A Guide for Using
The Cay
in the Classroom
Based on the novel written by Theodore Taylor
This guide written by
Cathy Gilbert, M.S. Ed., and Philip Denny
Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
6421 Industry Way
Westminster, CA 92683
www.teachercreated.com
ISBN: 978-1-55734-447-2
©1992 Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Reprinted, 2010
Made in U.S.A.
Edited by
Cathy Gilbert, M.S. Ed.
Illustrated by
Keith Vasconcelles
Cover Art by
Sue Fullam
The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school
or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission
from the publisher.
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Sample Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Before the Book (Pre-reading Activities) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Book Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Vocabulary Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Vocabulary Activities Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
SECTION 1 (Chapters 1–3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
❖ Quiz
❖ Hands-On Project—The Raft
❖ Cooperative Learning—Points of View
❖ Curriculum Connection—Editorials
❖ Into Your Life—Reading Response Journals
SECTION 2 (Chapters 4–7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
❖ Quiz
❖ Hands-On Project—Phillip’s Journal
❖ Cooperative Learning—Messages of Distress
❖ Curriculum Connections—Translating Timothy’s Words
❖ Into Your Life—Experiencing Blindness
SECTION 3 (Chapters 8–10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
❖ Quiz
❖ Hands-On Project—It Could Happen to You
❖ Cooperative Learning—Trust and Friendship
❖ Curriculum Connections—Geography
❖ Into Your Life—Personal Experience
SECTION 4 (Chapters 11–14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
❖ Quiz
❖ Hands-On Project—Chase “d’jumbi”
❖ Cooperative Learning—Who? What? Where? When?
❖ Curriculum Connections—Who? What? Where? When? (cont.)
❖ Into Your Life—Fishing/Travel Brochure
SECTION 5 (Chapters 15–19) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
❖ Quiz
❖ Hands-On Project—Making Choices
❖ Cooperative Learning—Stormy Weather
❖ Curriculum Connections—Prepare for an Emergency
❖ Into Your Life—A Better Way
After the Book (Post-reading Activities)
Any Questions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Book Report Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Research Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Culminating Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Unit Test Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Bibliography of Related Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
#447 The Cay
2
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
Book Summary
The Cay
by Theodore Taylor
(Avon Camelot, 1970)
(Available in Canada, Dell Seal; UK, Doubleday Bantam Dell; Australia, Transworld Publishers)
Phillip Enright is a young boy happily living on an island in the Caribbean. The story takes place on
the island of Curaçao, the largest of the Dutch islands off the Venezuelan coast. Phillip and his friends
have great times pretending that they are saving their town from pirates of old or from raids by the tallmasted ships coming over the horizon. They like to pretend that these ships are Spanish galleons
coming to bombard and pillage their town of Willemstad.
One day their wildest imaginings come true and create a nightmare for the boys and the people of the
local islands. In February of 1942, German navy submarines appear. The towns of Saint Nicholas and
Aruba are hit by shells. Next the Germans focus on Phillip’s town of Willemstad where the large oil
refineries are making fuels to help the Allies in the fight against Germany. The people of Willemstad
watch as the German U-boats sink tanker after tanker in an attempt to shut down the refineries and stop
the oil from being sent to England.
The fighting becomes so intense that Phillip and his mother board a ship to return to the United States
while his father stays in Willemstad at his job to help in fuel production. When Phillip’s ship is
torpedoed and sinks, he finds himself on a small raft with a black dockman named Timothy. Hours
later, Phillip awakens and realizes he is
blind as a result of a head injury. He must
learn to work with Timothy in order to
survive with very little food and water.
As the raft floats to a small cay, a new
stage of adventure begins. Timothy’s
ingenuity as a survivor and provider leads
Phillip to respect and trust him. Although
he is blind, Phillip learns to fish and gather
food to survive on the cay. Together they
make plans to attract attention if airplanes
are out looking for them.
Timothy protects Phillip when the cay is
ravaged by a hurricane, but when the storm
is over, Timothy is dead. Phillip survives
alone until he is finally rescued by
American sailors. It has been over four
months since the ship he left Willemstad on
sank. Phillip is reunited with his parents
and eventually returns to live in the Dutch
islands. His experiences on the cay with
Timothy have changed his outlook on life
in many ways.
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
7
#447 The Cay
The Cay
Vocabulary Lists
On this page are vocabulary lists which correspond to each section of chapters. Vocabulary activity
ideas can be found on page 9.
