Twenty One Balloons (Skeleton for a Level 5 unit)

[Melissa]

Any ideas for a unit study on this book?

[robin d.]

I love that book!!! But I haven't read it since my now 19 year old son was in 5th grade so I'm going off memory. Hot air balloons, inventions, volcanos, the real Krakatoa, Pacific Ocean, would be some that I can remember without reviewing the book again.

[Wende]

Social Studies -

Geography - learn about the places he traveled. Teach continents and bodies of water (he was in North America, Europe, Asia, and hit the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans) or research each of the individual places and/or trace his route on a world map (San Francisco, Pacific Ocean, Bornea, Krakatoa, Java, Indian Ocean, India, Persia, Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Belgium, English Channel, England, Scotland, back to the US)
Outline map found here:
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/worldout.htm

Era - 1883 - what was the world like then?

Working Together/Communal Living -

Pros/Cons of island life -

History of Balloons -
Hot Air Balloon Shape Book:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/document ... 20Book.pdf

*a unit will be out shortly about this

Science -

How Balloons Work -

Diamonds -
Make a diamond shape book to write diamond research. Diamond clipart:
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/20500/20596/ ... _20596.htm
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/20300/20308/ ... _20308.htm

Volcanoes -
Exploding volcano lift flap:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrep ... olcano.pdf


Inventions and Simple/Complex Machines - they had all kinds of devices on Krakatoa. Teach all the simple machines (axle, wheel, pulley, lever, etc.) and how they work together to make complex machines. Child can duplicate inventions with knex or other building toy.


Math -

Occupation - Sherman was an arithmetic teacher for 40 years.

Language Arts

Create a newspaper ad that Professor Sherman would have published to locate all the families from Krakatoa.

Make a travel brochure describing Krakatoa.

[Celia]

Moving this to the Skeleton Closet, now that the unit has some bare bones. Keep it up and we'll have a full-fledge unit.....a great addition to HSS!