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10 Conspiracy Theories About the Titanic

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*Use with the Titanic poem on the padlet

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stanza scoot

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Words and phrases.

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White Star has decided to build an unsinkable ship

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I love this

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Encourage parental brainstorming

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Video from Bartch

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While cruising is about relaxing, fun, enrichment, and telling your office that you'll be completely unreachable for a week, for the crew and the cruise line there is another important element: safety. The last line of defense is the lifeboat, but it's far more than a wooden dinghy out of a Hitchcock film. Modern lifeboats have evolved for enhanced safety, reliability, and even visibility - let's look at how.

Who regulates lifeboats?

In 1912 the world saw what is, to date, easily the most famous maritime tragedy: the sinking of the White Star Line's Titanic. It was clear that there needed to be better not only oversight, but research into safety at sea, so in 1914, as a response to this disaster, The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was drafted. This first pass prescribed numbers of lifeboats and other emergency equipment along with safety procedures, such as continuous radio watches. Unfortunately, with The Great War (later called WWI) brewing, SOLAS 1914 was never adopted by any government or other body. Over the decades however many amendments to the first draft have been made and adopted by an increasing number of signatory nations. As of 2017 there are 162 nations who are signatories to SOLAS, meaning over 99% of vessels in the world must be in compliance.

The Evolution of Lifeboats

The first lifeboats were simply small boats with open tops and oars for passengers to use for propulsion. Prior to modern compact engine designs rowing was the only way of controlling a small craft other than sailing. This presented some obvious challenges, as even with adequately strong persons, synchronous rowing is a skill so difficult that even Olympians use a coxswain. Technology however brought forth solutions such as the Fleming Gear, allowing passengers to simply push and pull levers that drew a screw (propeller), combining the uncoordinated strength of rowers. It wasn't until SOLAS 1948 that there was a requirement for all ships (of certain sizes and uses) to carry at least one motorized lifeboat, and in 1964 motors will still only required on lifeboats designed to carry over 100 persons.

These days lifeboats usually have multiple motors, carry survival equipment, and have rigid requirements for nearly every element of their design. We've certainly not stopped innovating either. Until Royal Caribbean launched the mega-ship Oasis of the Seas, carrying up to 8,500 persons, Life Saving Equipment code 4.4.3.1 (for those keeping track at home) mandated that lifeboats carry no more than 150 people. Schat-Harding however worked to build larger craft and have this modified to to allow for 370 person craft providing they demonstrate equivalent safety, allowing for the Oasis class' "rescue vessels" we see today. You can learn more about Oasis class lifeboats here. Other changes in the past 15 years have had to do with the method of deployment, allowed colors (for visibility), provisions carried on-board, maintenance, and more.

Lifeboat Requirements

While requirements vary greatly depending on vessel passenger counts, routes of travel, other safety equipment, and many other factors, we tried to identify, in plain English some of the more common requirements for lifeboats, especially as they relate to cruise ships.

Lifeboat Construction

-Must be made flame-retardant and made of non-combustible materials. As they say during your muster drill, "fire is the greatest danger at sea".
-When fully loaded with persons and supplies, must be stable in the water, capable of launching while the ship travels at a speed of 5 knots, and strong enough to be lowered while fully loaded.
-Must be no less than 7.3 meters in length
-All seats, benches, etc must be capable of supporting a person weighing 100kg (~220lbs)

Deployment

-The wires which lift and lower the lifeboats (aka, "falls"), must have centrifugal brakes, limiting the rate of descent to 36 meters/minute.
-At full capacity, the hoisting time for the launching appliance should not be less than .3 meters/second.
-50% of the rigid lifeboats must be located on each side of the vessel, for easy deployment in the event the ship is listing heavily to one side.
-Except for free-fall lifeboats (such as escapecraft you may see on some cargo ships), they must be capable of withstanding and impacts against the ship's side of at least 3.5 meters per second, and must also be strong enough to be dropped into the water from a height of at least 3 meters

Number Carried

-Ships must have partially or totally enclosed lifeboats, for 50% of the total capacity of people onboard, at each side (total capacity for 100%)
-Rigid or inflatable liferaft must make up at least 25% of the ship's total capacity

Inflatable liferaft are common - but do you ever see them? Yep. Look on the deck of any ship and you'll see white plastic capsules. These can be manually deployed, but they are also capable of automatic deployment, both operations can take place even when heavily listing - another requirements in SOLAS.

