Tough Boris by Mem Fox PreSchool

RESOURCES

Library List
Little Badger, Terror of the Seven Seas by Eve Bunting
Pirates Robbers of the High Seas by Gail Gibbons
Do Pirates Take Baths? by Kathy Tucker
Classic Starts: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pirate Pete's Giant Adventure by Kim Kennedy
The Everything Kids' Pirates Puzzle And Activity Book: Set Sail into a Treasure-trove of Fun! by Beth L. Blair
Pirate Things to Make And Do (Usborne) by Rebecca Gilpin
How I Became A Pirate by Melinda Long
The World of the Pirate by Val Garwood
You may also want to check out nonfiction books about parrots, pirates, eyes (eyesight), and dental hygiene

SOCIAL STUDIES ACTIVITIES

Introducing Pirates (parts taken from Pirates in the Park)
The wide western hemisphere of our world was explored and settled by adventure-filled people who were looking for something new. They came over the deep blue sea and have used the sea ever since. Pirates used these same seas to find adventure and wealth-- plundering and robbing other ships. Learn more about pirates and who they really were. The book selections I've chosen for this unit do stereotype pirates (find a lesson on stereotypes in Roger the Jolly Pirate), but I wanted to choose books that were appropriate for the younger set. Pirates were not nice guys, but that is not the main focus of this unit.

Pirate Clothes-- Much of the clothes pirates wore were obtained during attacks. The clothing worn was chosen for it’s comfort and durability, and ease of moving around and fighting. Kerchiefs were worn around a pirate’s head to keep out dirt and dust, and to catch sweat. Sashes, usually of red, were pirate trademarks. And every once in a while, a pirate did wear an eye patch to cover the damage done in some altercation.
Pirate Gear Prepared Page

Pirate Ships- Pirates used whatever ships they could steal, as long as they were fast. They especially preferred small fast ships that were easy to steer, so they could sneak up on their victims and get away fast. A picture of a pirate ship with parts labeled can be found by clicking here.

Gang Plank – A temporary bridge for passengers between a ship and land.
Helm – The steering apparatus of a ship.
Mainsail – The principal sail on a mainmast.
Mainmast – The second mast from the front of the ship (the bow).
Gunwale – The upper edge of the side of a ship.
Masts – A pole set upright in a ship to support the sails
Sails – A piece of material attached by ropes to a mast in a ship that catches the wind to help the ship propel forward.
Anchor – A heavy, hooked implement, usually of iron or steel that is attached to a cable and dropped from a ship to hold it in place.

Lapbook Component::
Let your student begin compiling (or narrating) information about pirates into this Pirate Tab Book. You will continue to work on this throughout the unit.

Story Writing
Let your student write a story in the same fashion as Tough Boris. Brainstorm a name for a pirate and a list of pirate adjectives (describing words) together. Use the provided template to create pages for your book. Cut the pages out, let your student fill in the blanks with his words. Make a cover and staple everything together. If your student wants to add illustrations, you will have to add more pages. You could also glue the pages in a prepared minit book.
Note: You can customize this book however you wish; your student doesn't have to use all five "He was ________; all pirates are ________." He could also leave the "so do I" at the end off. Let your student make some decisions as the author.

Creative Writing: The Rest of the Story
The storyline of this book is simple; however, the pictures are telling more. Let your student write or narrate the story based on what she sees in the pictures.

Science: Animal Study/Pets-- Parrot
Unlike pictures depict, pirates didn't have pet parrots permanently perched on a shoulder; but, some did have parrots for pets.

Parrots can be found in most warm regions of the world (the tropical regions of the southern hemisphere), including India, southeast Asia, Southern regions of North America, South America, and west Africa. By far the greatest number of parrot species come from Australasia, South America, and Central America. You may want to get out a globe and show your student the equator; explain that the southern hemisphere is the area below the equator-- where parrots are natives. Are parrots native to your neck of the woods? Which hemisphere does your student live in?

