 students:

1. Choose a country.

2. Find some information on the internet or in encyclopaedias about this 
    country(location, population, language(s) spoken, flag etc.).

    Links for online information
    The Word Fact Book (CIA)  http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ 
    Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
    Online Encyclopaedia http://www.encyclopedia.com/


3. Find a pen-pal (two would be even better) from this country. To find a
    pen-pal you may visit the following site:
    http://www.isabelperez.com/penpal.htm.

4. Write an email message to your pen-pal(s) asking the questions.
    
    Examples of questions to ask
    What food do people like to eat in your country?
    Where does this food come from?
    What is your favourite dish?
    How do you cook this dish? 
    Do you have any pictures of this dish?
  
 5. Gather the information, get together and plan your report.

6. Prepare a presentation with your findings. Use any electronic programme 
    you like for your presentation (e.g. Powerpoint).

Example

Fast Facts - Vietnam


Flag of Vietnam

Location: South-eastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
 



Population: 82,689,518 (July 2004 est.)

Languages spoken: Vietnamese (official), English (favoured as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Food: One of the biggest crops in Vietnam is rice. Many people in Vietnam eat rice as their main source of food and they cook rice in many different ways.

A recipe from Vietnam - Vietnamese Fried Rice

Fried Rice from Vietnam
Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients for Vietnamese Fried Rice
· 1 cup cooked rice
· 1 cup cooked peas
· 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
· 3 cloves of garlic
· 1 large onion
· ¼ teaspoon pepper
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· 1 teaspoon soy sauce
· 2 eggs

How to make Vietnamese Fried Rice
1) Chop the garlic and onion into small pieces.
2) Heat the oil in a saucepan and mix in the onion, garlic, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce.
3) Add the cooked rice and peas to this mixture.
4) As the mixture is cooking, add two beaten eggs.
5) Over medium heat, stir carefully with the rice until the eggs are cooked
    thoroughly.