Stranded in the Pacific

On the 1st May 2023, two friends left Vancouver, BC on the SS

Tropicana for a holiday cruise of the Pacific Islands. Unfortunately
a cyclone with winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour struck while
the ship was still in open sea, a great distance from port.

In the midst of the storm the two friends

panicked and after gathering together a few
possessions, foolishly raced to the deck of
the ship where waves over ten metres high
battered the vessel. Only one member of the
crew witnessed the freak wave that broke
over the ship’s railing and carried the two
passengers into the swirling sea.

In a desperate attempt to save them, the

seamen threw the two friends a life belt,
which they caught. However, the strong current quickly carried them
away and in the blinding rain they were soon swept out of sight.
Lady Luck must have been smiling on our two friends, for they not
only survived the hurricane, but awoke to find that they had been
washed up on a small, but lush, uninhabited island.

1. LETTER WRITING
Imagine that you are one of those two castaways. Write a letter to your friend inviting
them to come on the holiday cruise with you. Make sure you include all the details
about the ship, what is being offered, how much it costs, where you are going and
how long the cruise lasts.

2. LETTER REPLYING
A letter will be written in reply to each letter written. You will write a reply to someone
else’s letter and will await the reply someone will write to yours. Choose a popsicle
stick. Exchange your letters with the person on the popsicle stick. You both will write
responses to each other's letters in the document you shared (ex. If you drew
Mallory’s name she will write her response directly in your document and you will do
the same in hers).

3. PACKING LIST
What will you take on the holiday cruise?
Write a notebook page of the items you will need for your holiday.

4. PASSPORT
Digitally design your passport to take with you on the cruise in GoogleSlides. Include
all of the information required in an actual Passport.
 5. LOG BOOK WRITING - Recount Writing
You are now onboard your holiday cruise liner. Write a section of the captain’s
logbook for the cruise, including four days, leading up to and covering the storm.
Include details like:
1. the date
2. the ship’s position
3. speed and direction
4. weather conditions
5. a port of call.

The captain radios the information about his lost passengers and the
news soon reaches Vancouver.

6. RADIO CONVERSATION
Script the radio conversation between the captain and the authorities in Sydney.

7. PARAGRAPH WRITING - Report Writing

Design the front page of a Sydney newspaper. The main story is
about the two passengers lost overboard. Include headlines, reports,
and photographs of the missing persons.

Canadians are outraged to hear that two people could be

lost at sea during a cruise on an ocean liner. This
moves the same newspaper to write an editorial calling
for stricter safety measures and closer supervision of
passengers on commercial ships.

8. EDITORIAL WRITING - Exposition Writing

Write an editorial concerning stricter safety measures and closer supervision of
passengers on commercial ships. Be sure to use persuasive language.

9. INTERVIEW
Script a radio interview with the parents of the castaways. You can select the
medium for presentation (radio, TV, newspaper, magazine).

Meanwhile, our friends are making the best of their new home. They
find that there is fresh, running water on the island and plentiful
supplies of coconuts and other edible fruits. There are birds and
small animals and the lagoons are alive with many varieties of fish
and other sea creatures. There are also palms and bamboo and many
exotic flowers growing on the island. Our castaways soon set to
work, making hunting implements, cooking facilities, shelter and
clothing. The castaways brought with them pen knives, a notebook and
pencil and some items of clothing.

10. INVENTIONS - Procedure Writing

Here is a list of the inventions made by the castaways.
● Choose at least one in each group and explain how it is made.
● Include a labelled diagram of each one.

Hunting Devices - spears, hooks, traps

Housing - tree house, hut
Furniture - bed, chairs, table
Cooking devices - and plates, cutlery
Clothing - skins, feathers
Rescue devices - boats, rafts, fire signals, stones on the beach
Cosmetic devices - combs, shavers, make-up, sunburn cream
Time-recording - calendars, sundials.

Combing the beaches you find several empty bottles, complete with
tops. You decide that a note in a bottle might just reach
civilization and a search might be organised.

11. S.O.S. NOTE

Write a S.O.S. note, asking for help to go in the bottle. Be sure to include your
identity, the approximate location of the island and any other information that could
aid your rescue.

You have found that there are many difficult tasks that must be
mastered. Some of these are: making a fire without matches, spearing
a fish, building a raft. Your friend is very slow at catching on to
these skills.

12. INSTRUCTIONS
Give your friend exact instructions as to how to do any one of these things. Set your
instructions out as if you were writing a handyman’s manual. Use precise words and
do not forget the details.

After six months on the island, and despite all the adjustments you
have made, you are still not happy. For a start, some strange and
frightening things are happening. You find weird footprints in the
sand and many bizarre noises disturb your sleep. Monsters?
Cannibals?

13. DIARY
Write a part of your diary, telling of some strange event that happens to you on the
island.

One day you find a map in a cave on the island. It is obviously very
old and seems to be marking a spot where treasure is buried.
 14. MAPS
● Draw the map.
● Write a diary entry that records what happens when you follow the map's
instructions.

After two years on the island, you are finally rescued by a

helicopter that flies close enough to the island to see your signal.
As a thank you, you share the map that you created with the pilot.

15. CONVERSATION WRITING

Script the conversation between the pilot of the helicopter and yourself.

16. DREAMS
What is the first thing you do when you reach dry land? Why?

Well done! You’ve survived.