English component: Learners wrote stories about themselves, the program and the community. They visited the local hamlet office and collected information about their community. They included maps of the north and Canada, incorporating Social Studies. They spent several classes writing and also spent time experimenting which bottles they would use, how they would seal them, and how and where they would launch them etc. They needed to experiment a bit on what type of sealing they would use to keep the bottles air tight and on how much material they could stuff into the bottle.
In order to launch their bottles, the learners had to research someone to take all of them on a boat and they needed to know that the person taking them knew where they should launch them so that the bottles would have the best possible chance of making their way out to sea and to some exotic place.
After much preparation they were set to launch the bottles. They also decided that since they would be close to Marble Island they would make it a real adventure by stopping at the island and having tea. They also researched the history of Marble Island and even saw the sunken ship in the channel!
On a beautiful crisp, sunny fall day, they launched 11 bottles into the waters between Marble Island and Rankin Inlet. According to their guide it was the place to launch. One by one they threw their bottles and watched their hopes bob in the choppy waters of Hudson Bay. They saw them carried out to the open water. Each bottle contained a message, and in the message a little hope that someone would pluck them from the sea and contact them.
Note: About two years later someone in James Bay found one of the bottles and contacted the learner. They were not only surprised but also thrilled that one of the bottles had been found!