It’s that time of year again! The back-to-school sales are in full swing, students are eagerly comparing schedules, and educators are hard at work lesson planning. Ever wonder what it’s like for students and educators in other parts of the world? Check out these back-to-school fun facts.1 You can also download our FREE printable back-to-school around-the-world resources from EducationCity to use in your classroom!
1. In Australia, the school year starts shortly after the new year to align with the end of their southern-hemisphere summer season.
2. In Brazil, the school day ends at noon, so most students go home to have lunch with their families.
3. In China, many schools offer additional math and science classes on Saturdays.
4. In Costa Rica, the school year consists of only 180 required school days, and many children spend as little as three hours per day in the classroom. However, with 96% of students over 15 years old able to read, the country also has one of the world’s highest literacy rates.
5. In France, lunch lasts from 90 minutes to 2 hours and isn’t your typical brown-bag affair. Instead, it usually includes numerous veggies, fish, and a variety of cheeses.
6. In Japan, students are expected to help with cleaning their schools. Every school day in the country includes a break for Osouji, which translates to “honorable cleaning,” when students pitch in with chores like cleaning the schoolyards, halls, and classrooms.
7. In South Korea, nearly all secondary students wear a uniform called a Gyobok, which consists of a shirt, blazer, and tie with either gray slacks for boys or a skirt and knee socks for girls.
8. In Spain, the midday meal and siesta are an important cultural tradition. To accommodate the practice, most primary schools in the country hold classes from 9 AM to 12 PM and 3 PM to 5 PM so that students whose parents or grandparents are available can go home to have lunch with them.
9. In India, the school day begins with yoga for many students, which helps them relax and promotes discipline during the rest of the day.
10. In Mexico, it is not very common for primary school students to be given homework. Instead, students do most of their work during the school day.
Help your students understand how children around the world spend their school day. Incorporate back-to-school facts like these into your classroom lessons with these free resources from EducationCity! We have back-to-school ThinkIt activities, a poster, and fact sheets all about school around the world that are perfect for your pre-K–6th grade classroom!