Section 1
alabaster
cleats
hurricane
pilot boat
stern
destroyer
mutiny
pitch
stubborn
ballast
(Chapters 1–3)
distilled
Nazi
pontoon bridge
submarine
U-boat
calypso
flimsy
oil refinery
schooner
tanker
channel
hinged
parched
sextant
torpedo
doused
haze
scan
triangle
cay
clump
drone
ignore
shudder
crowing
patient
smoldering
vines
dawn
miserable
rare
squall
weaving
convince
echo
hagged
skate
treacherous
coral
faint
keg
slope
voodoo
fury
lee
rattle
swirl
debris
groped
jab
receded
tatters
Section 2
anxiously
gasping
langosta
spicy
biscuit
Denmark
glare
Panama
steel
bucking
(Chapters 4–7)
dishearten
harass
plunge
tensely
clammy
Section 3
bamboo
driftwood
murmur
reef
stubborn
carnival
funnel
mussels
satisfaction
supports
(Chapters 8–10)
catchment
hum
palm fronds
scorpions
urchins
Section 4
abrupt
damp
foundations
melon
sinkers
bearing
dependent
grindstone
salvage
stranded
(Chapters 11–14)
cane
diameter
harsh
shocked
tethered
Section 5
bleat
described
gusted
locate
scallop
#447 The Cay
burrow
flayed
howl
limp
screech
(Chapters 15-19)
frame
inspect
moray eel
slithering
consciousness
8
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
The Cay
Vocabulary Activities Ideas
You can help your students learn and retain the vocabulary in The Cay by providing them with
interesting vocabulary activities. Here are a few ideas.
the meaning of words before checking a dictionary helps students to remember
❏ Guessing
meanings and gives them confidence in their own independent abilities. As you pronounce the
words on the list in your introductory lesson, ask students to tell you the meanings of words they
already know. Ask them to use the words in sentences to show understanding of the meanings.
Do this activity orally so that students can learn from each other in a cooperative rather than
competitive atmosphere.
of all ages like to make and solve puzzles. Ask your students to make their own
❏ People
definitions. Divide the class into groups of two to five students. Have students make two sets of
cards the same size and color. On one set of cards have them write the vocabulary words. On the
second set of cards have them write the definitions. All cards are mixed together, placed face
down on a table, and numbered sequentially. A player picks two cards. If the pair matches the
word with its definition, the player keeps the cards and takes another turn. If the cards do not
match, they are returned to their places face down on the table, and another player takes a turn.
Players must concentrate to remember the locations of words and their definitions. The game
continues until all matches have been made. You can ask students to make a set to take home to
play concentration with their parents.
your students practice their writing skills by creating sentences and paragraphs in which
❏ Have
multiple vocabulary words are used correctly. Ask them to share their compact vocabulary
sentences and paragraphs with the class.
your students to create paragraphs which use the vocabulary words to present science and
❏ Ask
geography lessons that relate to the events mentioned in the story.
Challenge your students to use a specific vocabulary word from the story at least ten times in one
❏ day.
They must keep a record of when, how, and why the word was used.
20 Clues with the entire class. In this game, one student selects a vocabulary word and gives
❏ Play
clues about this word, one by one, until someone in the class can guess the word.
❏ Play vocabulary charades. In this game, vocabulary words are acted out.
You probably have many more ideas to add to this list. Try them!
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
9
#447 The Cay
SECTION 1: Chapters 1–3
The Cay
Quiz
1. On the back of this paper, write a one-paragraph summary of the major events in each chapter of
this section. Then complete the rest of the questions on this page.
2. In the beginning of the story, why are the residents of Willemstad worried and fearful?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. Why have the Germans come to these islands all the way from Europe? What do they want?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
4. What is Phillip’s father’s job at the refinery?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
5. Why doesn’t Phillip’s mother particularly like it in Willemstad?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
6. Where are Phillip and his mother attempting to go to escape the threat of the Germans? Why do
they choose to go there instead of somewhere else?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
7. What happens that prevents Phillip and his mother from reaching their destination?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
8. Who is Phillip’s shipmate at sea? Describe him.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
9. From what you have read so far about Phillip’s mother, how do you think she might feel about
Timothy?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
10. Describe Phillip’s feelings toward Timothy when they are on the raft.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
#447 The Cay
10
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.