Activity 1: Recite the Book Information
- Recite the name of the author, the title of the book, and the title of the chapter.
Activity 2: Narrate the Story
- Narrate the events aloud in your own words.
Activity 3: Study the Story Picture(s)
- Study the story picture(s) and verbally describe the relation to the story.
Activity 4: Map the Story
- The Admiral Benbow is located in England near a coast with small coves backed with cliffs.
- Find England (southern part of the largest United Kingdom island) on the map of the world.
Activity 5: Act Out a Passage
Sing Billy Bone's sea chanty, 'Dead Man's Chest,' with your best pirate swagger.
- Fifteen men on the dead man's chest—
- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
- Drink and the devil had done for the rest—
- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Activity 6: Read About 'Dead Man's Chest'
- For many years, no one knew what Stevenson meant by his sea song, 'Dead Man's Chest.'
- 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.
Activity 7: Read About the Real 'Admiral John Benbow'
John Benbow was a real historical nautical figure, born in 1653 and died in 1702.
- John Benbow was an admiral in England's Royal Navy.
- He gained infamy fighting against the French as well as pirates.
- He was also known for meting justice against a group of his captains for insubordination.
- Admiral Benbow died in Jamaica from a wound to his leg.
See a portrait of Admiral Benbow (center) by Thomas Murray. Benbow is flanked by Thomas Phillips (left) and Sir Ralph Delaval (right).
Activity 8: Complete Written Narration
- Click the crayon above, and complete page 4 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'
Activity 9: Complete Copywork and Dictation
- Click the crayon above, and complete pages 4-5 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'
Activity 10: Color the Image
- Click the crayon above, and complete page 5 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'
Activity 11: Answer Written Review Questions
- Click the crayon above, and complete page 6 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'