Parrots are easy to recognize with their vertical stance and their short, strong bills. God designed the top section of their beak to curve downward-- this is perfect for crushing seeds and nuts; they also eat nectar, pollen, and sometimes even animal prey. Parrots are zygodactyl having two toes that point forward and two that point backward allowing them to grasp objects with their feet and move with great ease in trees. Most parrots have brightly colored feathers-- many have green feathers with bursts of red, yellow, and blue.

Their bright colors and social nature have made them popular pets.

Studies with captive birds have given us insight into which birds are the smartest. While parrots have the distinction of being able to mimic human speech, studies with the African Grey Parrot have shown that some are able to associate words with their meanings and form simple sentences. Along with crows, ravens, and jays (family Corvidae), parrots are considered the most intelligent of birds.

Various breeds for your older student to research: Scarlet Macaw, Ground Parrot, Senegal Parrot, Rainbow Lorikeet, Eclectus Parrot, Blue-frontfooted Parrot, Yellow-collared Lovebird, Hyacinth Macaw, and Congo African Gray Parrot

Lapbook Component:
Parrot Book (Cut out book as one piece; fold in half on center line. Let your young student simply cut pictures of parrots out and paste them in the book; your student could also narrate what he has learned about parrots. If desired, cut out lined paper and paste inside book and let your student write parrot facts in the book.

Parrot Coloring Pages

Science: Eyes and Patches
Lesson Prep: Make an eyepatch (you need cardboard and elastic). If you don't want to make the pirate patch, you can simply let your student close one eye for the following activities. You will need a cup and a small object such as a coin, too.

Many times pirates are depicted with an eye patch. If you only had one eye, how would you see differently than you do with two eyes?

Have your student put on his pirate patch (or close one of his eyes). Place a cup on the table at one end and have your student sit at the other end (you need to set it at least five feet away and tell him to look straight ahead for the activity). Get your small object (a penny or dime works well); hold your arm out over the cup and ask your student to tell you when to drop the object (so that it will fall in). You may want to try coming from the right/left over the cup as well as starting with the coin near you and holding your arm straight out. Is your student successful? Try a few times (moving the cup to a slightly new position each time). After a few tries take the patch off and play. Which way is easier?

It's hard to judge distance with one eye. God gave us two eyes so that they can work as a team providing us something we call depth perception the ability to perceive spatial relationships, especially distances between objects, in three dimensions. Two eyes work together to send information to the brain where the information is compared and helps us to know how far or how close object are in relation to us and each other.

So, if you were on a ship on the high seas, and you ran into a band of pirates, would you want them to be wearing patches? Why or why not?

Also, you may want to try this with multiple family members (siblings, etc.) to see who has the best depth perception. Have fun!

JUST FOR FUN

Crafts and Fun
Treasure Chest Craft from DLTK
Treasure Chest Craft from Enchanted Learning

Be a Pirate!
Make a Sailing Hat and consider letting your child don some temporary tattoos; you could even construct a cutlass from cardboard and tin foil.

Geography: The Seven Seas
Pirates sailed the seven seas. The Seven Seas are the North and South Atlantic, the North and South Pacific, the Indian, the Arctic, and the Antarctic oceans. Using your globe or world map, label the seven seas. (If pirates sailed the seven seas, was there any water they didn't sail in?)

Lapbook Component:
Seven Seas Minit book -- Cut out the cover (first page). Cut out the book (second page) as one piece; fold in the center. Glue cover on the front. Have your student write the numbers on the map (will be on the inside) corresponding to each ocean.
Seven Seas Notebooking Page -- Label the world map

Geography Landform-- Island
An island is a piece of land surrounded by water. Look at the map/globe together. Can your student find various islands? Does he recognize any from previous studies?

Lapbook Component: Island Matchbook
Let your student draw an island inside and/or write the definition.

