Two classes of 6th grade students were recently rescued after being stranded in the wilderness for seven days.  Peter Deuschle, a Language Arts teacher at Ira Jones Middle School, created a Middle School Survivor unit to accompany a novel study of "Hatchet," by Gary Paulsen.
 
Students were placed in small groups, given a short list of supplies, and designated a remote location on a world map to be virtually stranded in for seven days.  The groups used laptop computers and media center resources to research their locations and develop a survival guide.  Students also kept journals about their experiences. Every day a member from each group selected a card from the "Deck of Fate," which presented a specific real-life situation.  Some situations involved luck (ex: finding a fresh water supply) while others centered around tragedy (ex: a broken leg).
 
At the end of the week, students utilized props, scripts and PowerPoint presentations to share their knowledge with the class.  The groups learned about the culture and geography of many foreign lands, created research driven reports, and also gained valuable insight into problem solving rategies.