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Lesson #1                  Role-Playing Two Different Cultures

SUBJECT:  Language Arts/Social Studies 

TOPIC:  Role-playing

TIME FRAME:  1 class

COMMON ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS:  Communication, Independent Learning, Personal and Social Values, Critical and Creative thinking

MATERIALS:  A deck of cards

1. OBJECTIVES:              Saskatchewan Social Studies Objectives
                                          Saskatchewan Language Art Objectives

Cognitive: Students will...

- discuss the interactions of aboriginal and immigrants was not easy when they first came into contact.

Physical: Students will...

- participate in class and small group discussions and collaborative tasks.
- plan and participate in simulation activities about the fur trade.

Affective/Spiritual: Students will...

- appreciate and value the cultures and traditions of various peoples during the fur trade.
- discuss the difficulties of two different cultures trying to communicate.

2. RESOURCES:

                          http://www.worldweb.com/parkscanada-rocky/furtrade.html
-This website contains information on the history of the fur trade in Canada.   

3. PURPOSE/TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The purpose of this lesson is to give students the opportunity to discover how difficult it was when trying to communicate with another culture, especially when the languages were different.  This will give students an idea of what it was like when the fur trading process began.

The objective of the game is to have students trade objects.  For example:  A student wants to trade his/her beaver pelt for a rifle.  Therefore he/she tries to find someone with a rifle card (#6 card) and communicates with their language (Oh Da Da or A Na Na).

Here is a guide for the value of the cards:

2-blanket        8-snowshoes
3-beads          9-ammunition
4-tobacco     10-otter fur
5-1 pot          J-bear fur
6-rifle           Q-buffalo hide
7-traps          K-beaver pelt

The objective of the game is to trade for objects that they want or need.

4.  ACTIVITIES/IDEAS:

Have a variety of books and pictures relating to the fur trade on display in the classroom.  Tell students that they will be doing role-play activity having to do with the fur trade.

Explain what is expected of students during role-play.  Students are divided into two large groups.  Number students 1,2,1,2,1...and so on.  One group will have sounds in their language of "Oh Da Da" - Used in a variety of ways.  The other group will have sounds in their language of "A Ne Ne" - used in a variety of ways. The two groups come into contact and try to explain to each other that they want to trade. *remind students that they can only use the sounds of their languages when trying to communicate to the others.   Begin by stating that the First Nations have something the Newcomers want and the Newcomers have something the First Nations want.   Begin role-playing.

KWL Chart
*Another activity to begin the unit would be to use a KWL Chart.  KWL stands for "What I already KNOW, what I WANT to know, and what I LEARNED.  Hand out the outlines for the KWL Charts.  At the top of the chart the word FUR TRADE is written.  Give students 5-10 minutes to respond to the question "What I already know about the Fur Trade.".  After they have done so, then have students respond to the second question "What I want to know about the Fur Trade.".   Bring class together and brainstorm what they already know about the fur trade.   You may want to use a web to record the information on the chalkboard.  After the brainstorming is finished then have students respond to the third question "What I learned about the Fur Trade."  

5.  EVALUATION:

First Nations in the Fur Trade.  Parks Canada.