The Burgess family were lighthouse keepers, responsible for maritime safety of many sea craft and sailors. Research 19th century lighthouses and draw a diagram of what the interior looked like. Label each room and part in the signal tower.
Discuss the thoughts and feelings that Abbie must have had at various points of the story, such as when she had to rescue the chickens to save her family's food supply. Tell them to pretend they are Abbie and write a journal entry explaining what is going on in your mind at any given point in the story.
After reading about Abbie's courage, ask students to bring in news stories of other children displaying great courage in difficult circumstances. Have each one write the story of the courageous child that she brought in. Mount them for a bulletin board display or create a class anthology of brave young heroes.
Abbie's father sails away in a ship to get supplies but the ship cannot sail through the storm to return as soon as expected. Students who are fascinated with maritime lore and ships may enjoy the challenge of making a ship in a bottle. Your local hobby shop will have kits with detailed instructions for a beginner.
Have students listen to sections of two or three classical music compositions. Explain that music expresses what a composer is thinking and feeling about a certain subject and if you listen carefully, you can get a picture in your head of what the music is saying or illustrating. Cathy Orndorff, Connie Williams and Carol Young of Wiles Hill School suggest letting students listen to Debussy's La Mer and ask each one to draw the picture of the sea that comes to mind when he hears this music. Ask students to identify parts of the music that sound like the storm that Abbie and her family had to face.
Discuss how courage requires a person to be adaptable and willing to do whatever needs to be done to help when faced with unexpectedly dangerous circumstances. Just like you can mold cookie dough into various shapes, a courageous person will mold her actions to the circumstance so as to be of the greatest service to others. Provide each student with a lump of sugar cookie dough and let him mold it into a lighthouse shape. Bake the cookies according to the recipe. Let the children eat the cookies while you read "Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie."