Research Scenario
You will soon be reading the historical novel The Cay by Theodore Taylor in Language Arts class. The novel's setting (place and time period) is the Caribbean region in 1942 during World War II - an exotic location at an exciting time! What do you already know about the Caribbean and World War II? Use the resources below to jump-start your thinking!
Caribbean-style Music Performed by the General John Stricker Middle School Steel Drum Band |
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World War II Slideshow (click to view) |
Caribbean Postcard (click to enlarge) |
- Make a prediction about how this setting might affect the characters in The Cay to complete the Before Research column of this Story Prediction Chart. Support your prediction with details from your prior knowledge of the Caribbean and World War II.
- Share your predictions with classmates as directed by your teacher.
- Your teacher may have you share your predictions in class or small group discussion, or on a Wiki page, Voice Thread, or Wall Wisher wall.
Before you begin reading The Cay, you will need to develop your background knowledge about the novel's setting. On this "virtual visit" to the Caribbean during World War II, you and your classmates will gather some specific geographical, historical, and cultural information about this place and time period. After sharing information with each other, you will use your new knowledge to revise your predictions and answer the essential question:
How will the geographical and historical setting affect the characters in The Cay ?
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You will work with a partner or small group to research one of these topics related to the setting in The Cay:
- Caribbean Region
- Caribbean Natural Environment
- Island of Curacao
- World War II: Battles of the Atlantic and Caribbean
- Ships and Sea Vessels
You and your partner or group members will create a brief presentation to share your research findings with your classmates. Then you will revise your predictions about The Cay to make more-informed predictions based on your new knowledge of the setting.
| Research Process Assessments: Daily Formative Assessments: exit tickets, research reflection prompts, etc. Research Process Summative Assessments: Student/Self Teacher Final Product Assessments: Presentation Scoring Tool BCR Scoring Rubric |
Essential Question
How will the geographical and historical setting affect the characters in The Cay ?
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Focus Questions
- Caribbean Region - What are some important events in the history of the Caribbean islands? What are the cultural characteristics of people? Where are the bodies of water, islands, and cities featured in The Cay located?
- Caribbean Natural Environment - What kinds of plants and animals are part of the Caribbean environment? What are the characteristics of these plants and animals?
- Island of Curacao - What are some important events in the history of Curacao? What are the cultural characteristics of the people? Where are the bodies of water, cities and towns, and landmarks featured in The Cay located?
- World War II: Battles of the Atlantic and Caribbean - What countries fought against each other in World War II? What were German U-boats doing in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea? What was the outcome?
- Ships and Sea Vessels - What kinds of ships were used in the Battles of the Atlantic and the Caribbean? What other kinds of sea vessels were used in the Caribbean?
Use a variety of resources from the Student Resources page to gather information about your topic and locate images to illustrate your findings.
- Meet with group members assigned to the same research topic to plan how you will divide the work.
- Remember to avoid plagiarism and cite your sources in a Bibliography.
Sort your findings using the note-taking chart or outline map for your topic:
- Caribbean Region - Use this chart and outline map to gather and sort information about the history, culture, and geography of the Caribbean region where The Cay takes place.
- Caribbean Natural Environment - Use this chart to gather and sort information about plants, animals, and sea life featured in The Cay.
- Island of Curacao - Use this chart and outline map to gather and sort information about the history, culture, and geography of the island of Curacao, whereThe Cay begins.
- World War II: Battles of the Atlantic and Caribbean - Use this chart to summarize these World War II battles which directly affect the characters in The Cay.
- Ships and Sea Vessels - Use this chart to summarize information about the various ships and other sea vessels featured in The Cay.
Share your research findings with group members who researched the same topic:
- Analyze your research notes to determine if you have gathered sufficient information about each suptopic.
- Revise your notes or map by adding, changing, or deleting information as needed.
- Edit to correct errors in spelling or capitalization.
Synthesize your findings by collaborating with group members to create a project or presentation in one of the following formats, as directed by your teacher:
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Wiki page*
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Glogster interactive poster*
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PowerPoint presentation
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Microsoft Word or Publisher handout or brochure
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Product or presentation created using another digital format or Web 2.0 tool
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Oral Presentation with Visuals (non-digital) - poster, diorama, model, etc.
* Teacher set-up required; see your teacher to have a student account and login created.
Evaluate your finished product according to the criteria on the Scoring Tool.
Presentation: Share New Knowledge with Others
- As each group shares their research findings about the Caribbean and World War II, use this Presentation Notes chart to gather details that might influence your initial prediction about the setting in The Cay.
How will the geographical and historical setting affect the characters in The Cay ?
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- Revise your prediction to respond to the essential question and complete the After Research column on your Story Prediction Chart. Support your new prediction with details from your own research and your classmates’ research presentations.
- Your response may be assessed according to this scoring tool.
- Share your predictions with classmates as directed by your teacher.
- Your teacher may have you share your predictions in class or small group discussion, or on a Wiki page, Voice Thread, or Wall Wisher wall.
- Preview the novel The Cay to examine and discuss the title, front cover illustration, back cover summary, and first page summary. Click on the book cover on the left to preview these sections of the book online.
- Verify your predictions by noting any details from the book preview that prove or disprove them in the After Preview column of your Story Prediction Chart.
Extension: During Reading
As you read The Cay, continue to verify your predictions based on details in the story.
Refer back to the group research projects as you read to aid comprehension.
Reflection: After Reading
After you read The Cay, discuss how conducting this background research helped you to better comprehend the story.