Titanic Passenger Project
Jamie Impson
Steve Miller
Kelly Nicholas
Capital College Preparatory Academy
Spring 2013
Iceberg tearing gash in hull of Titanic
The sinking of the Titanic was a devastating event in history. Many lives were lost during
this tragic event and those who survived never forgot their horrific experiences. In this
lesson, students “step in the shoes” of a survivor from the Titanic. They will use their
inquiry skills to research information about the sinking of the Titanic and how it affected
the life of their survivor.
Overview/ Materials/Historical Background/LOC Resources/Standards/
Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview
Objectives
Recommended time frame
Grade level
Curriculum fit
Materials
Back to Navigation Bar
Students will:
 annotate and discuss historical background on the
Titanic
 observe, reflect, and question primary resources
from the Titanic
 write a paper in first-person based on a survivor of
the Titanic
 Research a survivor of the Titanic
1 – 2 weeks
6th – 8th
Language Arts/History
 Articles on Titanic
 Primary Resources List
 Pictures printed out and laminated
 Analysis Sheet
 Pre-writing worksheet
 Outline worksheet
 Computers/laptops for research
 Rubric for writing assignment
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Illinois Learning Standards/Common Core
Back to Navigation Bar
CCSS.ELA & Literacy
Reading-Informational Texts
 RI.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text.
 RI.7.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals,
events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence
individuals or events, or how individuals influence
ideas or events)
Reading Literacy for History/Social Studies
 RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information
of a primary or secondary source; provide an
accurate summary of the source distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions.
 RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in
charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with
other information in print and digital texts.
 RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a
primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Writing for History/Social Studies
 WHST.6-8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
 WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational
texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
Procedures
Back to Navigation Bar
Day One and Two:
 Read the following article and videos:
o Into the Dark (SCOPE Magazine)
o The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 at
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/titanic.
htm
o http://www.history.com/topics/titanic
 Discuss the article and videos, annotate and build
background knowledge of the Titanic
Day Three:
 Pair students up.
 Have students look through primary resources of the
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University



