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Pirates have been around for thousands of years. They sail on ships. They are thieves. They steal from other ships.
Many famous pirates lived in the late 1600s and early 1700s. This article is about that time period.
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Ahoy, Pirates!
You are going to read an article about a pirate ship. Read these facts first—or get ready to walk the plank!
From the December 2023/January 2024 Issue
1) There really are pirates.
2) Life on a pirate ship was dirty.
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Pirates slept below deck. That is the lower part of the ship. There were no windows. It was dark, crowded, and smelly. Rats, fleas, lice, and roaches crawled around.
Pirates also did not take a lot of baths. Fresh water was hard to get. Pee-yew!
3) Pirate life was hard.
Pirates kept hens on their ships for eggs. They caught fish to eat. But fruits and vegetables? Nope. These would spoil, or go bad, on a long trip. Many pirates had a disease called scurvy. They got that from not having enough vitamin C.
It made their teeth fall out. Argh!
4) Pirates wore eye patches.
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Pirates worked in daylight when they were outside. They also worked in the dark when they were below deck.
An eye patch kept one eye ready for the dark and the other eye ready for the light.
5) Pirates wanted to find treasure.
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Pirates wanted gold coins, shiny jewels, and fancy fabrics. They stole anything they could.
But what happened to all that treasure if their ship sank into the sea? Read “The Search for Pirate Gold.”
video
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Activities
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Skills Activities
About the Article
Social Studies Focus
History
Vocabulary
spoil
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
IMPLEMENTATION
Small group; whole group; independent reading
PAIRINGS AND TEXT CONNECTIONS
- Pair this article with the Big Read, “The Search for Pirate Gold.”
BEFORE READING RESOURCES
- Text Preview Bookmarks:
(10 minutes) Kids can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
- Play the Vocabulary Slideshow
(5 minutes) Help students become familiar with the vocabulary word they will see in the article.
- Watch the video, “Pirates: True or Untrue?”
(5 minutes) This fun video will help kids continue to build background knowledge about pirates.
SUGGESTED READING FOCUS
Comprehension, nonfiction text features (30 minutes)
- This article gives students background knowledge that will help them better understand this issue’s Big Read, “The Search for Pirate Gold,” on pages 6-11.
AFTER READING SKILLS PRACTICE
(15 minutes for each activity)
- Quiz: Comprehension check
- Nosey‘s Fact File: Students can write key details from the text on this page. Send photos of their pages or emails of their facts to [email protected]. She will write back!
Text-to-Speech