interaction and change
 : Refugees
Approach: Team
4.8Mb
Resources: Video and picture chart.
 Download the videoclip 3.2meg (requires QuickTime plug-in)

Questions / instructions:
This activity is about refugees. We'll start by watching a video, then we will find out about one refugee family.
Show video clip.
Right now there are more than 11 million people around the world who are refugees. People who have been forced to flee their home country and can't risk going back there. Another 20 million people are internally displaced — still in their own country but driven from their homes. That's nearly 40 million people world-wide, all hoping to find some way back home. Many different factors can create refugees. War, politics, racial hatred, natural disasters, often result in millions being driven from their homes. And poverty makes their problems worse.

press on image to enlarge
Now lets look at these photographs. Shukri and her family are refugees from Somalia in Africa. They have come to live in New Zealand. They arrived in New Zealand with no belongings like clothes, books, furniture, cars, money, cameras or photographs. They have also left behind their grandparents, uncles, aunts and best friends.
Refugees Read the text on the photo montage.
New Zealand is a very different kind of place to Somalia. Shukri and her family want to do two things: they want to be able to fit in with New Zealand life, and they want to keep on being Somalians.
YEAR 4 INSTRUCTIONS
I'm going to ask you some questions about living in New Zealand. I'll write down your ideas.
As they discuss the differences, write down the key ideas, using the students' words.

YEAR 8 INSTRUCTIONS
I'm going to give each of you an activity sheet, and I want you to write down your group's ideas about the question on your sheet. Take turns at telling others in the group what the question is, and writing down the group's ideas. Only write down headings or main ideas — you don't have to write sentences. You can help each other with writing words if you want to.
Give one sheet to each student and allow time for discussion and recording.
Now I want you to take turns at telling me your group's answers to the questions. After each person has finished, others in the group can give more information or ideas if there is something else you have thought of.
Questions % responses
y4
y8

1. What are some differences between Somalia and New Zealand as places people live?

Discussion of differences between Somalia and NZ:
full and insightful
moderately full
some worthwhile ideas
little understanding
23
45
27
5
23
46
25
6

2. What will Shukri and her family need to do to fit in and live in New Zealand?

Discussion of requirements to adapt to NZ:
full and insightful
moderately full
some worthwhile ideas
little understanding
11
34
44
11
13
38
41
8

3. What will Shukri and her family need to be able to do so that they can keep on being Somalians even though they are living in New Zealand?

Discussion of approaches to maintaining culture:
full and insightful
moderately full
some worthwhile ideas
little understanding
7
30
43
20
18
34
36
12

4. What will you and your community need to do so that Shukri and her family can live happily and still be Somalians, even though they are living in New Zealand?

Prompt: What if Shukri and her family moved into your area and Shukri came to your school? What could you and your family do to help them live happily?

Discussion on ideas for community support:
full and insightful
moderately full
some worthwhile ideas
little understanding
7
25
51
17
14
35
41
10
Group process (Y8 only):
worked together very well
worked together
did not work well together
 
44
39
17
Commentary:
While the content of this task was essentially the same for year 4 and year 8, the method of administration varied. Year 8 students were asked to individually record responses from team discussion, whereas year 4 students could concentrate on team discussion because their responses were recorded by the teacher. The use of individual recording sheets at Year 8 tended to reduce whole group discussion, compared with year 4. It is possible that year 8 students would have done better if they had been able to follow the same process as used by year 4. This lack of distinct differences between year 4 and year 8 in the results could be slightly biased against year 8. Administration differences aside, generally only about half the teams assessed were able to offer moderate to fully insightful responses to questions about adjustments in the lives of refugees settling in New Zealand.