These articles are great! Prior to reading these articles, I had never considered incorporating a pirate unit into my classroom. I think this is a wonderful idea though! I think that students will be very intrigued by the types of activities that are involved in this unit.
It is very useful to combine nonfiction and fiction texts. Students will be able to access factual information from the nonfiction texts that will lead them to a better understanding of the fictional text. The fictional text will engage students in an interesting story. This story has the ability to “bring to life” the unit!
The writing activities in which students participate are also very helpful to their critical thinking skills. The Double Entry Diaries will help with reading comprehension, and the data retrieval charts help to add a personal element to vocabulary words.
This unit integrates social studies, reading and writing. I think this is a wonderful unit and I definitely hope to incorporate this into my classroom one day. I think that it would engage both boys and girls. It will also help to address possible misconceptions that students have developed about piracy throughout their lives.
