Kon-Tiki, the record of Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 raft journey across the Pacific Ocean, is the focus of three classroom activities. In a lesson on connotation and bias language, class members record instances of Heyerdahl's word choice. Another activity has pupils build a model of the raft. A final seminar looks at the degree to which personal/cultural biases impact any investigation.

Concepts

bias, connotation, word choice, diction, polynesia, explorers

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Instructional Ideas

• Display the model rafts in the school library or common area
• Have groups research current theories on how people came to the Polynesian islands

Classroom Considerations

• Requires extra prep time to gather raft-building materials
• Presumes a culture is established to permit a safe and respectful discussion of sensitive issues
• Requires copies

Pros

• Includes rubrics for the raft model and the seminar discussion
• Provides detailed directions for each activity

Cons

• None