"Positive and Negative Aspects of The Cay & the Caribbean"
GOALS:
1. Write three descriptive entries in journals.
2. Calculate the distance from student's hometown to Wilemstad, Curacao. Also, determine the longitudinal and latitudinal degrees of Curacao, which is the opening setting of The Cay.
3. Work effectively with another student in sharing and listening to each other's ideas.
RESOURCES:
1. Multiple copies of The Cay. Taylor, T. (1969). The Cay. Santa Barbara: Cornerstone.
2. Maps of the United States and Caribbean, one per student.
3. Use of Internet for geographical information of Caribbean as a possible extension to the lesson.
Other Possible Internet Sites:
http://www.interknowledge.com/curacao/
http://vacations.com/Vacations/Caribbean/Curacao/Editorial/index.html
4. Index cards, one per student.
TIME:
Not counting the time it will take to read the novel, this lesson will require between 3 and 4 hours of classroom time. (Part 2 [45 minutes to 1 hour]; Part 3 [45 minutes to 1 hour]; Part 4 [45 to 1 hour]; Part 5 [45 minutes to 1 hour])
PROCEDURE:
Introduction:
Taking a vacation can be fun yet sometimes challenging. Using passages from The Cay and real-life experiences, this lesson will focus on positive and negative aspects of a trip. Also, the students will work with partners and brainstorm to create positive experiences out of negative ones.
Part 1:
Step 1- Read the novel The Cay.
Part 2:
Step 2- Ask the class to close their eyes and visualize a vacation or place they have been to. Teacher can prompt students' images by asking the following example questions:
Where are you?
What do your surroundings look like?
Are there a lot of people around?
Who are you with?
What do you hear?
What do you smell?
How do you feel? (Hot, cold, nervous, anxious, calm, etc.)
What are you wearing?
Step 3- In journals, have students write a detailed paragraph that describes the mental images of their trip.
Step 4- Also in journals, students will individually describe the positive and negative aspects of their trip in column form.
Examples: Bad Experiences Good Experiences
-lost luggage -got a tan
-sibling fights -bought souvenirs
-car broke down -sight seeing
-lost money -time to relax
-motion sickness -swimming
Step 5- Students will pair up and share their findings from Steps 3 and 4 with each other.
Step 6- Ask the members of the class to share their lists of positive and negative experiences.
Part 3:
Step 7- Invite the members of the class to imagine taking a trip to the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. Inquire about the students' background knowledge of Curacao and/or the Caribbean area. Utilize the Internet by having the students independently research information on Curacao and/or Caribbean to make class discussion more fulfilling. (i.e. Where is Curacao located? What type of climate dominates? Other input?) (See background information on Curacao at the end of lesson)
Step 8- Hand out maps of the United States and Caribbean. Have students individually calculate the distance from their hometown to Wilemstad, Curacao and determine the island's longitudinal and latitudinal degrees. Share findings as a class. (miles varies by each student's hometown; approximately 68' W longitude & 12' N latitude).
Step 9- As a class, list possible positive and negative experiences from taking a trip to Curacao.
Step 10-Discuss examples when a negative experience has been turned into a positive. Share examples as a class. Example: Having more responsibility at home as an adolescent (often seen as a negative), also earns you more freedom (a positive).
Part 4:
Step 11-As a class, discuss The Cay, including characters, setting, main events, climax, problems, and solutions. Possibly create literature circles where each member of the circle is responsible for a certain aspect of the story. For example, one person is responsible for the characters, another for the setting, a third for the main events, and so on. Another idea would be to make a "Comprehension Pie". This is a circle divided into 8 pie-shaped pieces. The 8 pieces of pie represent the following aspects of the story: characters, setting, climax, problems, solution, and 3 main events.
Part 5:
Step 12-Read the following passages from The Cay to the class. After reading each passage, discuss, as a class, the negative parts of the situation and how Timothy and Phillip were able to turn this problem it into a positive experience.
