Cultural Differences Make Great Teams
Recommended for: All Ages
Badges: Global Cultures, Space & the Past, Ready for Space
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Download this activity as a PDF - no electricity needed.
Teams work together to achieve a goal. It could be a sports team, a debate team, or even a science project team. No matter what kind of team you are on, teams are made up of people. The team of astronauts that work on the International Space Station are from all over the world. They might be from different places, speak different languages, wear different clothing, or have a different skin color. They also might have different opinions. These are called cultural differences.
In this activity, you will learn about cultural difference and how to be a good team member.
This activity has been adapted from NASA’s Expeditionary Skills for Life (A Federal Partnership for STEM Education.
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You Will Need
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Pen/Pencil
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Paper
Wonder
What teams are you a part of?
What makes a good team member?
Can you think of a time that someone has had a different opinion that yours? Why do you think that was? What did you do?
Watch
Everyone has their own experiences and beliefs. They may be similar to you or they may be different from you. It is important to understand, appreciate, and value the things that make people different. By listening and being respectful, you can work successfully as a team.
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Watch astronaut Jeremy Hansen share how his team works together:
Write
Culture is the behaviors and beliefs of a particular country, social group, or age group. Food has a strong connection with culture. Nearly every culture has its own foods and its own customs associated with eating food. Food is a great way to understand cultural differences.
In detail, describe what a typical meal looks like in your home (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). You should describe:
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What you eat.
Where you eat.
Who eats with you.
What you do during your meal.
What rules you have when you eat.
What job or roles of you have when you eat.
How you feel when you are eating.
Now choose a special meal for a holiday. You should describe:
What you eat.
Where you eat.
Who eats with you.
What you do during your meal.
What rules you have when you eat.
What job or roles of you have when you eat.
How you feel when you are eating.
Ask
People might eat very different food from you. Or they might eat the same food in a very different way. They might have special foods to celebrate important occasions that you don’t celebrate. Talk to your friend and tell them about your meals (either your regular or special meal). Make sure to paint a good picture of your meal experience.
Now ask them about what a meal looks like at their house. Use the same questions that you had to answer. Give them lots of time to answer. Make sure not to interrupt. Make sure to listen.
You can talk to another friend too. See what you learn from talking to them.
Reflect
After speaking with your friend, think about:
What things were the same?
What things were different?
Did you learn something new about your friend that you didn’t know before? What?
What was important to do when you were talking with your friend?
What did you learn that you can use to make you a better team member?
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Wonderlog
Want to complete this task towards collecting a Wondernaut badge? Share with the community your family dinner. What did you learn about sharing, listening, and learning about others?
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