I really enjoyed reading the articles because it showed me ideas that will help me draw in my students attention and comprehension when doing a social studies unit. I completely agree with the fact that usuing a fictional story book along with a nonfictional story book will help teach the lesson, because the fictional story could be about a 8 year old boy’s life during piracy and the students could relate to, connect with the character and the storyline; putting themselves in his shoes. I also like how some of the fictional books have “notes to the reader” to tell nothing but the facts about the true event in which the story mocks. I also really liked the KWL technique and hope to use it a lot in my own teachings. I believe it helps students organize their thoughts, gain interest in the topic and teaches them responsibility.
I also really enjoyed reading about different activities you can use for a lesson on pirates. My favorite was making the wanted poster for a specific pirate. I believe this would be a great way for students to do research, learn important information and explore their creativity. It would also pave the way for a group discussion and presentations that will catch the students attention. I thought the pirate diary was a neat idea as well. I would have my students write an entry a week about an even we were learning about, for instance, if we were learning about shipwrecks that week their entry would be about them being on a boat that was about to wreck.