21 Balloons

Lesson Plan

Project Components:

• 1. Internet research- Each student was given an opportunity to search the internet to find information on Karakatoa. Starting with the key word "volcano" and narrowing to "Karakatoa" they were able to find several sites with very good information.
• 2. Vocabulary-Because this story took place in the 1800's many of the words used to describe things were not familiar to the students. The vocabulary lists were based on these words. It was important that the students understand the word in the context that it was presented. Often the dictionary did not fully explain the use of the word. It was necessary to discuss many of the meanings.
• 3. Reading-The students were given time to read the book. Many of them found it very entertaining. Things like the form of government and imagination and creativity used by the residents of Karakatoa lead to some interesting discussions.
• 4. Inventions- The residents of Karakota were very inventive. The students were assigned the task of inventing something that would help them complete a job that they had to do. It could be very creative and we found that working some of the machines was more work than the actual job.
• 5. Balloons- In the classroom, each student made a paper-mache balloon. The painted it and added decorations. This lead to another internet search on "Balloons". The ideas were great!
• 6. Houses- Each student designed and built a house for their balloon to carry. A few guidelines were given but lots of room was left for imagination.
• 7. Journey-Each student was asked to write a paragraph about the journey they would like to make in their balloon.

21 Balloons * Lesson Plan * Student Projects

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