Examine cultural rituals related to warding off disease

Overview: The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 500 people worldwide have died from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). And as doctors warn that the disease is twice as deadly as recent estimates indicated, international officials are racing to contain it.

After students read "Officials warn SARS may be far more dangerous than initially thought" present the following questions:

RESOURCES • CNN.com: WHO: SARS death rate higher than earlier estima  • Taoist Culture & Information Centre: Healing Diseases and Expelling the God of Plague  • Native Americans: Herbal symbolism  • Japan: Festivals  • Ireland: St. John's Eve

1. How many people around the world have died from SARS? In which country did SARS originate? How has this illness impacted the people of Hong Kong? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), what is the SARS death rate? How is this figure different from earlier estimates? What percentage of SARS cases are in China? What advice has WHO issued to contain the spread of SARS in China? What is the "super spreader" theory? In your opinion, what are the public health implications of this theory?

2. Introduce the following activity by conducting a discussion about rituals your students may be familiar with that are related to warding off disease (i.e. throwing salt over your shoulder, saying "God bless you" after someone sneezes and singing "Ring Around the Rosies"). Then, inform students that cultures all over the world have elaborate rituals to help them deal with things they cannot control, like disease. Group students and have each group choose a culture. Direct groups to multimedia resources, including the sites listed, to investigate their culture's history of rituals that are intended to ward off disease. If there are many rituals of this nature in a group's chosen culture, have group members pick one ritual to study in depth. Challenge groups to create posters filled with pictures, drawings and other items that help explain the rituals. Posters should include answers to the following questions:

• What is the name of the ritual?

• Which culture/ethnic/religious group performs this ritual?

• What is the origin of the ritual?

• What is the ritual's specific function?

• Who participates in the ritual and what are the various roles people play in carrying out the ritual?

• What are the significant components to the ritual (e.g. dancing, food, etc.) and what do these different components symbolize?

• What is the social and cultural significance of the ritual?

• What is the intended spiritual goal of the ritual (if any can be identified)?

• How has this ritual changed over the years?

• Do people still participate in this ritual today? Why or why not?

Have groups present their posters to the class, and, if possible, have them demonstrate some of the rituals. After groups present their posters, have them summarize their research findings in a written report. Display the posters in your school and collate the reports to create a classroom resource file on different cultures.

Teachers: For a rubric to evaluate a poster, go to Holt, Rinehart and Winston's "Poster" Rubric (http://go.hrw.com/resources/go_ss/teacher99/rubrics/RUBRIC28.pdf).