Thematic Unit English 275-2 Survival Tiffany Becker, Alli Hansen, Denise Kmiec, and Mai Moua Theme: Survival Group Members: Tiffany Becker, Alli Hansen, Denise Kmiec, and Mai Moua Age Level: 6th Grader Central Book: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Literature Circle Books: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O Dell On the Farside of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George General Ideas/Themes: The main theme of our book is survival. Themes that stem from our major theme are: 1) self-reliance, 2) adapting to change and being alone, 3) coping, 4) environmental awareness and 5) Creativity. Through our themes students will learn key ideas about survival and how to be self- reliant. Students will do this by following the characters and paying specific attention to their survival techniques. Our themes will help students explore what its like to live in nature and how to cope in these situations. The activities that supplement the books help to reinforce the theme of survival and will allow students to develop an understanding of the character s situation. Objectives: 1) Students will examine poisonous and non-poisonous plants. 2) Students will compare their camp-out experience to someone who is forced to live in nature. 3) Students will summarize their experience through various techniques (essay, story, folk tale, poster, video skits etc.,) 4) Students will recognize the importance using a map and landmarks 5) Students will identify techniques characters use to survive alone in nature. 6) Students will create a map of the Island Karana was stranded on. Hatchet Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is about Brian, a thirteen year-old boy that was flying on a plane to go to his father s house for the summer; however, the pilot had a heart attack and the plane ended up crashing on an island. Brian survived the crash, but now has to find a way to survive the island and being alone with only a hatchet as an aid. After spending an awful first night alone by being eaten by Mosquitoes Brian starts to find shelter and food to eat. Brian learns to make weapons (arrows and spears), and store his food, which includes live fish. By thinking things through, learning from his mistakes and using his instincts, Brian finds a way to survive his ordeal and take care of himself. A tornado attacks the island, which uncovers the sunken plane which held the survival pack. In the pack he found food, a sleeping bag, pots, matches, lighters and an emergency transmitter. The emergency transmitter was his life line and he was rescued by a plane that was flying in the area. The pilot had picked up the transmission and saw the crashed plane as he was flying over. Brian had been stranded on the island for fifty-four days. After he got home, he was famous for a while because of his survival on the island. I think that this would make a perfect addition to a theme of survival. This book is a little more descriptive and will help the students see a deeper side of surviving when alone. This sets a very solid foundation of our theme for the rest of the unit. The details in this book may be shocking at first but I think the students will soon come to see what Brian had to do to survive. This book has several good lessons on how to survive when you have no one but yourself to rely on. This book is a very good book on survival instincts on a deserted island. Pre-Reading Activity Students will each be given a paper hatchet. They will be asked to make a list of things you can do with a hatchet. The challenge will be to think of things other than chopping wood. The teacher will be on hand to guide student s thoughts, and to encourage out-of-the-box thinking Students will be able to predict what will happen in the book. Students will also relate to the character through the use of creative thinking. After reading the book students will be able to compare their ideas with those expressed in the book. Activity #2 Each group will receive a piece of paper that describes a life situation. The teacher will be participating as well, so he or she needs to get into a group. Group members will discuss for about 8 minutes on what they will do to survive or escape from that situation. Each group will then present their solution by acting it out in a skit. This activity will help students think of techniques to live through a difficult situation and will observe survival techniques from other perspectives. This activity can be done around the campfire. Students will not only examine techniques to survive, they will also relate their own experiences to the book as they learn that all people experience difficulties in their lives. Last but not least, students will discover that they have the characteristics to survive any difficult conflict as long as they stay strong and have high hopes and dreams. Activity #3 Environmental Education Camp-out Although this activity is listed under the book Hatchet it should be noted that this is an umbrella activity under which most of our activities occur. The camp-out is a two day event in which students learn about the environment through hands on education. The camp-out starts with a two mile hike to the campsite. During the hike students will be asked to observe landmarks and wildlife and record their observations on a clipboard provided by the teacher. The teacher will be on hand to answer any questions and to point out interesting observations made by fellow students. Upon arrival at the camp site students will set up their own tents and will be expected to gather firewood for the campfire over which they will cook their meals. Activities at the camp-out include, but are not limited to: plant identification and tasting, studying bird pellets, aging trees, studying the ecosystem inside a fallen log, animal poetry (haiku), skits, astronomy (finding direction by the night sky), wildlife identification, pollution control, and an overall respect for nature. This activity will allow students to experience the type of environment Brian had to survive in and thus relate to his character. Students will be able to compare their camp-out situation to the situation in the book. They will ask themselves what if I was alone out here? Students will connect the many aspects of the camp-out with situations experienced in their reading. Finally students will be able to conclude whether or not they would be able to survive on their own. Island of the Blue Dolphins: The Island of the Blue Dolphins is a story about a twelve year old Indian girl named Karana. Karana s people were attacked by Aleuts hunting on their island. The tribe left the island to find safety accidentally leaving Karana and her brother behind. Karana s brother was attacked by wild dogs and died, forcing Karana to live on her own by building her shelter, finding food, making weapons, and fighting the wild dogs. In order to survive Karana had to question some of the beliefs of her people and test her own abilities. This book reinforces the characteristics discussed in Hatchet necessary for survival. Island of the Blue Dolphins furthers the discussion of survival by examining life without modern tools. Students will also be able to explore universalities of human nature in survival by being exposed to another time and culture. Students will compare modern situations with those Karana experienced. Activity #1 Students will be given a sheet of paper with an island shaped like a dolphin. Students will then be asked to refer back to the book and label parts of the island with places and events that happened in the book This activity will allow students to connect actions in the book with a physical representation of the setting. The students will also be expected to explain why they chose areas for specific events. Students will be able to design and represent interpretations and support these through small group discussion Activity #2 After reading Island of the Blue Dolphins students will be asked to think about a place in their life where the potential of getting lost is significant. Then the students will be asked to think about different survival tactics used in the book, or ideas of their own they could use to survive. They will be expected to write a brief story about this hypothetical situation. After each student completed this task they will join members of their reading circle to discuss every ones stories. The group will choose one story to read aloud to the class and illustrate. Students will be able to associate Karana s situation with some thing that could happen to them. They will apply their understanding, integrate it into their own lives, and formulate a plan for survival in a unique situation. On the Far Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George On the Far Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George, is the second story in a series and continues to follow Sam Gribley s story of living on a mountain. Sam has learned how to survive on a mountain by planting crops, searching for food and hunting with his falcon Frightful. However, when Frightful is confiscated and Sam s sister, Alice, runs away Sam must adapt his survival skills in order to find his family. I think this would be a great addition to our unit because Sam actually chooses his lifestyle rather than being forced to survive because of life situations. Furthermore, this book explains in detail how Sam survives in the mountains. While Sam was not totally keen on the idea of using tools he soon realizes that by using tools and becoming more "industrial," life will be easier. This book will help teach the students how sometimes to survive, one has to adapt. It also helps students realize that sometimes one has to rely on others. Sam has friends on the mountain to help him out, he also learns from animals around him. This book is also a good choice for our unit because of the detailed descriptions and drawings of mechanisms Sam and Alice build. It also emphasizes the importance of direction both figuratively and literally. Activity #1 After reading the book, have the students look up some edible plants that are wild in our area. The students can be divided into groups or they can do this project themselves. However, using the...