Titanic.
Each set of partners must choose one primary
resource that they connect with.
Have students analyze their resource using an
analysis sheet.
Share ideas with another partner group (or to the
class)
Day Four and Five:
 Tell students: You were a passenger on the RMS
Titanic in April 1912. You are a survivor who has
lived to tell an eyewitness account of what you
experienced… the sights, the sounds… everything
you witnessed. Step into the shoes of your
passenger and pretend that you were actually there!
 Then provide each student with a name of a Titanic
survivor, age, origin, class, family, reason aboard
the Titanic, and what he/she was doing when the
iceberg hit from the website
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/articles/
 Use the Pre-writing worksheet and Outline
worksheet to prepare for your creative writing
assignment later this week.
Day Six and Seven:
 Begin final paper which should be a minimum of 5
paragraphs long:
o Introduction
o 3-paragraph body
o Conclusion
 Write it in first person point of view (like I, me, my)
 Keep in mind all of the facts you have learned while
studying the nonfiction accounts of the Titanic.
Make your account as realistic as possible.
Day Eight:
 After completion of writing assignment, allow
students have the opportunity to research their
survivors to compare how accurate they were in
their writing.
 Research websites may include:
o http://www.history.com/topics/titanic
o http://www.encyclopediatitanica.org/articles/
o www.encyclopedia-titanica.org
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
o www.history.com/topics/titanic#a1
Evaluation
Back to Navigation Bar
Students will be evaluated using the rubric.
Extensions
Back to Navigation Bar
1. Students will present findings to the class and
compare/contrast facts to their creative writing.
2. Do additional research on the Titanic’s sister
ship, Britannic. Compare how the two ships
sank. Find one person who was on both ships
and write about him/her.
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Historical Background
Back to Navigation Bar
From the time of its construction, the Titanic was built to be gigantic and luxurious.
Follow the history of the Titanic, from its beginnings in a shipyard to its end at the
bottom of the sea, in this timeline of the Titanic.
March 31, 1909 Construction of the Titanic begins with the building of the keel, the
backbone of the ship, at Harland & Wolff's shipyard in Belfast, Ireland.
May 31, 1911 The unfinished Titanic is lathered up with soap and pushed into the water
for "fitting out." Fitting out is the installation of all the extras, some on the exterior, like
the smokestacks and the propellers, and a lot on the inside, like the electrical systems,
wall coverings, and furniture.
June 14, 1911 The Olympic departs on its maiden voyage.
April 2, 1912 The Titanic leaves dock for sea trials, which include tests of speed, turns,
and an emergency stop. At about 8 p.m., after the sea trials, the Titanic heads to
Southampton, England.
April 3-10, 1912 The Titanic is loaded with supplies and her crew is hired.
April 10, 1912 From 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., passengers board the ship. Then at noon,
the Titanic leaves the dock for its maiden voyage. First stop is in Cherbourg, France,
where the Titanic arrives at 6:30 p.m. and leaves at 8:10 p.m. heading to Queenstown,
Ireland (now known as Cobh).
April 11, 1912 At 1:30 p.m., the Titanic leaves Queenstown and heads across the
Atlantic for New York.
April 12-13, 1912 The Titanic continues on her journey as passengers enjoy life on the
luxurious ship.
April 14, 1912 (9:20 p.m.) Captain Smith retires to his room.
April 14, 1912 (9:40 p.m.) The last of several warnings about icebergs is received in the
wireless room. This warning never makes it to the bridge.
April 14, 1912 (11:40 p.m.) The lookouts spot an iceberg directly in the path of the
Titanic. First Officer Murdoch orders a hard starboard (left) turn, but the Titanic's right
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
side still scrapes the iceberg. Only 37 seconds passed between the sighting of the iceberg
and hitting it.
April 15, 1912 (12:05 a.m.) Captain Smith orders the crew to prepare the lifeboats and
get the passengers and crew up on deck.
April 15, 1912 (12:45 a.m.) The first lifeboat is lowered into the freezing water.
April 15, 1912 (2:18 a.m.) The Titanic snaps in half.
April 15, 1912 (2:20 a.m.) The Titanic sinks.
April 15, 1912 (4:10 a.m.) The Carpathia picks up the first of the survivors.
April 15, 1912 (8:30 a.m.) The Carpathia picks up survivors from the last lifeboat.
April 17, 1912 The Mackay-Bennett is the first of several ships to travel to the area
where the Titanic sank to search for bodies.
April 18, 1912 The Carpathia arrives in New York with 705 survivors.
April 19 - May 25, 1912 The United States Senate holds hearings about the disaster.
May 2 - July 3, 1912 The British hold an inquiry about the Titanic disaster.
September 1, 1985 Robert Ballard's expedition team discovers the wreck of the Titanic.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. (2013). Titanic Timeline: A timeline of the fateful first and last voyage of the
RMS Titanic. Retrieved from http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/a/titanictimeline.htm
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Primary Resources from the Library of Congress
Back to Navigation Bar
Image
Description
The great Titanic
disaster
Citation
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LCUSZ62-90833]
URL
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/cp
h.3b09597/
Titanic survivors on
way to rescue ship
Carpathia
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LCUSZ62-93570]
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LC-DIGggbain-11212]
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LCUSZ62-121019]
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/cp
h.3b39746/
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LC-DIGggbain-10346]
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/gg
bain.10346/
TITANIC life boats
on way to
CARPATHIA
Which? fate--or
economy in life
boats?
Crowd awaiting
TITANIC survivors
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/gg
bain.11212/
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/cp
h.3c21019/
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Louis & Lola?-TITANIC survivors
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LC-DIGggbain-10354]
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/gg
bain.10354/
Survivors of the
Titanic disaster
Library of
Congress, Prints &
Photographs
Division,
NYWT&S
Collection, [LCUSZ62-105864]
http://www.loc.gov/
pictures/resource/cp
h.3c05864/
Survivors of
TITANIC - family
group.
Library of Congress,
Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LCUSZ62-34976]
http://www.loc.gov
/pictures/resource/c
ph.3a35461/
Lifeboat from
Titanic is lifted
aboard rescue
vessel Carpathia
Library of Congress,
Prints &
Photographs
Division, NYWT&S
Collection, [LCUSZ62-116090]
http://www.loc.gov
/pictures/item/9650
3885/
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Stuart Collett;
survivor of the
TITANIC
Library of Congress,
Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LCUSZ62-34062]
http://www.loc.gov
/pictures/resource/c
ph.3a34561/
Mrs. J.J. Brown,
3/4 standing, 1915.
Captioned
"Survivor of
TITANIC as she
landed from
CARPATHIA
Library of Congress,
Prints &
Photographs
Division, [LCUSZ62-31914]
http://www.loc.gov
/pictures/resource/c
ph.3a32452/
Sinking of the
Titanic - artist's
conception
Library of Congress,
Prints &
Photographs
Division, NYWT&S
Collection, [LCUSZ62-134408]
http://www.loc.gov
/pictures/item/2004
670170/
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Rubric
Back to Navigation Bar
An Eyewitness Account- Titanic Passenger Project Rubric
Organization
The events of the account are arranged in chronological order.
 The story has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
 Events are logically presented and interrelated.
Paragraphs are appropriately formatted (at least 5).
Points
___________/10
___________/5
The essay includes what happened to the passenger from the
time the Titanic hit the iceberg to the time it sank (at
minimum).
Content
The introduction includes an attention-grabbing beginning.
___________/10
___________/5
The introduction states the topic and gives necessary
background.
The introduction shares why the event is important.
___________/10
___________/5
The writer effectively shares feelings and reactions to events.
___________/10
The conclusion shares closing thoughts and feelings and ends
with an effective closing sentence.
The events of the story relate to factual Titanic information.
___________/10
___________/10
Elaboration
The writer uses precise nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
___________/5
The writer uses examples of sensory language.
___________/10
The writer uses multiple strategies of descriptive language:
 Figurative language: simile, metaphor,
personification, imagery
 Dialogue
 Flashbacks
 Foreshadowing
Grammar, Usage, Mechanics
The account is relatively free of convention errors.
Extra Credit
___________/10
___________/10
Total
___________/100
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Handouts
Back to Navigation Bar
Primary Resource Analysis Tool
Observe
Reflect
What do you notice first? Find something
small but interesting. What do you notice
that you didn’t expect? What do you notice
that you can’t explain? What do you notice
now that you didn’t earlier?
Where do you think this came from? Why
do you think somebody made this? What
do you think was happening when this was
made? Who do you think was the audience
for this item? What tool was used to create
this? Why do you think this item is
important? If someone made this today,
what would be different? What can you
learn from examining this?
Question
What do you wonder about... who? what?
when? where? why? how?
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Name: _________________________________________
Titanic Passenger Project
Pre-writing
Assignment
You were a passenger on the RMS Titanic in April 1912. You are survivor who has lived
to tell an eyewitness account of what you experienced… the sights, the sounds…
everything you witnessed. Step into the shoes of your passenger and pretend that you
were actually there!
Brainstorming
Passenger Background:
Answer the following questions about your passenger to include in your paper…

