The I Survived books by Lauren Tarshis are widely known as a favorite among elementary and middle school students. These popular historical fiction novels center around a child who experiences and survives, first-hand, a disaster or catastrophe from history. The novels blend exciting adventure stories with factual accounts of major events, as the main character must use quick thinking, courage, and resiliency in the face of disaster. .
Why Teachers Love Using “I Survived” Books in the Classroom
Each book tells a captivating story of survival as the main character, a child (much like the reader), must endure a real historical natural disaster, or a war, or perhaps a misfortune like the sinking of the Titanic. Students are enamored with the exciting events, and they’re able to learn history along the way. Students find it fascinating to imagine what it would be like to live during a tumultuous time. Teachers love that students enjoy reading, but also that history is made engaging and accessible in an interesting and age-appropriate way.
Benefits of Using “I Survived” Books for Project-Based Learning
With 25 books in the series and 14 graphic novel versions of the books, students have a large variety of historical topics they can learn about, from the tragic Blizzard of 1888 that ravaged the Dakotas to the California Wildfires of 2018. The graphic novels have especially risen to popularity as the riveting events are captured in vivid images with intriguing dialogue that brings the historical tale to life in vibrant ways.
If you have not added the I Survived books to your classroom library or utilized them as a novel study, book club, independent book project, or read-aloud, we highly recommend it. The books blend history, literacy, and science in a gripping way. At the end of each novel, Lauren Tarshis also includes a nonfiction piece that details and explains the factual history behind the book. Students can compare and contrast how the author blends real history with fictional characters. The sky’s the limit for what students can learn with these books.
6 Engaging I Survived Book Projects & Activities for Students
We have curated a list of 6 activities and projects students can complete after reading these novels. Check them out here!
#1 Infographic Project for I Survived Books
Using Infographics to Build Comprehension and Research Skills
With all the real historical and scientific facts present in the I Survived books, students learn a plethora of information. Why not summarize and analyze that knowledge and present it in an infographic?
Infographics are an enjoyable alternative to a research report. As many students are visual learners, infographics really capitalize on the way students learn, because the reader has to gather images and pictures that match the facts they are presenting.
When completing an infographic for an I Survived book, blend the facts with the captivating tale. Students can focus on completing six sections about their book in an infographic: The Historical Event, the Main Character’s Story, The Setting, Major Obstacles & Challenges, Survival Skills & Strategies, and Themes & Big Lessons. An infographic can be completed on posterboard, on Canva, on Piktochart, or Google Slides.
In our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit, we have included a full infographic template, complete with research sheets, a guideline template, helpful organizers, and a rubric. If you’ve never utilized an infographic project before in your classroom, buckle up! They’ll soon become your new favorite option! Interested in the full project? Grab it here in our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit, full of activities that can be used with any I Survived book.
#2 Graphic Novel Writing Project for I Survived Books
How Graphic Novels Support Vocabulary and Visual Storytelling
Did you know that graphic novels contain a more extensive vocabulary than traditional children’s books? It’s just another reason to fully embrace graphic novels in the classroom, especially the I Survived versions. After reading an I Survived graphic novel or even the traditional books, students can summarize the major events and pivotal moments in a graphic novel of their own. Students can use speech bubbles, interjections, onomatopoeia, narration boxes, and visuals to bring the story to life in their graphic novel retelling.
Students can clearly show the disaster in thought-provoking scenes that capture the intensity of the plot in a graphic novel project. An activity such as this is wonderful for reluctant writers and visual learners. Also, if your student is enthusiastic about the project but reluctant about their drawing skills, Canva is just perfect for creating graphic novels and comics. Read more about how to use Canva Comics in the classroom here.
Interested in a full graphic novel project that can be used with any I Survived book? Grab it here in our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit.
#3 Survival Backpack Project for I Survived Books
Encouraging Critical Thinking Through Real-World Survival Scenarios
Hindsight is 20/20, and many of the main characters learn this tidbit after they survive a historical calamity. Task students with thinking about if they were the character and they survived a catastrophe, what would they wish they had with them to survive? What items would have been helpful during the disaster they endured? What if the main character could have prepared a backpack full of these items? Students can use logical reasoning, creativity, and research into the specific disaster to come up with a backpack full of helpful survival gear.
