Poets of Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme    

Lesson 21: Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Performer: Librivox - Adrian Praetzellis

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

• Read or listen to the poem.
• Review the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the poet.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

The poem is a sea song from Robert Louis Stevenson's book 'Treasure Island.' For many years, no one knew what Stevenson meant by the song. The hypothesis offered in "Geographical", a publication of the Royal Geographical Society, is that the famous pirate Blackbeard marooned his misbehaving crew on the island of Dead Man's Chest in the British Virgin Islands [1]. Blackbeard gave each crew member a bottle of rum and a sword. The island had little water or food. Blackbeard hoped the men would die, but when Blackbeard returned thirty days later, fifteen the men were still alive.

Vocabulary

Dead Man's Chest: An island in the British Virgin Islands.
Yo-ho-ho: A seaman's chant used while hauling ropes or performing other strenuous work.

Concepts

1. Robert Louis Stevenson was born in 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Stevenson's birth country (UK) on the map of Europe below.

3. Although his family was in the business of engineering lighthouses, Stevenson wanted to write from an early age.
4. Stevenson spent much of his life traveling around the world.
5. In addition to poetry, Stevenson wrote famous books such as 'Treasure Island', 'Kidnapped', and 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.'
6. Stevenson died in 1894 at the age of 44 in the Samoan Islands.
7. Zoom in and find the Samoan Islands (Samoa) on the map of Oceania in the South Pacific below.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

• Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem.

Activity 2: Can You Find It?

Zoom in and find the following in the poem's picture:

• Shovel
• Treasure Chest
• Barrels
• Daggers
• Fighting Pirates
• Spectator Pirates
• Red Sashes
• Ocean
• Sand
• Moon
• Tree

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

After reading or listening to the poem, narrate the poem events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 23 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Activity 5: Map the Poem

• Dead Man's Chest is an island in the Virgin Islands.
• Zoom in on the map of the Caribbean below, and find the Virgin Islands.

Activity 6: Play Pirate Hide-and-Seek

• Have each person secretly hide a 'treasure' in or near your home and draw a map to the treasure. Make sure people do not know where other people's treasures are hidden.
• 'Treasure' might be anything: a toy, a baggie of pennies, etc.
• Exchange maps, and see who can follow their map to find their treasure.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest.'

1 / 5

Question 2

What is the name of the poet who wrote 'Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest?'

2 / 5

Answer 2

The name of the poet is Robert Louis Stevenson.

2 / 5

Question 3

What happens in the poem?

3 / 5

Answer 3

The poem describes the fates of the men who the pirate Blackbeard marooned on Dead Man's Chest island.

3 / 5

Question 4

Where does the poem take place?

4 / 5

Answer 4

The poem takes place on Dead Man's Chest island.

4 / 5

Question 5

Who are the characters in the poem?

5 / 5

Answer 5

The characters are the marooned men who survived and those who perished on Dead Man's Chest island.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest.'
2. What is the name of the poet who wrote 'Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest?' The name of the poet is Robert Louis Stevenson.
3. What happens in the poem? The poem describes the fates of the men who the pirate Blackbeard marooned on Dead Man's Chest island.
4. Where does the poem take place? The poem takes place on Dead Man's Chest island.
5. Who are the characters in the poem? The characters are the marooned men who survived and those who perished on Dead Man's Chest island.

References

'Why 15 men sat on a Dead Man’s Chest.' Long John Silver Trust. http://www.longjohnsilvertrust.co.uk/deadmanschest.php. n.p.

'Robert Louis Stevenson.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.