Liferaft on a deck. Courtesy Wikimedia

The above figures should be looked at a few ways. For one, they mean that a cruise ship must have lifeboats/rafts for at least 125% of the ship's total capacity. That's a minimum, and it is often exceeded. Further, most ships don't sail at full capacity. You could, for example, sell out every cabin on Norwegian Sky, with no single-occupancy staterooms, yet even with a full compliment of crew, carry only 2,903, despite her capacity of 3,349 passengers. Why? "Upper-berths" or bunk beds (also pullout sofas and such). Generally only a small percentage of 3+ capacity staterooms have more than two people in them. These factors combined mean that even if a ship is only meeting (rather than exceeding) the required capacities, they may have lifeboats for 1.5 or even 2 times the number of persons on-board during a "full" sailing.

Conclusion

LIfeboat technology and requirements are just one component of what makes cruising among the safest ways to vacation. Remember though that the first line of defense from fire, navigational hazards, and weather is the hard working crew - safety truly is their top priority. Keep this in mind next time you think your stateroom attendant is just a housekeeper - she may also be responsible for firefighting or other essential tasks. Oh, and please put down your phone at muster drills.

Have more questions about lifeboats on cruise ships? Comment below or reach out on Twitter or Facebook!

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Safety At Sea - Lifeboat History & Requirements

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While cruising is about relaxing, fun, enrichment, and telling your office that you'll be completely unreachable for a week, for the crew and the cruise line there is another important element: safety. The last line of defense is the lifeboat, but it's far more than a wooden dinghy out of a Hitchcock film.

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By Encyclopedia Britannica

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By National Geographic

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How Did the 'Unsinkable' Titanic End Up at the Bottom of the Ocean? | National Geographic

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Fun activity Titanic websites

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The Wild Conspiracy That the Titanic Never Sank

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The Wild Conspiracy That the Titanic Never Sank

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The Wild Conspiracy that the Titanic Never Sank (2)

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Primary Sources: The Titanic, the Wireless Operator's Story

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Primary Sources: The Titanic, the Wireless Operator's Story

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Newslea article

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Newsela | Primary Sources: The Titanic, the Wireless Operator's Story

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A telegraph operator survives the sinking of the Titanic

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Newslea aticle

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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It is an historical irony that the most famous ship to ever sail was famous because it sank, but that was the case with the RMS Titanic. Then the world's largest and most luxurious cruise liner, it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage early on the morning of the 15th April 1912.

Within three hours, it had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, killing 1500 of the ship's 2224 passengers and crew.

Titanic was one of three Olympic class ocean liners built at the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast,  the other two being the RMS Britannic and the RMS Olympic.

The Titanic's sinking was reported in newspapers around the world

The Olympic was launched a year before the Titanic but seemed to share its more famous sister ship's poor luck.

Within months of its launch in 1911, it had had two serious collisions, the second with Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke off the coast of the Isle of Wight causing serious structural damage to the Olympic's keel and steel beams.

Some authors have suggested that the damage to the Olympic was more serious than admitted. In fact, it was virtually a write-off.

Repairs would be ruinously expensive, running into millions of pounds. The already troubled White Star Line was facing a potential financial disaster.

The Titanic's sister ship the Olympic was virtually identical

Could White Star and its owner JP Morgan have devised an audacious insurance scam to try and salvage their investment in the troubled Olympic line?

The Olympic, the theory goes, would be swapped with the Titanic and sunk in a staged accident. The Titanic, now disguised as the Olympic, would then carry on in service.