Geography: Compass
A compass is a device for determining directions by means of a magnetic needle pointing to the magnetic north. People use compasses to know which way to go. Teach (or review) cardinal directions with your student (north, east, south, west). If this is review for your student, be sure to include north east, south east, north west, south west to your discussion. If you have the opportunity and energy, create a treasure hunt around your house and yard that requires the student to use a compass to find his way.

Lapbook Component: Compass Rose Minit Book

Your older student may enjoy making his own compass (see lesson in Pedro's Journal)

Directions on board the ship
Starboard = right
Port = left
Stern = back
Bow = front

To help your student learn the directions on board, play this game (created by Wende and Celia)

Directions: Print out game board and two copies of the cards on card stock. Cut out cards, shuffle, and place face down in front of players. Players put pawns on Start. A "dead ahead" card must be drawn to move out of start. Players take turns drawing cards and moving in direction specified.
Aft= Stern
Dead Ahead = Bow
Remember, Port is left from the FRONT of the ship. So, you may want to turn your game board so that the word STERN (back of the ship) is further away than the BOW (front). A helpful hint for your student to remember which way is left is that PORT has four letters and so does the word LEFT.

The first player to get to a Treasure space wins.

Pirates attack any player who lands on a space already occupied and chase that player back to start.
If a player is in the last block for starboard and draws another starboard card (or in the last block on the port side and draws another port card), he is becalmed and has to wait until the winds blow him aft, ahead, or the opposite direction.

Mapping Skills: Make a Treasure Map!
Although treasure maps have become strongly associated with pirates, there are very few documented cases of pirates actually burying treasure, and no documented cases of a historical pirate treasure map. The pirate most responsible for the legends of buried pirate treasure was Captain Kidd (you may want to help your interested student learn more about Captain Kidd), and Sir Francis Drake buried Spanish gold and silver after raiding the mule train. So, the buried treasure part is true (although not common for every pirate as one would think), but the maps are most likely a complete work of fiction (and they do, indeed, appear in many fiction works about pirates such as Treasure Island by Stevenson). Explain to your student that pirates probably did not have treasure maps, but that a few did bury treasure. This activity is included in the unit just for fun (and for learning some geography skills).

Read more about hidden treasure on the last page of Gail Gibbons' Pirates Robbers of the High Seas.

Before you start this project, brainstorm with your student about possible names for islands, destinations, obstacles, etc. on your map. Write down your ideas.

Supplies
White Paper
Cookie Sheet or 9x13 pan (something with sides)
Blow dryer
Coffee or Tea (for staining)
Oil (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)
Lemon Juice (optional)
Paint Brush (optional)
Black marker (permanent and thin tip)

Directions:
Take a sheet of white paper and crumple it into a ball. When you open it up, it should be really wrinkled. Rip off the edges so it looks torn and old.
Place it on a cookie pan (with sides) or a 9x13 pan if it will fit. Pour coffee or tea over it and let it soak for about five minutes. Pour the liquid that the paper did not absorb into the sink. If you'd like, you can sprinkle some cinnamon on the edges to give them an even older look. Use your blow dryer to dry the paper (don't try to pick it up or it will tear, just leave the paper on the cookie sheet).

If you'd like for your map to look like parchment paper try this-- after it's dry, you can brush a thin layer of oil on the paper (then let it dry again).

Now, draw out the map. Don't forget to add a compass rose (N, S, E, W). Using the black permanent marker, draw destinations (such as islands) and obstacles (such as dragons, mermaids, mountains, etc., and place to side-track a pirate (like the islands did in Pirate Pete). Draw dashed lines (- - - -) from destination to destination. Let your student draw an X or-- try this option: use "invisible ink" (lemon juice) for the X (paint it on with a small brush). After it is completely dry, you can hold it over a candle or hot light bulb (be careful!) and the invisible inked X will turn visible and BROWN!

