Pirates seem to spark the interest of many children. I feel that this article presented some very useful information. I agree that children should be shown fiction and nonfiction books that have the same theme. Children should know the correct history of pirates but yet still have the fictional books that allow their imagination to run wild. I think that too many times children are forced to grow up much to fast. They need to be able to read and discover books that encourage their imagination.
The Pirates Notebook is also a great ideal for students. Keeping a K-W-L and response journal would help students see how they have developed through the lesson and would also be an assessment tool for the teacher. I also like the fact that students kept a dictionary of their pirate words.
The combination of having students read fiction and nonfiction along with journals, web site exploration, and listening and watching a variety of pirate related material is an excellent way to spark the interest of students and have them to be fully engaged in the lesson at hand. The combining of these teaching strategies should meet the need of every child in the classroom and reach all learning styles.
The article Swashbuckling Adventures on the High Seas: Classroom Activities for a Unit on Pirates gives various and useful information for teachers to use in the classroom to help develop student’s knowledge of pirates.
Students do love pirates, don’t they? I am a little surprised by their fascination with them, but it is quite interesting. Mixing fiction and non-fiction is a great way to get children engaged and to clear up any misconceptions while still having fun!
You make an excellent point of reaching all learning styles and meeting the needs of every student!
By: Melissa Heller on February 10, 2010
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