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Rafa,
Rafa: A Cultural Encounter
Overview:
This simulation game, followed by discussion and student written discourse,
introduces students to simple cultural universals that can become
barriers to communication.
Objectives:
1. To involve students physically and verbally in a game showing how
two different cultures may approach the same ideas or cultural universals.
2. To encourage higher order thinking skills in substantive conversation
about the experiences in the game.
3. To transfer the knowledge gained in the game into student reflections
and plans as to how they might behave towards new acquaintances from
cultures other than their own and how they will respond to further
studies of different cultures. |
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Grade
Level: 5-12
Subjects: Social studies, language arts, Time: 2 class periods
or one period of 1 ½ hours
Prerequisites: none
Required Materials:
-Instructions to the Alpha and the Beta cultures
-If you have available to you the Rafa Rafa game cards, use these
along with a box of paper clips (bones), two arm bands, twelve visitor
name tags, large recording paper for two groups (about 3 sheets),
markers. If you do not have the game cards, design your own method
of trading for the Beta culture. It is helpful to have another adult
lead one of the cultures and each culture should have its own space,
not in the same room but not too far away.
-List of follow-up discussion questions
-Student reflections and plan sheet outline for Personal Letter |
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Suggested Procedure (Pedagogy):
Opening - Explain that we are beginning a study of culture and today
will pretend we are from two new cultures who have not met each other
before. The group will be divided into two groups who will each practice
their own culture and then send silent visitors to observe the other
culture and report back what they have observed. Briefly list together
things that cultures might do that make them unique, such as their
own language, beliefs, rules, and customs. Divide group in half and
give the instruction sheet to the group leader, placing the two groups
in two different spaces (not in the same room).
Development
1. The leader of the Alpha and Beta Cultures shares the information
sheet with the group; this should probably be read several times and
discussed before practicing and is available in the Resource Bar.
The cultures then practice their trading game for about 7 minutes.
At an appointed time, choose two students who will go observe the
other culture for 5 minutes without talking to anyone in that group.
They will then report to their own culture and that group will record
what the visitors observed. (This should take about 7 min.) Repeat
the silent visitors visit again. (total time of 10 min including recording).
On the third trip of visitors, allow the visitors to engage in what
they think the other culture is doing. If the visitors are interfering
or inappropriate, they should be asked to leave by the adult.
2. Meet together as a culture and discuss the Follow-up Questions
for the Small Groups (Resource Bar). Record answers on the large sheets
of paper. (about 5-7 minutes) Then meet with both groups. Before one
culture can explain their own, have the other culture describe what
they hypothesize that culture to be like. Then have each share what
was correct. Continue in the large group with the Large Group Discussion
Questions (Resource Bar).
Closing
1. Students write a reflective letter to another student or their
own family which includes answers to the comment suggestions on the
Student Reflections and Plan Outline. (Resource Bar). They may choose
to write a more involved letter to receive a higher grade and should
indicate that by the amount and elaboration with which they write.
Differentiation
1. Choose the appropriate students to be the visitors; those who observe
and share easily and/or those who need to get away from the group
for a while
2. Allow for differences within the discussion and the student letter,
which could be illustrated instead of being written
3. Assist individual student who are not understanding how to play
the games
Suggested Assessment
1. Participation in the game and follow-up discussions
2. Reflective letter to fellow student or family member |
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RESOURCE BAR
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Definitions:
Cultural Universals - aspects of culture that all cultures
have but differ due to geographic, social, spiritual reasons; i.e.
foods, clothing, shelter, etc.
entrepreneurs - business people seeking to make gains or
win deals
tools - material goods used for a purpose
roles - behaviors assigned to a certain group of individuals
hierarchy - values of more increased status given to one
object or role over another
Standards
Minnesota State Standards in People and Culture
Instructions to Cultures/Discussion Questions
Copy and hand out the following instructions to the leaders of the
two cultures:
The Alpha Culture
You are a group of gentle people with high regard for your elders.
You enjoy pleasing others and treat each other with quiet respect.
There is only one spoken word in your culture but gentle tapping is
used to gain attention of others.
You play a game using bones. Each member of the Alpha culture has
a bone in their hand but does not show it to others. When you want
to play, you tap the shoulder of another member who then faces you.
You put your hands behind your back and your partner taps the shoulder
of the hand in which she thinks you have your bone. If you do, you
show your partner the bone and smile and quietly say "rafa,rafa" at
which time three other Alpha members come over and touch your shoulder
silently for good luck. If the bone is not in that hand, you shake
your head "no" and smile and walk away. You do not give the bones
to others in your culture.
