Story of the Samson by Kathleen Duble. 2008.

I’m a Seafarer

The story of the Samson by Duble, Kathleen Benner  eBook— Charlesbridge, 2008--910.4; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3 Sam's grandfather, once a sailor on the ship "The Samson," retells Sam the stories of his time at sea, including rescuing Shackleton's men and exploring Antarctica.

Rationale: For most of my students the sailing ships of a century ago are completely outside their realm of understanding. Though the curriculum for upper grades in my schools does not include a unit about transportation, much less sailing ships, I can incorporate a book like the Inspiration Book within other curriculum topics. I do just that within the unit for the Newbery book Carry on Mr. Bowditch that is about Nathaniel Bowditch a mathematical and astronomical genius of the early 1800s. We read Mr. Bowditch together (it’s difficult for individual reading for contemporary children) in 7th or 8th grade when the students are studying that period of history or when they do a unit on scientific advances or biographies of people of the era. In this Books Alive entry, I’ve included a quick one day activity to expand student vocabulary before reading the sea voyage chapters in Mr. Bowditch. During the Bowditch unit, I also read Sea Clocks aloud. This lesson is designed as a mini activity to use while reading Carry On Mr. Bowditch. It could, of course, be a stand alone seafaring vocabulary lesson.

Grades 5-8--I’m a Seafarer

Preparation: Either create a vocabulary worksheet or write each of the navigational terms below on a 5 x 8 note card. Several of the words are part of the vocabulary lesson in the PDF lesson plan for Carry on, Mr. Bowditch.

Sextant Celestial Navigation Compass Chronometer Rigging Mast Capstan Yard Poopdeck

Plumb Lines Chronometer Astrolabe Ship log or chip log Bow Quarterdeck Prow Halyard Forecastle (fo’c’sle)

Quadrant Sandglass Dead Reckoning Spyglass Keel Hull Boom Bowsprit Stern

A supply of dictionaries and/or addresses for online dictionaries.

Scan into a computer file the ship to be labeled and some of the equipment illustrations found in the Bowditch PDF below. OR Make paper copies of the ship to label from the Bowditch PDF below. OR Make a transparency of the two illustrations.

Computer lab with Internet access.

Make hot links for the following URLs

History of the Samson as the Hazy Gray http://www.hazegray.org/features/cityofny/

Dictionary  www.dictionary.com

Introduction: Mr. Bowditch was a navigator. While reading Mr. Bowditch, we’ve learned that he knows a lot about sailing, but do we? Today we’re going to read about a type of sailing ship that was common in Bowditch’s time, and one specific type of sailing ship and one specific ship, a ship originally named the Samson. Both the Samson captain and Mr. Bowditch used some of the navigational tools that I’ve written on note cards. Your first job is to find out what they were and what they were used for. Also, research what today's explorers use instead of these older navigational tools or how the same ones have improved over time. Use print dictionaries OR one of the online dictionaries. Write your notes on the cards. You may want to add an illustration.

(Randomly distribute word cards. Allow work time encouraging students to use paper and online dictionaries to get as complete definition as possible.)

Let’s take a look at some pictures of some of the equipment used “back in the day.” (Show digital file or transparency. Have students identify and discuss if the item was their vocabulary word. Show the digital file or transparency of the sailing ship to be labeled.) Many of the terms you defined are terms for a boat. Let’s try to label the boat parts. (Allow time again for students to identify their boat part and discuss its use and/or importance.)

A boat that had some of this equipment, just like Mr. Bowditch’s boat was the Samson. This is the Samson’s story. Learning about the boat equipment and parts should help us in our study of the Samson and Bowditch’s stories.

Read aloud:

The story of the Samson by Duble, Kathleen Benner  — Charlesbridge, 2008--910.4; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3 Sam's grandfather, once a sailor on the ship "The Samson," retells Sam the stories of his time at sea, including rescuing Shackleton's men and exploring Antarctica.

Teacher Resources:

Author’s personal website http://www.kathleenduble.com/

Book Activities http://kathleenduble.com/bookactivities/samson_act.html

Map Skills and Nathaniel Bowditch - Connecting ESSEX LINCs www.essexlincs.org/pdfs/teachermade/llutts.pdf The activities in this lesson plan fit into the fifth and eighth grade social studies unit ... The novel, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham is a fictional ..

Introducing Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Summary - Exodus Books https://www.exodusbooks.com/Samples/LLATL/1419BookStudy.pdf by J Latham - ‎Cited by 34 - ‎Related articles Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. Have you ever been tempted to give up because a task was difficult or seemed just impossible to do? Instead of getting frustrated, think ...

Other Titles for Display, Research, Browsing, and/or Check-out:

Whaleship Essex : disaster at sea (True Survival) by Loh-Hagan, Virginia — 45th Parallel Press, 2018 910.9164; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 1.8. Discusses the survival story of the crew from the Whaleship Essex after a whale destroyed their ship stranding them for over 90 days at sea. Includes survival tips.

Pirate ships ahoy! (Blazers: Pirates!) by Jenson-Elliott, Cynthia L( — Capstone Press, 2013 910.4; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 3.8. Ship ahoy! -- Types of pirate ships -- Tour through a ship -- Chases, battles, and escapes -- Ship shape. "Describes different types of pirate ships, how they were used, and how pirates kept their ships in good shape

Carry on, Mr. Bowditch by Latham, Jean Lee  — Houghton Mifflin, 1983--Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 4.1 A fictionalized biography of the mathematician and astronomer who realized his childhood desire to become a ship's captain and authored "The American Practical Navigator."

The Wanderer by Creech, Sharon — Joanna Cotler Books, c2000 p2002--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.2 Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in England.

Baggywrinkles : a lubber's guide to life at sea by Bellwood, Lucy — Elea Press, 2016. 910.4; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.5. An educational survey of maritime lore, built around cartoonist Lucy Bellwood's time aboard tall ships.

Sea clocks : the story of longitude by Borden, Louise — Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004--526; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.5 Presents an illustrated account of eighteenth-century Englishman John Harrison's forty-year quest to create a perfectly accurate sea clock that would allow sailors to measure longitude.

Sailors, whalers, fantastic sea voyages : an activity guide to North American sailing life by Petrillo, Valerie — Chicago Review Press, 2003--910.4; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.2 A guide to life on shore and on board sailing ships in the 19th century. Includes activities related to different aspects of sailing and trade.

Oliver's surprise : a boy, a schooner, and the Great Hurricane of 1938 by Cronin, Carol Newman — Gemma, 2009--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.4 Oliver decides to skip school and, missing his grandfather, hides in a old boat, only to wake up in 1938 when a hurricane is about to pummel the coast.

The Whydah : a pirate ship feared, wrecked, and found by Sandler, Martin W — Candlewick, 2017 910.4; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 8.3. Describes what happened when a slave ship packed with plunder was captured by pirates in 1717 then sunk by a brutal storm. Tells the story of the 1984 expedition to locate the wreck of The Whydah and what was uncovered. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.com