The two ships were essentially identical save for minor differences and were moored side by side in dry dock;  the swap would entail nothing more elaborate that swapping a few nameplates and plaques.

The Titanic and the Olympic moored side by side in Belfast

Although not a new theory, Robin Gardiner popularised the insurance swap theory in his 1998 book 'Titanic - The Ship That Never Sank?'

Could it really have been the Olympic that sank in the Titanic's place?

Evidence for

Portholes

Proponents of the swap theory have pointed out disparities in the number of portholes on the ships. The Olympic had 16 and the Titanic had 14.

Photographs taken of the Titanic in dry dock show it with 14 portholes. But by the time of its doomed maiden voyage it now had 16, just like the Olympic.

Was this evidence that the ships had been swapped or just that they had added two extra portholes as part of aesthetic changes to the Titanic?

During construction - top, Titanic had 14 portholes. By its maiden voyage - bottom, it had 16

Other evidence supports the switch ,  the windows on the Olympic were somewhat unevenly spaced, but more evenly spaced on the Titanic.

Again, by the time of its maiden voyage, the Titanic had acquired unevenly spaced windows like the Olympic.

List to port

The damage to the Olympic after its collision with the Hawke lent it a noticeable and permanent 2˚ list to port. The undamaged Titanic had no such list.

Lawrence Beesley reported the Titanic listed to port like the Olympic

However, one second-class passenger who survived the sinking -  Lawrence Beesley, later reported the Titanic did, in fact, list to port, stating "the Titanic listed to port...It was plain she did so, for the sky-line and sea on the port side were visible most of the time and on the starboard only sky".

Beesley, a science teacher, was considered a reliable observer, and would later write one of the first books about the Titanic disaster.

Rumours amongst crew

There was a nationwide coal strike during the launch of the Titanic, leading to thousands of firemen, boiler stokers and greasers short of work.

Yet despite this the Titanic struggled to find crew, with many men refusing to work on the ship at any price.

Rumours were circulating amongst the workers at Harland and Wolff that the ships had been swapped as part of an insurance scam, and Titanic was to be sunk.

Did foreknowledge of the sinking of the Titanic frighten men off from wanting to work on the ship?

Titanic during its construction at the Harland and Wolff shipyard, Belfast

Despite the immense fanfare and hype that surrounded the Titanic launch, it was only just over half full when it left Southampton on its doomed voyage.

Did White Star want to minimise the number of passengers because it intended to scuttle the ship? Or had the rumours of the insurance scam spread outside of the shipyards?

Several last minute cancellations from high profile passengers certainly suggest some kind of foreknowledge.

Last minute cancellations

Many of the richest and most prestigious names in early 20th-century society were booked onto the Titanic.

JP Morgan  -  the international financier who owned the White Star's parent company, was due to travel on the Titanic but cancelled his trip a few days before the departure, claiming illness.

JP Morgan and other prominent figures cancelled at the last minute

A New York Times reported discovered this to be a lie, Morgan was actually seen perfectly well with his mistress in France on the very day Titanic sunk.

Industrialist Henry Clay Frick and his wife, banker Horace J. Harding and billionaire George Washington Vanderbilt - all connected to Morgan, were amongst several other prominent figures who cancelled at the last minute.

Californian

The SS Californian, also owned by JP Morgan, was a large passenger ship that was ultimately blamed for the loss of life on the Titanic.

It behaved somewhat oddly around the time of the Titanic's voyage.

Carrying no passengers,  it steamed into the middle of the Atlantic, stopped and waited. It's only cargo was 3000 woollen blankets and jumpers.

What was the purpose behind this curious manoeuvre? Was the Californian intended to rescue the Titanic's passengers after its deliberate sinking?

Edith Russell, a survivor of the sinking, was adamant that Titanic officers assured her the Californian was on its way.

Author Robin Gardiner suggests serious navigation errors lead to the Californian stopping in the wrong area, some 12 miles away from the Titanic.