In this project, there are a variety of options. Students can pack a real-life backpack full of 10 items that would help them survive a specific disaster presented in their book. They can draw a large backpack on a posterboard and draw or print out images of the items they would pack in it. Students can create a Slides presentation with images of their items as well, or even use a provided template to create their survival backpack.
Next, students write a 1-sentence label and caption describing each item contained in their backpack, in addition to a paragraph explaining, in detail, how these items would help someone survive a disaster.
Interested in this project? It’s included in our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit. Complete with a backpack template, guidelines, instructions, a writing piece, and a rubric.
#4 Survival Guide Writing Activity for I Survived Books
Teaching Informational Writing Through Disaster Preparedness
In conjunction with the above project, or independent of it, students can write a full Survival Guide or Manual. Students imagine that after the main character has survived the disaster detailed in the book, they must write a survival guide to help others live through such a catastrophe if it were to happen again. They are tasked with writing a survival guide that will assist anyone if they happen to be stranded in the specific disaster from the book. Students can use the novel, the internet, and other nonfiction books to gather facts that will help them write their survival guide. Their survival guide should have the following important details:
- How to Recognize the Disaster
- Warning Signs
- What to Include in a Survival Backpack
- Survival Rules
- What the Character Did Right (and Wrong)
- Emergency Plan
Students practice a variety of standards with this project, such as critical thinking, problem solving, synthesizing information, and connecting literature to real-world application, to name a few.
We have this entire project in our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit. Grab it here!
#5 Time-Traveling Poster Activity for I Survived Books
Creative Writing Meets History and Critical Thinking
In this unique project, students imagine that they are a time traveler who knows the disaster, that is in their I Survived book, is about to happen. Their job is to warn people living during that time by creating a warning poster that includes:
- The historical event and date
- Signs that the disaster is coming
- Safety instructions people should follow
- Colorful illustrations or diagrams
- A short explanation of why people might not believe the warning.
The engaging poster project can be completed with a template, posterboard, copy paper, or digitally on Google Slides or Canva. This activity is a fun one for students to complete as they are excited to be “time travelers” and must think outside of the box while using their creativity.
This activity, including graphic organizers and a rubric, is in our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit. Grab it here!
#6 STEM Disaster Demonstration for I Survived Books
Integrating Science, STEM, and Literacy Through Hands-On Learning
Many of the I Survived books are about natural disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, tsunamis, volcanoes, and more. Students can dive into the specific disaster written in their book to help them not only learn the science behind the catastrophe, but also create a demonstration of it, as well.
Scientists often use models and demonstrations to understand how natural disasters work. For this project, students can create a science demonstration that shows how the disaster in their book happens. The demonstration would help others see and understand the science behind the disaster. Students can work through the scientific method to create and explore their disaster demonstration, all while merging STEM with literacy.
This project is also included in our I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit.
Full I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit: 11 Activities for Students
I Survived Project-Based Learning Unit: 11 Projects/Activities
In our brand new unit, students can complete any of the above projects. Plus an additional 5 activities, after reading any of the I Survived books or graphic novels.
This project-based learning unit invites students to explore a survival story. They will examine the disaster, the character’s experience, and the real-world science behind it. Through creative and analytical projects, such as an infographic, newspaper article, comic book, scrapbook diary, survival guide, and STEM disaster demonstration, students examine the events from multiple perspectives.
As they research, design, write, and build, students strengthen comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills. They will also connect literature to science and real-world problem-solving. The variety of project choices allows students to showcase understanding in engaging ways while encouraging creativity and deeper learning.
Conclusion: Bringing I Survived Books to Life in Your Classroom
The I Survived series offers a powerful way to bring history, science, and literacy together in a format that truly captivates students. When paired with meaningful projects, these stories move beyond simple reading and become opportunities for students to analyze, create, research, and think critically about real events from the past.
Whether students are designing an infographic, building a disaster demonstration, or writing a survival guide, they are actively engaging with the story and the history behind it. If you’re looking for ways to deepen comprehension while keeping students excited about learning, add the I Survived book series to your classroom.