There are three elders in your culture who should wear armbands to
show who they are. When you partner with the elders, you do not tap
their shoulders but only allow them to guess which hand you have the
bone in. However, you always allow the elder to win the correct hand
with the bone, at which time the elder says "rafa, rafa" and other
community members come over for good luck.
All of the members of your culture are winners because you are all
seeking good luck. There is no competition nor need to steal bones
as there is no advantage to that and the culture works cooperatively.
The Beta Culture
You are a group of aggressive entrepreneurs seeking to acquire more
and more property and goods. You are working for yourself and your
own gains and have a simple language of the sounds produced by the
animals on the Beta cards. Your goal is to get five cards of different
colors but of the same animal to make a set. When you have succeeded,
you write your name on the board with a tally mark next to your name,
mix your old cards into the stack and take five more cards to begin
again.
To play the game, each member of the culture receives five of the
animal cards. Each group member chooses what cards they are missing
to make a set. To get the card they are missing, they must stand and
face another group member, not getting any closer than three feet,
place a card they are willing to trade away and is the color they
want to get on the floor in front of them and make the sound of the
animal they would like to get; ex.: If a member wanted a pink pig,
they would lay a pink card on the floor and say "oink, oink". If the
partner would like to trade, she lays the card, hopefully the pink
pig, on the floor in front of herself and the two people switch places,
picking up the card the other person laid down. They do not touch
each other nor point to the cards they want in the other person's
hand. If the first person does not want to make the trade, he shakes
his head "no" and takes his own card back into his hand to find another
trading partner. A Beta member may not get a card without saying the
sound of the animal they are seeking.
The winners are those who get the most sets of cards. This may be
hard to do and members may want to return their whole sets of cards
for whole new sets, but they may only do this twice.
Discussion Questions for Small Groups (Alpha and Beta cultures
meeting separately)
1. How was language used in the other culture?
2. What tools were used and for what reason?
3. Explain how the members of the other culture interacted with each
other. Why do you think they behaved like that? What was their purpose?
4. What roles could you identify in the other culture? Was there any
hierarchy to those roles?
5. What was difficult or easy about visiting the other culture? What
were some of your feelings toward the other group?
Discussion Questions for Large Group (Alpha and Beta cultures meeting
together)
After each culture describes for the other culture what they think
the culture's purposes and customs were, the group members should
have the opportunity to explain their own cultures. Follow-up then
with the following questions directed to the whole group:
1. What customs were similar in both cultures? Which were different?
2. What were the values of each culture? How did the customs of the
culture represent the values? How could the customs be changed to
better reflect the values?
3. How was communication between the two cultures made difficult in
the game? How could this be changed? Is communication between two
cultures always difficult? Describe some of your own experiences in
communicating between cultures.
4. What are some of our country's current values and how are they
seen through the customs of our country? Explain how these values
and customs might conflict with or improve those of another culture.
Student Reflections and Plan Outline
Write a personal letter to a fellow student or a member of your family.
Include paragraphs that discuss the following ideas. If you choose
to try to get a better grade, write a paragraph or two on each topic.
1. Describe the Rafa Rafa game and how it is played. What did you
learn from the game about communicating with other cultures? How do
the customs of a culture reflect the values and nature of a culture?
2. Tell about a time you have met someone from another culture who
did things that were different from how you might do something or
tell about reading about or viewing an example of two different cultures
meeting. How did you feel about the differences? Did it make an impact
on your life?
3. How can the differences in cultures affect the cooperation between
countries in our world? Give examples and explanations of what affect
those differences have made, both positively and negatively.
4. Describe a plan of how you can approach people of different cultures
in the future and how you will react to their customs. Decide on a
specific time and place to see how well your plan can be put into
affect.
5. Of what value will your plan be in the study of different cultures
within your social studies class? How can a social studies class be
set up to help understand different customs of different cultures?
Extension Activities
1. Using a world map and a recent newspaper or news magazines, determine
where the current "hot spots" of cultural conflicts are in our world.
Which of these conflicts might be better resolved with better understanding
of cultural differences?
2. Brainstorm what customs have become universal and where did those
different customs originate. Are new world customs blends of different
customs of different cultures? How do customs move from one culture
to another?
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Credits
Maureen Trepp
Field School
4645 4th Ave. So., Mpls., Mn. 55409
work phone: 612-668-3640 Fax: 612-668-3661
e-mail: maureentrepp@yahoo.com
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