The “Unsinkable” Titanic SUMMARY This book tells the story of the Titanic, from how it was conceptualized and built, through the fatal night when it sank in freezing waters on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic LESSON VOCABULARY cramped interior robotic sonar debris ooze sediment INTRODUCE THE BOOK INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR Discuss with students the title and the author of The “Unsinkable” Titanic Based on the title, ask students to describe the image they get of what the book will be about—especially before they look at the illustrations Ask students to talk about what we can learn from studying disasters of the past BUILD BACKGROUND Discuss what students know about the Titanic Have them tell about what they know Ask if they have read books about it or if they saw the movie Ask them to talk about new things they would like to learn about the Titanic PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES As students preview the book, the photos and illustrations of the Titanic will probably immediately attract their attention Suggest that students also notice the diagrams, captions, and section headings READ THE BOOK SET PURPOSE Have students set a purpose for reading The “Unsinkable” Titanic Students’ interest in the sinking of the Titanic or other maritime disasters should guide this purpose To generate interest, suggest that students follow the history of a particular individual on the Titanic 96 5.5.2 MAIN IDEA ASK QUESTIONS STRATEGY SUPPORT: ASK QUESTIONS As students read about the Titanic, suggest they make a list of questions Suggest they leave a space by each question When they finish the book, invite them to decide what kind of questions they have generated Suggest they label each question with one of the following categories: Before Reading Questions, During Reading Questions, After Reading Questions Students may want to take one of their questions as a jumping off point for a writing assignment later COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS PAGE Why were Frank Goldsmith and his parents and neighbors traveling on the Titanic? (They were leaving England to sail to New York and then to Michigan to start a new life.) PAGE How did White Star Chairman Bruce Ismay plan to get rid of all competition for the North Atlantic route? (He planned to build a huge luxury ship that could save money by carrying more people than any other ship.) PAGE What were the new safety features of the Titanic? (a double-bottomed frame divided into sixteen sections and said to be watertight, and wireless communication) PAGE What were some luxury features of the Titanic? (baths, gym, libraries, heated swimming pool, cafes, crystal chandeliers, grand staircase, darkroom, four-poster beds, fireplaces) PAGE 10 Why was it hard to spot icebergs on the night of April 14, 1912? (There was no moon and the seas were calm.) PAGE 14 What happened to third-class passengers? (They were kept below until most of the lifeboats had already been launched.) The “Unsinkable” Titanic 16911_LRD_TG_096-097 96 11/17/05 8:57:08 AM REVISIT THE BOOK READER RESPONSE Possible response: The sidebar gives specific details of the Titanic’s design, construction, and size Possible response: Were the Titanic’s features overrated? (Yes, some faeiled.) Was the ship’s appearance overvalued? (Yes, too much focus on it cost lives.) Adjective Possible response: He gave me a stern look as he told me about the dangers of the ship Possible response: They wanted to calm the frightened passengers EXTEND UNDERSTANDING As students look at the picture of the ship and the iceberg on page 13, ask them why they think the Titanic sank so quickly Ask students to discuss in pairs what they think the main idea of the book is and look for information from the book to support their main idea Have them tell their main idea to the class RESPONSE OPTIONS WRITING Suggest that students write a news report about the sinking of the Titanic Have them write two paragraphs about the events that happened Challenge them to include information about what happened and why SCIENCE CONNECTION Students can learn more about the expedition to find the Titanic or about icebergs by researching on the Internet or going to the library Suggest they learn more about the size of icebergs, how they form, and why they present such a danger to ships Skill Work TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY To reinforce the meaning of sonar, read the first paragraph on page 20 Ask students to say what they think sonar is If they are not sure, have them look the word up in a dictionary Continue in a similar fashion with the remaining vocabulary words TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY MAIN IDEA As students read through this book, have them look for the main idea Encourage them to decide if the main idea is stated or whether it must be inferred Suggest they write a paragraph about what they think is the main idea of this selection ASK QUESTIONS Remind students that to ask questions means to generate good questions about important text information Skilled readers generate questions before, during, and after reading Remind students that asking questions as they read can help them identify the main idea Have them write “What is the main idea?” on a piece of paper Suggest they take notes as they read to try to answer this question Have students dictate three questions about the selection to other students Have them work together to find the answers to the questions Then have them present their questions and answers in pairs ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION CAUSE AND EFFECT Remind students that cause is why something happened Effect is what happened Explain that sometimes clue words such as because, so, and since indicate a relationship between why something happened and what happened Remind them also that sometimes there can be multiple causes for something and one effect, or one single cause and multiple effects Invite students to make a chart with two columns Label one column Why Something Happened, and the other column What Happened Encourage them to fill in the chart as they read the selection The “Unsinkable” Titanic 16911_LRD_TG_096-097 97 97 11/17/05 8:57:09 AM The “Unsinkable” Titanic Name Main Idea • The main idea is the most important idea about a topic • The author may state the main idea Sometimes, however, readers must figure out the main idea and point to details that support the main idea Directions Fill in the graphic organizer below Main Idea: The Titanic was built to be but after running into an iceberg, it Subhead: Safety Features Subhead: Why the Titanic Sank © Pearson Education Subhead: Floating Palace , 98 16911_LRD_TG_098-099 11/17/05 8:57:49 AM The “Unsinkable” Titanic Name Vocabulary Directions Read each sentence Write the word from the box that correctly fits in the sentence Look for other words in the sentence to help you understand the contextual meaning of the word Some words may be used more than once Check the Words You Know cramped robotic debris sediment The Titanic’s luxurious the first-class passengers paid interior sonar ooze must have been worth the large amount of money Many immigrants were packed into the ship’s quarters below the decks Objects from the Titanic became stuck in the slimy of the ocean’s floor After the ship sank, people in the freezing water were screaming for help, and pieces of wood were floating everywhere and other Scientist Robert D Ballard used Ballard also used a remote-controlled pictures, once the wreckage was located to locate the underwater wreckage submarine to take underwater The submarine finally found the hull of the ship at 13,000 feet, buried in the mud and © Pearson Education Directions Write a paragraph about the Titanic Use as many vocabulary words as you can 99 16911_LRD_TG_098-099 99 1/12/06 9:44:10 AM ... and the other column What Happened Encourage them to fill in the chart as they read the selection The Unsinkable Titanic 16911_LRD _TG_ 096-097 97 97 11/17/ 05 8 :57 :09 AM The Unsinkable Titanic. .. 16911_LRD _TG_ 098-099 11/17/ 05 8 :57 :49 AM The Unsinkable Titanic Name Vocabulary Directions Read each sentence Write the word from the box that correctly fits in the sentence Look for other words in the. .. about the expedition to find the Titanic or about icebergs by researching on the Internet or going to the library Suggest they learn more about the size of icebergs, how they form, and why they