Lapbook Component:
You can store your map in your lapbook. Use this Treasure Map Pocket for storage. Pocket instructions: cut out as one piece. Fold long rectangle up behind the front ("treasure") and fold the flaps behind the rectangle. Glue the flaps down.

Language Arts: Pirate Speak
This book is full of pirate phrases
Teach your student some of the simple/most common phrases as you see fit.

Ahoy!	hello
Avast!	stop and pay attention; it can also be used in a sense of surprise (in place of Wow! or Whoa!)
Aye!	I agree
Beauty	a lovely woman
Buccaneer	a sea rover of the 17th century. Buccaneers sailed the Caribbean and attacked Spanish ships.
Cutlass	popular sword among pirates
Corsair	a pirate of the Mediterranean Sea
Davy Jones' Locker	the bottom of the sea
Disembark	to leave the ship
Embark	to enter the ship in order to go on a journey
Foul	bad
Gold Road	this was a road that went across Panama. Built by the Spaniards, it was used to transport gold
Jolly Roger	a pirate flag
Keelhaul	punishment
Lubber	land lover; someone who doesn't want to go to sea
Matey	friend
Ne’er-do-well	a scoundrel or rascal
Pieces of eight	Spanish silver coins that could actually be broken into eight pieces, or bits.Two of these bits were a quarter of the coin, and that’s where we get the expression “two bits” for a quarter of a dollar, as in the cheer, “Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar.
Plunder	treasure taken from others
Rigging	ropes that hold the sails in place
Weigh anchor	prepare to leave

Lapbook Component
Pirate Speak Dictionary (blank)
Pirate Speak Dictionary (with words)

Directions: Print the file of your choice. Cut out book as one piece (along the solid outer lines). Fold in half along the center dotted line (text should be on the outside). Open and fold outer dotted lines in to middle dotted line. Open and cut along the short solid lines between words to form flaps. Refold so that your finished product is one long rectangle. When you open it, your student should be able to manipulate each flap to see the word and definition.

Be sure to add your student's favorite pirate sayings to his tab book (that you started in Tough Boris)

Grammar
Correct Pirate Pete's use of the English language-- if ye dare! Arrr!

Alliteration
This book is full of examples of alliteration from the main character's name (Pirate Pete) to the description of sweet eaters on candy island-- licorice-licking, taffy-tugging, chocolate-chomping. Review alliteration with your student. If your student is writing a pirate adventure (see lesson below), encourage her to use alliteration in the title or in the text of her story.

Creative Writing: Island Adventure
If your student were sailing the seven seas, what islands would he like to stop off at? Let your student think up some fun (and maybe even scary) names for islands. Next, let him write a pirate-y adventure as he sails from island to island.
Questions to ask him to help him write his story
What are you looking for? What island would you start at? Why? Why would you leave that island? Where would you go next? Why? How would you get there? What's there? What danger is found? etc.

Health: Dental Hygiene
On candy island, Pirate Pete hopes to find gold fillings in rotten teeth. What does he find instead? Why? You may want to use this as an opportunity to discuss good dental hygiene with your student.

Math: Counting Paces
Have fun with this exercise. For counting practice, tell your student to walk ten paces. Then call out another number of paces for him to walk. For a student who is just learning addition, tell him to walk eight paces and five more. Ask, "how many paces are you going to walk total?" You can make all kinds of fun math problems with this kinesthetic activity. You can even reverse roles and let your student tell you how many paces to walk.

Extra Activity
Make a spy-glass telescope

Roger the Jolly Pirate

History: Jolly Roger + Design Your Own Pirate Flag
Although this fun book is more fiction than fact, the "Jolly Roger" really is the name now given to any pirate flag. The most famous Jolly Roger today is the Skull and Crossbones. Pirates would use this flag as a symbol of terror-- trying to induce their victims to surrender without a fight. Let your student design his own Jolly Roger (pirate flag). If you want to include it in your lapbook, you need to print the template first, so you will know how large (or should I say small) the flag needs to be.

