Sign up to join the Ship Atlantic.
Write a short story about signing up to go on the Ship Atlantic's 1845 whaling voyage. Decide your position on the crew, what you will take with you, how you feel about joining the crew, and any other details which compliment your story. Use your imagination within the context of what you're learning about the historical setting.
Common Core Connections
Writing, Grades 3-5
Standard 3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Writing, Grades 6-12
Standard 3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well structured event sequences.
As you read this contract, fill out the Document Analysis worksheet located in the sidebar. As you read further into the contract, do you find your answers change? Allow students to analyze the letter as though they are detectives, taking time to figure out more and more information about the author and subjects.
Common Core State Standards Connections
Reading for Informational Text, Grades 3-5
Standard 1 – Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Standard 2 – Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
Speaking and Listening, Grades 3-5
Standard 1 – Engage in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Standard 2 – Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Speaking and Listening, Grades 6-12
Standard 1 – Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Standard 4 – Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
Reading for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6-12
Standard 1 – Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the evidence.
Standard 2 – Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.