What is the name of your passenger?

What is his or her age?

Where is he or she originally from?

What class did your passenger belong to?

Was your character traveling alone or with others? If with others, whom?

Why was your passenger aboard the Titanic?

What was your passenger doing as the Titanic hit the iceberg?
Sensory Language:
When answering the following questions think about your entire experience – when you
arrived on the ship until the moments the Titanic sank into the Atlantic.

What did you see while onboard the Titanic?

What did you hear while onboard the Titanic?

What did you smell while onboard the Titanic? How did they smell?

What did you taste while onboard the Titanic? How did they feel?

How did you feel about the things you experienced? What were your
reactions?
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Name: _________________________________________
Titanic Passenger Project
Outline
Paper Guidelines
 Your paper should be a minimum of 5 paragraphs long – an introduction, at
least 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
 Write in the first person point of view. You need to tell the experience as if
you were actually there. (Use words like I, me, my, etc.)
 Keep in mind all of the facts you have learned while studying the nonfiction
accounts of the Titanic. Make your account as realistic as possible.
Introduction (Paragraph 1)
Include the following components in your introduction:
 Attention-grabbing opening
 Who, what, when, where, why (background information)
 Feelings and reactions (looking back on the entire experience)
 Why was the event important to you? (Why would you want to share about
your experience on the Titanic?)
Body (Paragraph 2 through 4)
Include the following components in your body:
 Events you experienced on the Titanic in chronological order
 Specific details (figures of speech, dialogue)
 Precise nouns, verbs, and adjectives
 Feelings and reactions
Conclusion (Paragraph 5)
Include the following components in your conclusion:
 Closing thoughts
 Importance of the event
 Feelings and reactions
 Concluding sentence relating to introduction (make the reader think “wow”
when he or she finishes!)
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University