Survivor - Gabon - Unit study - Episode 1

Ok, I finally had time to watch the entire Survivor episode 1 (If you did not catch it on Thursday, find it on On Demand or at http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/. Here are some ideas to begin creating a unit around the show. I would start with my entry on September 25th, so that you have a little understanding about the location. Then you can begin with some of these ideas:

Careers – Each candidate comes with their own experiences and careers. Listen to all of their jobs. Which job would you like and why? What jobs do you think will help them survive?

Prediction – Having been introduced to everyone, who do you think will be the sole survivor? Why?

Bible –
1. Jeff calls Gabon “Earth’s last Eden”. To what is he referring? Why do you think he makes this comparison?
2. Jeff talks about fire being life. Where else have you seen this correlation?

Government – In Gabon elders are respected as leaders. Why do think this is? In the history of your country, has this idea of elders being leaders been a tradition? Explain.
For those that are in the US, how did our founding fathers ensure that we would follow our elders?

Opinion –
1. What would you consider essentials for survival?
2. In the race for individual immunity or food, which would you have chosen? Would you have turned around to help your other teammates up the hill?
3. What characteristics help a survivor? What characteristics hinder a survivor? Add to these lists throughout the course of the program.

Action –
1. Try to create a hut / shelter in your own backyard. If you don’t have a backyard, create one in your house.
2. With parental supervision, try lighting a fire with two sticks, with a bow, or with flint.
3. Ace had his tribe practice Yoga before the challenge. Learn at least 5 Yoga positions.
4. Puzzles are always a big part of survivor. Try to solve a Tower of Hanoi puzzle.
5. Tree mail and exile hints are often written in riddles. Visit Squigly’s House and try to solve some riddles of your own.
6. Create a map to a hidden treasure. See if someone else can follow it and find what you have hidden.

Science –
1. Elephants are a help and a hindrance. How? What dangers do elephants pose?
2. In the challenge, the contestants have to march through a leech filled swamp. What is a leech? Find out how leeches were once used in medical treatments.
3. The show depicts many different indigenous animals. Identify at least 5 throughout the course of the show. Create a poster that tells about these animals.
4. Hindsight is 20/20. Create a field journal that the survivors would have appreciated at the beginning of their experience. Throughout the course of the show compile a journal that teaches contestants important information and skills that would have helped them to be the sole survivor.

Math – If every contestant’s name was put in the pot to be pulled, what would be the likelihood of any one survivor would be picked out. What increases the odds of having your name in the pot? What decreases it?

Vocabulary – Look up the definitions of the following words. Practice spelling them correctly.
Immunity
Exile
Pedestal
Alliance
Analytical

Come back next week to see what I come up with for episode 2. If you have any additional ideas, please add comments.