Chrisi Kerley

I am harsh and dangerous.

I wonder who consumed the last of the rum.

I hear waves crashing against Queen Anne’s.

I see enemy ships in the distance.

I intimidate by lighting cannon fuses in my hair.

I am harsh and dangerous.

I pretend to accept the governor’s pardon.

I feel my stomach grumbling.

I touch long, stringy pigtails in my beard.

I worry about life in 1718.

I cry at the thought of life on land.

I am harsh and dangerous.

I understand the difficulties of pirate life.

I say I will one day retire.

I dream of seeking revenge with Lieutenant Maynard.

I try to conquer enemies throughout the Caribbean.

I hope to be remembered.

I am harsh and dangerous.

Buccaneers DRC

Blackbeard DRC

Double Entry Diary

Jake Carpenter was a young man, about ten years old, who decided to embark on an adventure with his Uncle Will.  The diary includes many descriptions of day-to-day pirate life.  The diary is easy to read and would keep students interested.  Students will be interested also to hear what life at sea was like for a child close to their age.  It was interesting to me that Jake made what seemed to be a small mistake–losing a bucket overboard–and Uncle Will took his flogging for him.  Not only was Will flogged, he was also sent overboard on a small boat, never to be seen again.  This book’s approach to providing piratical information was intriguing, yet informational.  I plan to use Pirate Diary:  The Journal of Jake Carpenter in my future classroom.

I am harsh and dangerous.

I wonder where the Queen Anne’s Revenge will take me next.

I hear prisoners pleading.

I see enemy ships in the distance.

I want others to fear me.

I am harsh and dangerous.

I pretend to accept the governor’s pardon.

I feel the pain my crew endures.

I touch long, stringy pigtails in my beard.

I worry about life in 1718.

I cry at the thought of life on land.

I am harsh and dangerous.

I understand the difficulties of pirate life.

I say I will one day retire.

I dream of seeking revenge with Lieutenant Maynard.

I try to conquer enemies throughout the Caribbean.

I hope to be remembered.

I am harsh and dangerous.

(Rough Draft)

What If You Met a Pirate? is a wonderful book for the classroom.  I love the question and answer format.  This format makes the book a great resource for kids.  Students do not have to sit down and read the entire book, they can look at the question headings and read just the information that is relevant for them.  I also love that the questions in the book are real, practical, interesting questions that kids would actually be interested in knowing.  Where could you find a pirate if you needed one?  What did pirates do all day?  How did pirates attack?  All of these questions spark students’ interest in the study of pirates.  The language and answers in the book are also easy to read and understand, which is another benefit of this book.  Terms are explained in an easy to understand and interesting way. 

Image from:  http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/pirate-9.jpg

After completing the internet workshop on pirates, I believe implementing this workshop into the classroom is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom.  I like that the teacher has bookmarked sites for students to go to so that they are not using a search engine and pulling up random information which may or may not be accurate.  I also think it is great that students can use the DRC to compare websites information.  There were some discrepencies between the websites and it is important for students to learn how to evaluate those.  I plan to use internet workshops in my future classroom. 

Image from:  http://www.plu.edu/~ashcracn/computer.jpg

The Not-So-Jolly Roger is a fun story of three friends who traveled back in time and had an adventure with Blackbeard.  Using this book in a classroom is an exciting way to introduce students to Blackbeard and a unit on pirates.  This was not a difficult read and would keep students interested.  Using books like The Not-So-Jolly Roger in a classroom setting is important so that students can be engaged in social studies and learn to enjoy reading about history and reading in general.  I am excited to see what the rest of the piratical unit holds.

Image from:  http://home.eduhi.at/teacher/rausch/mystuff/wreck.lg.map.jpg