The lifeboats on the Titanic weren't sufficient to save all the passengers

With the Californian unable to complete its rescue mission the Titanic was doomed, and some 1500 passengers and crew perished in one of the worst maritime disasters in modern history.

The wreck

The wreck of the Titanic was discovered by Robert Ballard in 1985. Some evidence from the wreck supports the switch theory.

The stamp 401,  the ID number used for the Titanic at Harland and Wolff, can be seen on the Titanic's propeller.

However, some authors have suggested that the Titanic propeller was fitted to the Olympic during its repair following the collision with the Hawke.

If true, this would be strong evidence that the vessel on the ocean floor was really the Olympic.

The wreck of the Titanic was found by Robert Ballard in 1985

What appear to be the letters M and P can also be seen on the side of the wreck. Could that be the remains of the ship's original etched nameplate -  'OLYMPIC', covered over with the Titanic's as part of the scam?

The wreck appears to show some evidence of the grey paint used as an undercoat on the Olympic. The Titanic used black paint for its undercoat.

Lack of media scrutiny

Insurance scams and maritime fraud were common at the time of the Titanic's sinking.

Whilst it seems unlikely such a scam could be pulled off today, the lack of media coverage in 1912 makes it more credible.

Only one film survives of the Titanic and the photo record is also scant. With the two ships extremely similar, it is argued that only the most eagle-eyed would ever have spotted the swap.

Evidence against

The Wreck

Whilst the wreck of the Titanic found in 1985 provided some evidence in favour of the swap theory, more emerged that suggest the ship found at the bottom of the Atlantic really was the Titanic.

The Titanic's identification number - 401, is stamped in multiple places on the wreck, and on furniture and other artefacts found by salvagers. Could the swap really have been so elaborate to include swapping furniture and decor between the two ships?

Differences between the ships

Titanic scholars and historians say the proponents of the insurance swap theory have overstated how similar the two ships were.

Whilst superficially alike, there were several important structural differences, as well as aesthetic changes made to Titanic to distinguish it from its sister.

There are several internal differences in layout between Titanic and Olympic

The 1st class A deck on Titanic was enclosed in a glass screen but was open on the Olympic. Titanic's wheelhouse was flat at the front and the Olympics curved.

Olympic's B deck had a 1st class promenade, whereas Titanic had private verandas and suites. Indeed many passengers were booked into the suites,  an impossibility if the ship was really the Olympic.

Loss of reputation

Many sceptics of the insurance swap theory have pointed out that even if an insurance scam made financial sense to the White Star line, the loss of reputation they would suffer if one of their vessels sunk would be devastating.

Losing the Titanic on its maiden voyage would be a publicity disaster for White Star and lead to a loss of confidence in the company amongst passengers.

The intention behind the Olympic class liners was to attract rich first class passengers and offer them the finest in luxury and opulence. With image paramount, a sinking would prove to be a catastrophe for the company.

Deliberately sinking a ship

The Titanic was infamously described as 'unsinkable'. Whilst this proved to be incorrect, only a freak set of circumstances managed to sink it.

Could plotters really have engineered something so complex as the sinking of the world's largest vessel, in the middle of the Atlantic ocean?

With so many variables and so many things that could go wrong how could they be sure they would succeed?

The White Star line would have ruined its reputation if their flagship was sunk

If their plan was discovered the consequences would have been dire. The perpetrators would be blamed for the deaths of 1500 people, perhaps even charged with their murder.

Would the likes of White Line and JP Morgan - a billionaire who could afford any potential losses on the Olympic, really risk the gallows for an insurance scam?

The Olympic post-Titanic

The Olympic, or, if the insurance swap theory is true the Titanic disguised as the Olympic, continued to serve for many years.

It acted as troop transport in WW1 and resumed service as a luxury liner in the 20s and 30s before been finally retired in 1935.

