Lesson Plan - Inside the Titanic

Watch a Slideshow
Watch the slideshow “Tour the Titanic.” Discuss as a class: Why do you think the Titanic was considered luxurious? What, if anything, surprises you about the ship? Explain.

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• hull
• rivets

Set a Purpose for Reading
As students read, have them list the names of at least three different parts of the Titanic.

1. Based on the article, describe one decision or action that likely contributed to the tragedy.
Sample response: One action that likely contributed to the tragedy was crew member Jack Phillips ignoring the warning he had received about icebergs nearby. If Phillips had been less busy and was able to respond to the warning, the ship might have been able to avoid the iceberg.
^{(RI.4.1 Inference)}

2. Why didn’t passengers get in the Titanic’s lifeboats right away? 
The article explains that when the ship first struck the iceberg, “most passengers had no idea how much danger they were in.” This delayed the use of lifeboats.
^{(RI.4.5 Cause/Effect)}

3. Which class of passengers suffered the greatest loss of life in the disaster? Why? 
According to the charts in the article, third-class passengers suffered the greatest loss of life. Of the 709 third-class passengers, 533 died. This is because there were no lifeboats near the third-class cabins. The article says that “third-class passengers had to find their way through a maze of staircases to the top of the ship.”
^{(RI.4.2 Key Details)}

FEATURED SKILL: Reading a Chart
The article explains that the Titanic crew sent and received messages using a radio. Share the skill builder “Crack the Code” to help students understand how the device worked and to explore the Morse code it employed. Students may also enjoy using Morse code to spell out their names.
^{(RI.4.7 Text Features)}