Exploring the Titanic

1. Exploring the Titanic By Robert Ballard

2. Before Reading: Connect to Your Life • Take out your LNb and label the next available page “Exploring the Titanic.” • Answer the following questions: • What do you know about exploration beneath the surface of the ocean? • What do you know about the voyage of the Titanic? • When you finish answering the questions, read Build Background on page 658 in your literature book.

3. Before Reading: Understand Vocabulary • Using context clues can help you to define unfamiliar words. • Often, unknown words are restated in familiar or easier language. • Restatements may be set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses, or introduced by the word or. • Read the sentences on the next slide and determine the definition of each bold-faced word. Write these definitions in your LNb. Watch for restatements.

4. Before Reading: Understand Vocabulary • The passengers were intrigued by the novelty of sending messages– something completely new to them. • They thought of a fitting tribute, a perfect way to honor him. • Most passengers were dazzled, or amazed, by the ship’s splendor. • The ship started to list from side to side, tilting first one way and then the other. • The crew worked feverishly, with intense nervous energy, to try to prevent disaster.

5. Reading 1: Distinguish between Fact and Opinion • Fact: a statement that can be proved • Opinion: a statement of personal belief that cannot be proven • Identify the following statements as either fact or opinion: • In 1907, nearly ten years after The Wreck of the Titan was written, two men began making plans to build a real titanic ship. • The two men certainly dreamed on a grand scale. • As we read “Exploring the Titanic,” record examples of facts and opinions on the worksheet in your packet.

6. Group Discussion Questions • What design elements were supposed to make the Titanic unsinkable? • What details early in the selection foreshadow the upcoming disaster? • What factors contributed to the Titanic hitting the iceberg? • Why was the loss of life so great? • Why do you think this disaster still captures people’s attention?

7. Reading 2: Sources and Setting • Primary sources: original, firsthand accounts and graphics of events, including diaries, newspapers, photographs, and other documents. • Why would Robert Ballard have needed primary sources to write “Exploring the Titanic”? • What primary sources can you identify from the selection?

8. Reading 2: Sources and Setting • Secondary sources: an account of a story based on the writings or evidence of people other than the author. • Authors of secondary sources usually have not observed or participated in the events being described. • What type of source is being described in each example below? • A book written about the Titanic by a historian using quotes from the diary of a survivor. • A diary written by someone who sailed on the Titanic and survived. • What type of source is our selection? • Complete the Setting and Sources worksheet with your partner.

9. Reading 3: Accurate and Reliable Sources • Writers of nonfiction need to use sources that are accurate, meaning they conform exactly to fact. • Sources should also be reliable, meaning they have a reputation for being trustworthy. • Why do you think accuracy is important? • What would happen if a writer used sources that were not accurate? • How can you tell if the sources used in a piece of nonfiction are accurate?

10. Reading 3: Accurate and Reliable Sources • Sources that are generally thought to be reliable are things such as news stories in newspapers and periodicals (magazines), photographs, quotations, and accounts from eyewitnesses. • Why would these sources be considered reliable? • Complete the Accurate and Reliable Source worksheet with your partner.