In all of that time, no evidence that the ship was really the Titanic was ever discovered. Even when it was dismantled in 1936 there was no indication that the ship was anything other than the Olympic.

Was the Titanic swapped with its sister ship the Olympic as part of an insurance scam?

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Titanic Conspiracy: The Ship that Never Sank

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It is an historical irony that the most famous ship to ever sail was famous because it sank, but that was the case with the RMS Titanic. Then the world's largest and most luxurious cruise liner, it hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage early on the morning of the 15th April 1912.

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The Wild Conspiracy that the Titanic Never Sank (2)

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Top 10 bone chilling facts about the Titanic

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Top 10 bone chilling facts about the Titanic

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CommonLit | Californian Neglected its Duty | Related Media

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CommonLit has included videos, audio clips, and other multimedia that provide context or dimension for Californian Neglected its Duty .

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Titanic footage and survivors interviews

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Titanic footage and survivors interviews

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CommonLit | Conflicting News Reports on the Fate of the Sinking Titanic | Related Media

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CommonLit has included videos, audio clips, and other multimedia that provide context or dimension for Conflicting News Reports on the Fate of the Sinking Titanic.

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Debunks the Titanic 'switch' theory with extensive forensic evidence and claims analysis.

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RMS Titanic: Fascinating Engineering Facts

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Bill shares fascinating images and information gleaned from the 1909 to 1911 editions of the Journal The Engineer. It includes photos of the construction of the Titanic and its twin the Olympic, the launching of these Olympic-class ships, and accidents that occurred. The video includes engineering details of the ship's engines, steering mechanism, and propellers.

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To begin, I will point out that when reading, one person may notice that one effect may have multiple causes. Likewise, some causes may have multiple effects. For example, an affect, such as a the delivery person leaving the package in the driveway may have several causes, such as the lights in the house being off and the driveway being empty.

I will review the definitions of cause, effect, and affect using the Cause and Effect notes. I will model cause and effect by providing the students with an example on the board. I will draw a basic cause and effect graphic organizer onto the board and fill it in.

Next, I will pass out the handout on Hiroshima and have the students work to annotate for cause and effect organizer. They can work with their partner on completing this graphic organizer. It will allow them some scaffolding with the skill, but also a gradual release to applying the skill on their own.

Then, as a class, we will review the graphic organizer and what they completed.

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To begin, I will point out that when reading, one person may notice that one effect may have multiple causes. Likewise, some causes may have multiple effects. For example, an affect, such as a the delivery person leaving the package in the driveway may have several causes, such as the lights in the house being off and the driveway being empty.

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I adapted this lesson to more closely meet the CCSS shift to having students evaluate and defend their opinions when they give responses. In this lesson I have scaffolded the learning so that they get repeated exposure not only to the text (to build understanding) but also to the discussions (to learn from others viewpoints) to help them establish what they feel and why. I realize their skills still need practice so before I ask them to complete the task I model my thinking about the issue and demonstrate how to complete the persuasive writing task.

I have students take out their graphic organizer that are completed with text features from the End of a Splendid Journey and the The Sinking of the Titanic articles in the first and second previous lessons.

I have them turn to the back page and review the sections together and I outline what I expect in each section (responses supported with text evidence, strong sentences. editing for correct grammar, and spelling and punctuation)

I review that they should reread their text before they write to gain deeper understanding of the information provided in each and I give them time to do this quietly before we start the independent writing responses. See my reflection for a sharing of my purpose for this.

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I adapted this lesson to more closely meet the CCSS shift to having students evaluate and defend their opinions when they give responses. In this lesson I have scaffolded the learning so that they get repeated exposure not only to the text (to build understanding) but also to the discussions (to learn from others viewpoints) to help them establish what they feel and why.

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*There is an attachment on this padlet to use with the poem.

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I tell students that poetry authors write in short sentences or phrases. Because of this, we need to read closely and think about what is being said because many times not all the words will be there or they will be said in a way that doesn't give all the descriptions.

