I really enjoyed reading about how the Pirate unit was presented to students. I absolutely love the idea of a Dictionary for Piratical and Nautical Terms. Pirate lingo is not always the easiest to understand. In order to teach students about pirates, and give them accurate historical information, words used during that time period are part of it. Having students develop their own dictionary for piratical and nautical terms, to me, is key in helping them learn about pirates and have fun doing it. A Pirate-Diary Notebook is also a great way to engage students while learning about pirates. Finding out what students know, or think they know, about pirates before you start the unit will help you, as the teacher, clear up any misconceptions or information that is not true in its entirety. For example, people who have seen movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean or Hook, may have misconceptions about pirates. Pirates are often misrepresented in movies, and students need to be given accurate information when learning about pirates. However, the article states, “Pairing fiction and nonfiction is an effective method of enhancing students’ reading comprehension, boosting students’ interest and engagement, and expanding their knowledge and imagination” (Frye 16). I totally agree. Students do not just want to know facts. They want to hear stories about pirates, and not all the stories they read should be just factual. I feel that the stories they read should be historically accurate, but the story within the history should engage readers.
The activities described in Swashbuckling Adventures on the High Seas are really quite helpful. I feel that all the activities listed are engaging and will help students understand and process the information. Double-Entry Diaries will also help the teacher get inside the minds of his/her students. I think that it is very important to give your students engaging books to read. Having students read books that are not interesting and engaging, will often discourage children from reading books. I also like the idea of a data retrieval chart. Being able to have students organize their information while they are studying a unit, will help them understand the material and be able to pull it all together at the end.
conniewyant Said:
on February 9, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Megan, I thought that clearing up student’s misconceptions was a good idea, too. I was reading one of our pirate books to Charlie and was shocked when I read that a pirate ship was handled as a democracy! I think that as interesting as pirates are, that they do want to read about more than just the facts, as you mentioned.
heatheryar Said:
on February 9, 2010 at 6:56 pm
When I found out that most pirates didn’t look like the pirates in the movies and books I have read I was a little disappointed. I think that starting kids out on the right foot, and not giving them false information is important for all topics. I also agree that by engaging them with interesting material that they will stay interested.
Melissa Heller Said:
on February 9, 2010 at 7:51 pm
I am excited about DED’s! You are right, it really gives the instructor valuable insight to students’ thinking and is a window to their previous knowledge. I think this graphic organizer will also force kids to really think about what they are reading and what it means to them.
Chase Said:
on February 9, 2010 at 9:31 pm
I was exactly like you. I love the idea of the Dictionary for Piratical and Nautical Terms. Pirate lingo is difficult to understand and I think that having the students create their own Dictionary would help them understand the words more than just telling them the definitions. I like the idea of having the students draw illustrations in the Dictionary for some of the terms. I really hadn’t thought about the misconceptions children have about pirates until I read your post but that makes so much sense. There is a much different portrayal of pirates in the media than what they were actually like. That was a really good relationship you noted.