Pirates In The Classroom Teaching Curriculum Template (Page 3 of 3) in pdf

Pirates In The Classroom Teaching Curriculum Template Page 3

• Wastrel: A useless man

• Weigh anchor: Prepare to leave

• Yardarm: Extended from the mast and used to hang criminals or mutineers or, more

prosaically, to hoist cargo on board ship

3) Organize a ‘Treasure Hunt’ either in the classroom or on campus. The ‘treasure’ may be little

more than an envelope with some classroom currency or a bag of M&Ms, but it is the following of

directions and ‘clues’ that make this a fun and educational activity.

4) Visit a Maritime Museum or view a video on the history of seafaring. Have the students

invent their own pirate name or their own Jolly Roger. (There is a great deal of information on the Internet

about the individualized flags pirates flew)

5) Most pirate crews elected their captain. Talk about the ‘democratic’ process and see how it

applies to their community, school and classroom.

6) Discuss global positioning and how seafarers such as pirates used the same navigational

system that we use today. (longitude and latitude)

7) Have the students write and perform their own pirate play. This activity may involve outlining

a story, story boarding, costume design, set design and other theater skills.

8) Depending on the age of the students, there are a host of pirate crafts, everything from making

pirate hats from newspaper and ‘spyglasses’ from empty paper towel tubes to building actual telescopes,

or learning a variety of nautical knots.

But most of all, have fun. Coming at the beginning of the school year, Talk Like a Pirate Day allows

the students to see their teacher's playful side. This should not be viewed as a day wasted on silly

nonsense, but as a ‘teachable moment.’ The entire western hemisphere of the planet was settled by

people with a spirit of adventure and a quest for something new. They came here by sea and have relied

on the sea ever since. Be creative, take risks and above all, have fun.

Pirates In The Classroom Teaching Curriculum Template Page 3