The Cay Learning Activity

Title: The Cay Webquest

Curriculum: Reading -Interdisciplinary

Grade-Level Span: 6th

PURPOSE: Students in 6th grade read “The Cay” by Theodore Taylor. Through this activity students will:
1. Be immersed into the history, culture, geography, science of the novel “The Cay”.
2. Use research skills including the ability “to locate, process, and use information effectively”
(HCPSS 6th grade Reading Essential Curriculum).
3. Complete either a graphic organizer or other form of note taking.
4. Organize the information and create a news item for a newspaper.
5. Work collaboratively with other students on an assigned project.

DESCRIPTION: Students will research articles on particular assigned topics from “The Cay” The topics
will be hurricanes, blindness, WWII in the Caribbean, and the geography of cays. The webquest will lead
the students to appropriate articles for their topic. Students will process the information from the articles
and put their findings into a graphic organizer or other form of note taking. They will use the information
on their particular topic, to write a newspaper article. The newspaper article will be written from the
perspective of the time period of WWII. Each group of four students will combine their articles into a
newspaper.

NETS PERFORMANCE
ACTIVITIES CURRICULUM INDICATORS
STANDARDS
Reading/Science
Students will read the Cay as the prior knowledge to the activity. HCPSS Unit
III,Goal1
VSC-E.1.a

The class is divided into groups of four. Each student is assigned one HCPSS Unit !
role - meteorologist, geographer, historian, and medical reporter. V,Goal 1 and
They will research information about their area of study through links Goal 2c
which are provided to the students. VSC–A.1.a
Introduce students to the concept of a webquest. HCPSS Unit !V,
Goal 2c.
VSC-A.1.a,A.3.e
Students will extract relevant information from the sources which are HCPSS Unit IV,
provided by means of a webquest. Goal 2d.
VSC-A.4.c,A.4.d,

Students will take notes about their information using either a graphic HCPSS Unit IV,
organizer or other notetaking process. Goal 2d.
VSC-A.4.c,A.4.d,
Students will organize the information to create a news article for a HCPSS Unit IV,
newspaper. Goal 2e.
VSC-A.4.g
Students will collaborate to create a finished product of a newspaper, HCPSS Unit IV,
using a template for the newspaper. Goal 2e
VSC-A.4.g
TOOLS AND RESOURCES:
Hardware:
Computers with Internet Access
Software:
MS Word
Websites:
Meteorologist
http://www.fema.gov/kids/hurr.htm
http://www.fema.gov/kids/protect.htm
http://www.fema.gov/kids/knw_hur.htm
www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0308/hurricane/survival_tips.html
http://skydiary.com/kids/hurricanes.html
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/hurricane1.htm
http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/hurricbro.html
Historian
http://www.brainpop.com
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/worldwariicauses/preview.weml
http://www.pbs.org/wwii/
http://www.caribseek.com/Curacao/curacao-history-post-world-war-II.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_atlantic_01.shtml
http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/8/atlantic/index.htm
http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/index.html
Medical Reporter
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/sight/visual_impaired.html
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/body/eye_noSW.html
http://www.afb.org/braillebug/braille_deciphering.asp
http://www.afb.org/braillebug/braille_technology.asp
http://www.afb.org/braillebug/
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=40
http://www.blind.net/generali.htm
Geographer
http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/curacao.htm
http://www.caribseek.com/Curacao/curacao-geology-and-geography.shtml
http://gocaribbean.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?
zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=gocaribbean&cdn=travel&tm=7&f=10&su=p284.8.150.ip_&tt=14&bt=0&
bts=0&zu=https%3A//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nt.html
Coral Reefs
http://bird.miamisci.org/oceans/coralreef/introcoralreef/beginning/
U-Boats
http://www.uboat.net/types/index.html
WWII German Submarines
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq97-1.htm
Evaluation
http://rubistar.4teachers.org
Images

Other:
Copies of graphic organizers, note taking sheets,
Students should have prior experience using the software.
Students should have prior experience using Web browsers.
 ASESSMENT:
Students will be assessed individually on the research aspect of the webquest. The following rubric will be
used:
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Notes Notes are recorded Notes are recorded Notes are recorded. Notes are recorded
and organized in an legibly and are only with
extremely neat and somewhat organized. peer/teacher
orderly fashion. assistance and
reminders.

Quality of Information Information clearly Information clearly Information clearly Information has little
relates to the main relates to the main relates to the main or nothing to do with
topic. It includes topic. It provides 1-2 topic. No details the main topic.
several supporting supporting details and/or examples are
details and/or and/or examples. given.
examples.

Graphic Organizer Graphic organizer or Graphic organizer or Graphic organizer or Graphic organizer or
outline has been outline has been outline has been outline has not been
completed and completed and started and includes attempted.
shows clear, logical shows clear, logical some topics and
relationships relationships subtopics.
between all topics between most topics
and subtopics. and subtopics.

Paragraph All paragraphs Most paragraphs Paragraphs included Paragraphing

Construction include introductory include introductory related information structure was not
sentence, sentence, but were typically clear and sentences
explanations or explanations or not constructed well. were not typically
details, and details, and related within the
concluding sentence. concluding sentence. paragraphs.

Mechanics No grammatical, Almost no A few grammatical Many grammatical,

spelling or grammatical, spelling, or spelling, or
punctuation errors. spelling or punctuation errors. punctuation errors.
punctuation errors

Students will also be assessed as a group on their finished project of the newspaper using the following
rubric:

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Articles - Purpose 90-100% of the 85-89% of the 75-84% of the Less than 75% of the
articles establish a articles establish a articles establish a articles establish a
clear purpose in the clear purpose in the clear purpose in the clear purpose in the
lead paragraph and lead paragraph and lead paragraph and lead paragraph and
demonstrate a clear demonstrate a clear demonstrate a clear demonstrate a clear
understanding of the understanding of the understanding of the understanding of the
topic. topic. topic. topic.

Articles - Interest The articles contain The articles contain The article contains The article does not
facts, figures, and/or facts, figures, and/or some facts or figures contain facts or
word choices that word choices that but is marginally figures that might
 make the articles make the articles interesting to read. make it interesting to
exceptionally interesting to read.
interesting to readers.
readers.

CREDITS (INCLUDING CONTACT INFORMATION):

Megan McGolrick – megan_mcgolrick@hcpss.org
Andreia Neto – andreia_neto@hcpss.org
Beverly Barnes – Beverly_barnes@hcpss.org

COMMENTS:
This is a newly designed webquest and learning activity. It has not been taught before but was created by
teachers who have taught either The Cay or the science aspects of the learning activity. It is believed that
it will be a highly motivating activity for 6th graders to complete. The concepts of the learning activity have
been used before in various other forms but not as a webquest with a final product of a newspaper. This
activity can be scaffolded by assigning the roles based on individual student capabilities.

The designing of this webquest was a great learning experience both in putting all of the information
together and also in the technology learned.

Used with permission of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards
(NETS) Project (http://www.iste.org or http://cnets.iste.org) Contact: Lajeane Thomas, Louisiana Tech University, P.O. Box 3161,
Ruston, LA 71272; Voice: 318 257-3923 Email: lthomas@latech.edu