The Titanic: A Comprehensive Unit

UPDATE: The video for the video field trip was recently privatized on YouTube. Please copy and paste the url to access the backup download in Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/znyu3kbjpvvto6x/Titanic-%20How%20It%20Really%20Sank.mp4?dl=0

Our standards are more challenging than ever, and it seems that there is never enough time to teach everything we are supposed to cover. Therefore, we need engaging lessons that cover multiple standards in a short time frame. This is why I have created this comprehensive unit on the Titanic disaster.

In this unit, students will build background knowledge by going on a video field trip. They will learn to recognize chronological text structure as they read about the Titanic. Next, students will analyze the text to determine how one part of the story affects the overall outcome. They will also engage in critical thinking as they determine how the outcome would change if individual components had been different. Finally, they will write an evaluative essay in which they decide who or what is to blame for the Titanic tragedy.

Here’s what’s included in this 2-3 week unit:

•The standards addressed in this unit in student friendly language; standards are in English and Spanish so that you can easily display them in your room (Standards R1, R3, and R5) (FREE GIFT INCLUDED IN THIS UNIT)

•A link to a National Geographic video about the Titanic

•Note-taking page for students to record information about the factors that contributed to the sinking of the ship

*An exit slip to quickly assess student knowledge after the video

*A blank exit slip to use throughout the unit

•A link to the story entitled Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard

•A timeline for students to fill out so that they understand chronological text structure (Differentiated so that all students can experience success)

•An original Word Work direct instruction video (12:35) that teaches students to break down words in order to understand their meaning (PowerPoint also included)

•An accompanying note-taking page and visual representation activity to go along with the Word Work

•A story analysis designed for the interactive notebook in which students examine the individual factors that contributed to the tragedy; contains a critical thinking component about how the story would change if each factor were different (Differentiated to meet student needs); video instructions included (12:09)

•An evaluative writing piece in which students determine who is to blame for the tragedy with an accompanying writing frame to help struggling writers, an exemplar essay, and video instructions (8:02 min)

•Answer keys and grading rubrics

This unit takes students through the various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy in order to meet the requirements of our rigorous standards. The unit aligns with both Common Core and the new Indiana Academic Standards for Reading.

SAVE 36% WHEN YOU PURCHASE THE COMPREHENSIVE UNIT VS. EACH ITEM INDIVIDUALLY!

The Video Field Trip and exit tickets are a free resource in my store. You can grab it here: The Titanic: A Video Field Trip

The other components included in this unit are also available in my store:

Using The Titanic to Teach Chronological Text Structure

Word Work: Understanding Words from The Titanic

Piece by Piece: A Titanic Analysis

You Be the Judge: Who is to Blame for the Titanic Disaster?

Enjoy!

For the Love of the Children

~Jacqueline Miller

Copyright 2014

The Titanic: A Comprehensive Unit by Jacqueline R. Miller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.