1) Chapter 10- first two paragraphs of the chapter
2) Chapter 11- paragraphs 9 and 10 of the chapter
Step 13-Using a negative experience from the class list for a trip to the Caribbean, or an original one, each student will choose one negative to write as a scenario on an index card. In partner form, switch cards and have partners create a positive experience from the negative one. Share answers with partners.
Step 14-Each student will record their team's scenarios and positive outcomes in their journals.
ASSESSMENT:
1. Each student must turn in their journal. (Criteria for success = Three completed entries: one detailed paragraph on mental images of personal trip; chart of positive and negative experiences; created scenario. See Journal Rubric.)
2. Each student must turn in the map of the United States and Caribbean. (Criteria for success = Reasonable estimation and conversion of the distance from student's hometown to Wilemstad, Curacao (+/- 300 miles); reasonable findings of the longitudinal and latitudinal degrees of Wilemstad, Curacao (+/- 3' of the 68' W longitude and 12' N latitude).)
3. Teacher and students will make assessment of partner work. (Criteria for success = See Teacher and Student Rubrics for Partner Work.)
CURRICULAR STRANDS AND MAJOR CONCEPTS:
1. Language Arts- Reading passages from The Cay; communicating with partners and the class; listening to passages and partners' findings; writing in journals.
2. Math- Estimation and conversion of the distance and travel time from school's hometown to Wilemstad, Curacao; logical thinking.
3. Social Studies- Information on Wilemstad, Curacao and its longitudinal and latitudinal degrees; culture of inhabitants of Curacao.
4. Science- Physical geography of Curacao and the Caribbean region.
POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS:
1. Compare and contrast your home town/state with Curacao. Examples: type of government, predominant religion, language(s) spoken there, way of life, history, climate, education. Record findings in journal or present them to class.
2. Discussion of measurement error in calculations from Step 8 and its impact on outcomes.
3. Convert distance from hometown to Curacao into kilometers and miles.
Passages from The Cay
by Theodore Taylor (1969)
Passage #1: (Chapter 10- first two paragraphs of the chapter)
During our seventh night on the island, it rained. It was one of those tropical storms that comes up swiftly without warning. We were asleep on the palm mats that I'd made, but it awakened us immediately. The rain sounded like bullets hitting on the dried palm frond roof. We ran out into it, shouting and letting the fresh water hit our bodies. It was cool and felt good.
Timothy yelled that his catchment was working. He had taken more boards from the top of the raft and had made a large trough that would catch the rain. He'd picked up bamboo lengths on the beach and had fitted them together into a short pipe to funnel the rain water into our ten-gallon keg.
Passage #2: (Chapter 11- paragraphs 9 and 10 of the chapter)
From what I could feel and hear, our cay seemed a lovely island and I wished that I could see it. I planned to walk around it at least once a day, following the vine rope from the ridge to the beach, then setting out along the sand.
I was starting to be less dependent on the vine rope, and sometimes it seemed to me that Timothy was trying hard to make me independent of him. I thought I knew why, but I did not talk to him about it. I did not want to think about the possibility of Timothy dying and leaving me alone on the cay.
Background Information on Curacao, Caribbean
(taken from www.travelfile.com/htbin)
Location: Curacao is the largest island of the Netherlands Antilles, 38 miles long and 2 to 7.5 miles wide.
Capital: Wilemstad
Population: 150,000 residents with as many as 55 different backgrounds from all over the world living on Curacao.
Recreational Activities: deep sea fishing, scuba diving, wind surfing and sailing
Government: Based on the Parliamentary system governed by an Executive and Legislative Council.
Beaches: The water is crystal-clear, the sand is smooth and the snorkeling sights are magnificent.
Climate: The average temperature is 82 degrees with very low humidity and refreshing year-round trade winds of over 13 knots. Curacao is outside the hurricane belt and the sun shines every day, the total yearly rainfall is only 22 inches with November and December being the rainiest months.