I start by reading the first line of the The Wreck of the Titanic poem and asking students why the word "Southhampton" is capitalized - take answers. I tell them that this word was unfamiliar to me, too, and that's why I circled it. I also tell them that I looked it up and found out that is the place the Titanic voyage began from. I share that good readers circle words they do not understand so that they can look them up to determine their meanings. I then add the response to the poem projected on the board.

I read to the second line "A poem of iron and steel, A sea dream"and wonder aloud what is being spoken about here? (I underline this phrase and add a question mark to the poem on the board)

I notice the words "iron and steel" and voice that I know the ship was made of iron and steel - I add to this "a sea dream" and think that this might be referring to the Titanic. I add "Titanic" in the margin notes. I do this one as a think aloud because it is difficult for students to figure out the meaning without a lot of modeling.

I then say that good readers build visual pictures and summarize poems as they read them to help understand each stanza. I add a short summary to the section on the right.

I read the next stanza and after reading it ask students how this passage makes them feel? Students should identify the words "nevermore" and "death" to signal that they are comprehending the mood and character of the verse. I take their responses and then write "sounds like something bad is going to happen" in the margin notes.

I then call for students to give me a short summary of this stanza and add it to the section on the right. Here's an example of a well marked up student worksheet. You can see their thinking and level of understanding by the questioning and comments made in each section. I encouraged them to do this so that they would think about the wording of each stanza, would give me more than one or two comments and could identify their understanding or areas where help was needed in a systematic way.

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I tell students that poetry authors write in short sentences or phrases. Because of this, we need to read closely and think about what is being said because many times not all the words will be there or they will be said in a way that doesn't give all the descriptions.

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Five days of script to read for "traveling on the Titanic."

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I begin my lesson on main idea and supporting details by letting my crew explore the informational Kids Discover Titanic Magazine. I give them a few minutes to browse and talk with their table groups about the things they see, things they already know, and things they're wondering about. I call this an "I see, I know, I wonder". Giving the class these few minutes to dig in and share will allow them to be more focused when we start our lesson.

I chose this particular piece of text because it is laid out nicely to support the learning of main idea and supporting details. The heading of each set of pages contains the main idea, and supporting details are found within the text and text features. It is also a good match for my readers and meets the upper end of the Lexile band for Common Core in third grade. The students have really enjoyed reading a Kids Discover magazine with each of our English-Language Arts units, so I know this one about the Titanic will be a hit!

We begin by talking about the text features the crew sees on the first two pages. Our class had previously learned about nonfiction text features, and this is a good review. I pay special attention to the heading that belongs to the first two pages, "Iceberg! Right Ahead!". We have a good conversation about why the author of the magazine would want to start with the tragedy on the first page. I love teachable moments!

We read pages 2 - 3 together. When we finish, I ask the students what these two pages were all about. They quickly recognize that all of the information on these two pages is about the Titanic striking the iceberg and sinking. I ask them what details they learned about the Titanic striking the iceberg and sinking. They easily identify many supporting details.

I introduce the students to our Main Idea and Supporting Details anchor chart. (See Resource File: Main Idea Titanic Anchor Chart) We read through the chart together, and this will become our "anchor" for the week.

My paper passers pass out the graphic organizer for identifying the main idea and supporting details of the Titanic magazine. (See Resource File: Kids Discover Magazine Titanic Main Idea and Supporting Details) I have my crew fill in the main idea and three supporting details. We were able to identify many supporting details, so we decide on the most relevant three to add to our graphic organizer. This is a good discussion and gets the students defending their ideas and why they think one supporting detail is more important than another.

Our lesson concludes by reviewing what we've learned about main idea and supporting details. I teach the students a motion to remember the parts. We hold our hands over our head like a large cloud,and say "Main Idea". Then, we sprinkle down three supporting details, like rain. I know that some of my students learn well kinesthetically, so they will remember and apply the skill of main idea and supporting detail this way. However, others who are more visual learners will attach more meaning to the anchor chart. I try to include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities into every lesson.