Lapbook Component:
Cut and paste your student's Jolly Roger into this prepared minit book.
Note: I recommend that the teacher prepares this book for the student. The folding has to be exact or the skull won't look right.
Cut out as one piece. The two diagonals are going to be the FRONT of your book. Fold them in. Let your student cut and paste his Jolly Roger into the inside of the book.

Be sure to add some information (A pirate flag is called a Jolly Roger) to your student's tab book (that you started in Tough Boris)

Famous Pirates: Blackbeard
At the beginning of the book, there are some famous pirates listed. You may want to teach your student a little bit about some famous pirates. Here is some information about Blackbeard:

Blackbeard
Of course, his real name wasn't Blackbeard, it was Edward Teach. Blackbeard was British born. As a young seaman, he had served on a British privateer (a privately owned ship hired by the government during war time) that was based in Jamaica. As a privateer, he was trained to attack enemy ships; they were also allowed to plunder the ships and keep the stolen goods. This trained Teach in the ways of plundering and fighting, making him a perfect pirate candidate. After the war was over (and he was out of a privateer job), he joined a fierce group of Caribbean pirates. He is known for being a mean pirate who (along with his crew) terrorized sailors on the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea from 1716 through 1718.
Source and More Information

Lapbook Component: Blackbeard Minit Book
Cut out the book (at the top of the page) as one piece. Fold in half. Cut out the other two pieces. Use the Blackboard piece as the front cover (your student can color it first, if desired). The other piece should be cut into strips for your student to paste in the appropriate spaces. If handwriting isn't a chore, then let your student write in his own answers.

Pirate Weapons
Generally, pirates possessed whatever weapons they had stolen from victim ships, and usually had very well stocked arsenals. They had short weapons, such as a flintlock pistol, cutlass, and dagger, for fighting on board in close quarters. For attacking at a distance they used cannons, catapults, muskets, grenades, and stinkpots. Look through Roger the Jolly Pirate with your student and discuss the weapons you see.

Lap book Component: Record a list of weapons in the Pirate Tab book you started at the beginning of this unit.

Language Arts: Pirate Speak
What pirate phrases can your student find in this story? Review the words you learned when you studied Pirate Pete.

Music: Sea Chantries
Teach your students some songs from the sea! Sea chantries were sung by crews to help them pass time as they completed tasks (pulling up the main sail or anchor, etc.). The sea shanty usually had a rhythmical quality to help the crew keep in time with their task. Sing one of the following sea chantries (or look up some on your own). (Don't forget to sing the one found in the back of the story-- Roger, the Jolly Pirate.)

Lapbook Component:
Pull-tab Question ("Why did pirates sing sea chanties?")

Creative Writing: Write Your Own Sea Chanty!
After you have some fun learning and singing together, try writing your own.

Language Arts: Plot
After you've read this story twice, discuss the idea of plot with your student. There are four basic parts to the plot of a story:
Conflict- The problem is what we call the conflict. What is the conflict in this story?
Rising Action- The events created by the problem. How the characters) try to solve the problem. What is the rising action in this story?
Climax- The most exciting moment of the story! What is the climax?
Resolution (or Denouement)- The final solution to the problem; the way the story ends. How does this story end? What is resolved?

Lapbook Component:
After you complete the discussion part of the lesson, use this wheel book to review and record your student's answers for each part of the plot (you may want to complete this the day after you do the lesson). Plot Wheel Book

Language Arts: Stereotypes
After reading the three books in this unit, discuss stereotypes with your student. A stereotype is an idea that many people have about a thing or a group and that may often be untrue or only partly true. Discuss this concept with your student. Do ALL pirates have peg legs? Parrots for pets? Eye patches? Treasure maps? Discuss other stereotypes of pirates you have noticed as you've completed this study. Why is it a bad idea to stereotype a group of people? Would your student like to be stereotyped? (ALL boys are hyper and like sports...or ALL girls are prissy and fussy and would never want to learn about pirates, etc.)

