Investigating the Different Roles on a Ship

 

Goals:

  1. Students will use descriptions from a novel to develop an understanding of the different roles on a ship.
  2. Students will continue to develop research and teamwork skills.

Resources:

  1. Multiple copies of the novel, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi (1990, New York, Avon Books)
  2. Other information of various roles on a ship
      For example:
        Bearden, Bill & Wedertz, Bill (editors). [1978]. Blue Jackets' Manual. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute.
  3. Internet access
      Possible sites:
        http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/allhands/ah0297/feb-pg18.html
        http://www.dot.gov/dotinfo/uscg/ratings/bmrate.htm
        http://pc-78-120.udac.se:8001/WWW/Nautica/Personnel/Personnel.html

Time required for lesson:

Procedure:

  1. The novel should have been read and one chapter a day discussed in class.  Topics that should be covered may include points that the students found difficult to understand, parts they liked or disliked, or passages that they can relate to their own lives.  The format of the discussion should be as open as possible, so that the students feel free to open up to the class.
  2. Divide the students into teams of 3-5.
  3. The students will look through the novel and identify as many different roles on a ship as they can.  The students should write a short description of what they think these various roles entail based on the descriptions in the book.
  4. The various teams share what they have found in a class wide discussion.
  5. The teacher gives each group another role that is not found in the novel.  The group researches this role using the Internet and other resources.
  6. Each group teaches the rest of the class about the role they researched.  Some time should be spent on showing or suggesting to the students different teaching styles so that they can use these styles in their lessons.  Active learning techniques will have the most positive results, so encouragement along these lines may be appropriate.
  7. The teacher provides each student with a list summarizing the various roles.
  8. Each student picks a role out of a hat.
  9. After being allowed to prepare overnight, each student will act out the role he or she has been given.  Using their lists and acquired knowledge of the various roles, the other students must guess what role the student is acting out.

Assessment:

  1. Each group will turn in a list of roles and descriptions that they found while looking through the novel.  (Criteria for success: The list will include an X# of roles and descriptions.)
  2. Students will evaluate their team members' contributions to the group based on the rubric.  (Criteria for success: Each student participates in the group research and presentations as shown by the rubric scores.)
  3. Students will hand in a list of their guesses of the other students' roles.  (Criteria for success: Each student makes a reasonable attempt to guess the roles of the other students.)
  4. Each student acts out his or her role.  (Criteria for success: A reasonable attempt is made to act out the role.)

Subjects and Major Concepts Covered:

  1. Language Arts


    - Research
    - Looking for descriptions in novel
    - Role playing

  2. Social Studies


    - Investigation into different roles in sea life
    - Brief study of the history of life on a ship

Possible Extensions:

  1. Have each student pick a role and write a daily journal detailing the happenings in his or her life as a person in this role.
  2. Act out a scene from the novel giving students the different roles.

Back to Curriculum Outline

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