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Titanic Narrator Script for Over the Announcements.pdf

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I begin my lesson on main idea and supporting details by letting my crew explore the informational Kids Discover Titanic Magazine. I give them a few minutes to browse and talk with their table groups about the things they see, things they already know, and things they're wondering about.

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I begin my lesson on main idea and supporting details by letting my crew explore the informational Kids Discover Titanic Magazine. I give them a few minutes to browse and talk with their table groups about the things they see, things they already know, and things they're wondering about. I call this an "I see, I know, I wonder". Giving the class these few minutes to dig in and share will allow them to be more focused when we start our lesson.

I chose this particular piece of text because it is laid out nicely to support the learning of main idea and supporting details. The heading of each set of pages contains the main idea, and supporting details are found within the text and text features. It is also a good match for my readers and meets the upper end of the Lexile band for Common Core in third grade. The students have really enjoyed reading a Kids Discover magazine with each of our English-Language Arts units, so I know this one about the Titanic will be a hit!

We begin by talking about the text features the crew sees on the first two pages. Our class had previously learned about nonfiction text features, and this is a good review. I pay special attention to the heading that belongs to the first two pages, "Iceberg! Right Ahead!". We have a good conversation about why the author of the magazine would want to start with the tragedy on the first page. I love teachable moments!

We read pages 2 - 3 together. When we finish, I ask the students what these two pages were all about. They quickly recognize that all of the information on these two pages is about the Titanic striking the iceberg and sinking. I ask them what details they learned about the Titanic striking the iceberg and sinking. They easily identify many supporting details.

I introduce the students to our Main Idea and Supporting Details anchor chart. (See Resource File: Main Idea Titanic Anchor Chart) We read through the chart together, and this will become our "anchor" for the week.

My paper passers pass out the graphic organizer for identifying the main idea and supporting details of the Titanic magazine. (See Resource File: Kids Discover Magazine Titanic Main Idea and Supporting Details) I have my crew fill in the main idea and three supporting details. We were able to identify many supporting details, so we decide on the most relevant three to add to our graphic organizer. This is a good discussion and gets the students defending their ideas and why they think one supporting detail is more important than another.

Our lesson concludes by reviewing what we've learned about main idea and supporting details. I teach the students a motion to remember the parts. We hold our hands over our head like a large cloud,and say "Main Idea". Then, we sprinkle down three supporting details, like rain. I know that some of my students learn well kinesthetically, so they will remember and apply the skill of main idea and supporting detail this way. However, others who are more visual learners will attach more meaning to the anchor chart. I try to include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities into every lesson.

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I begin my lesson on main idea and supporting details by letting my crew explore the informational Kids Discover Titanic Magazine. I give them a few minutes to browse and talk with their table groups about the things they see, things they already know, and things they're wondering about.

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I start by asking my students what they know about the Titanic? I have them write down facts and information on their worksheets in the "What I Know" box so that I can walk around and identify students with little prior knowledge (I increase visual and story details or send them home with a short picture book to read) I want to build students' understanding of the different perspectives given with first hand and second hand accounts of events and how the authors opinions influence their writing.

I call on students to share and we list things we know about the Titanic on the board.

I ask Why were the people riding on this big ship? I share that they were riding on it because it was the first ocean trip for a boat this size and many wanted to be the first to travel on it.

I then introduce my objective - For the next couple of days we are going to read second and firsthand accounts of people's voyages on the Titanic to learn more about what happened on the ship as it was sinking. We will chart the story elements to build an understanding the who, what, where and when of what is happening in the stories.

I ask - Who tells firsthand accounts of a story? when they respond I tell them that as college-ready readers we call this "first person point of view"

Who tells second hand accounts of a story? I share that When a narrator or outsider tells the story it is called a "third person point of view (I often show them that it is not myself or the person right next to me, but rather a "third" person farther away from me who is telling the story)

Which do you think is a more accurate account of what happened? I ask this because I want to start with the focus question because after they evaluate the two articles I want them to debate which is more accurate and why?.