Lapbook Component: Stereotype Matchbook
Let your student write the definition of stereotype in his book. He may also want to include a list of stereotypical pirate traits.

SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Nautical Vocabulary
starboard- the right side of a ship if you are looking forward
larboard- the left side of the ship if you are looking forward
windward- moving or placed toward the direction from which the wind is blowing
leeward- located away from the wind (down wind)
main- (the mainsail; the principle sail on the mainmast)
hold- the cargo area of a ship below the main deck
stem- front end of the ship
stern- back end of the ship
port- left side of the ship

Just for Fun
Bake a Pirate-themed Cake! You can't possibly read this book and not want to bake a cake together (of course, you may want to leave out the gun powder!)
In order to win over the other pirates, Roger decides to bake them a cake. Maybe you'd like to bake a pirate cake! Hopefully, yours won't explode!
Treasure Chest Cake
Pirate Ship Cake

Make a treasure chest
Materials
Box with lid
Brown or black craft paper
Foil
Scissors
Glue or tape
Crayons or markers
Goodies for the inside

Cover a shoebox other small box that has a lid with brown (or black) craft paper. If you don't have any craft paper, you can use a brown grocery bag (if the box is small), but it may be harder to work with. Using foil make hinges and a lock. Help your student fill the box with treasure (you may want to pre-purchase some fun items from Oriental Trading such as plastic jewelry or golden chocolate coins would probably be a big hit!).

Milk Carton Pirate Ship (make sure to use fun foam instead of construction paper so your pirate can play in the bathtub!)

Older Students along for the adventure? Try adding some of these resources and lessons:

Library List
A Pirate's Life for Me: A Day Aboard a Pirate Ship by Julie Thompson
The Great Pirate Activity Book by Deri Robins
Pirates Past Noon (Magic Tree House #4) by Mary Pope Osborne
Treasure Island

Resources here at Homeschool Share--
Pirate Diary (a complete literature based unit study on the book by Chris Platt)
Pirate Notebooking Pages Set I
Pirate Notebooking Pages Set II

Other optional resources for purchase
Pirates Learn N' Folder (3rd grade - High School)
In the Hands of a Child Blackbeard Project Pack (3rd grade +)

Social Studies: Research Famous Pirates
(make booklet for notebook/lapbook)
Sir Henry Morgan
Captain Kidd
Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
Anne Bonney
Mary Read
John Avery
Bartholomew Roberts
Captain Hook (fictional)

Social Studies: Research Privateers
A privateer was a pirate who by commission or letter of marque from the government was authorized to seize or destroy a merchant vessel of another nation. The privateer was used as a cheap means of weakening the enemy by frequenting shipping routes (avoiding the costs related to the maintenance and creation of a navy). In theory no Privateer with a letter of marque could be charged with piracy, since it was recognized by international law. However, it was not uncommon for privateers to be charged and prosecuted for piracy by hostile nations. All occurrences of vessels captured by privateers had to be brought before an Admiralty Court where they were tried to ensure that their plunder was legal game."
Sir Francis Drake
William Dampier
William Kidd
http://www.piratesinfo.com/detail/detail.php?article_id=63
http://www.thepirateking.com/bios/index.htm
http://www.usmm.org/revolution.html

Poetry: Copywork or Memory work

Needles and Pins
by Shel Silverstein

Needles and pins,
Needles and pins,
Sew me a sail
To catch me the wind.

Sew me a sail
Strong as the gale,
Carpenter, bring out your
Hammers and nails.

Hammers and nails,
Hammers and nails,
Build me a boat
To go chasing the whales.

Chasing the whales,
Sailing the blue
Find me a captain
And sign me a crew.

Captain and crew,
Captain and crew,
Take me, oh take me
To anywhere new.

Materials and information on this website belong to the original composers. It may be used for your own personal and school use.