I give students a moment to write "What I Wonder" questions as we transition to the guided lesson.

Here's a video explaining some changes I made to this unit to address CCSS standards and vocabulary development

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I start by asking my students what they know about the Titanic? I have them write down facts and information on their worksheets in the "What I Know" box so that I can walk around and identify students with little prior knowledge (I increase visual and story details or send them home with a short picture book to read) I want to build students' understanding of the different perspectives given with first hand and second hand accounts of events and how the authors opinions influence their writing.

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Use with End of a Splendid Journey and The Sinking of the Titanic

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I start by asking my students what they know about the Titanic? I have them write down facts and information on their worksheets in the "What I Know" box so that I can walk around and identify students with little prior knowledge (I increase visual and story details or send them home with a short picture book to read) I want to build students' understanding of the different perspectives given with first hand and second hand accounts of events and how the authors opinions influence their writing.

I call on students to share and we list things we know about the Titanic on the board.

I ask Why were the people riding on this big ship? I share that they were riding on it because it was the first ocean trip for a boat this size and many wanted to be the first to travel on it.

I then introduce my objective - For the next couple of days we are going to read second and firsthand accounts of people's voyages on the Titanic to learn more about what happened on the ship as it was sinking. We will chart the story elements to build an understanding the who, what, where and when of what is happening in the stories.

I ask - Who tells firsthand accounts of a story? when they respond I tell them that as college-ready readers we call this "first person point of view"

Who tells second hand accounts of a story? I share that When a narrator or outsider tells the story it is called a "third person point of view (I often show them that it is not myself or the person right next to me, but rather a "third" person farther away from me who is telling the story)

Which do you think is a more accurate account of what happened? I ask this because I want to start with the focus question because after they evaluate the two articles I want them to debate which is more accurate and why?.

I give students a moment to write "What I Wonder" questions as we transition to the guided lesson.

Here's a video explaining some changes I made to this unit to address CCSS standards and vocabulary development

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Similarities and Differences in the Titanic Sinking

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I start by asking my students what they know about the Titanic? I have them write down facts and information on their worksheets in the "What I Know" box so that I can walk around and identify students with little prior knowledge (I increase visual and story details or send them home with a short picture book to read) I want to build students' understanding of the different perspectives given with first hand and second hand accounts of events and how the authors opinions influence their writing.

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MORE TITANIC FACTS

* The most expensive tickets to travel aboard Titanic cost about $99,000 in today's money.

* The Titanic was almost as long as three football fields.

* To feed the passengers and crew, Titanic had 86,000 pounds of meat, 40,000 eggs, 40 tons of potatoes, 7,000 heads of lettuce, 3,500 pounds of onions, 36,000 apples, and 1,000 loaves of bread on board.

* Titanic was one of the first ships to have a telephone system and electric lights in all the rooms.

* Including the four smoke stacks, the Titanic was as tall as a 17-story building.

* Titanic had four elevators, a heated swimming pool, a gym, two libraries, and two barber shops.

* Each day, the passsengers and crew used 14,000 gallons of drinking water.

* Titanic' s engines used more than 800 tons of coal each day. The ship's top speed was 24 knots (27 miles an hour).

* Smoke and steam made by the Titanic' s boilers escaped through three stacks. Builders added a fourth stack because they thought it made the ship look better.

* Titanic could carry 3,547 passengers and crew. About 2,200 people traveled on its first voyage.

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MORE TITANIC FACTS * The most expensive tickets to travel aboard Titanic cost about $99,000 in today's money. * The Titanic was almost as long as three football fields. * To feed the passengers and crew, Titanic had 86,000 pounds of meat, 40,000 eggs, 40 tons of potatoes, 7,000 heads of lettuce, 3,500 pounds of onions, 36,000 apples, and 1,000 loaves of bread on board.