Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter

Written by Richard Platt and Illustrated by Chris Riddell

You are invited to go on a piratical journey with Jake Carpenter. You will read about Jake’s adventures through the diary he kept throughout his travels. You will learn about Colonial America and Pirates, as well as many other exciting people, places, and happenings. As your teacher, I invite you to keep your own Diary of sorts.

You will begin a Double Entry Diary, otherwise known as a DED. We will be reading, writing in your diary, and discussing throughout this entire book of historical fiction.

As you are reading each section that has been assigned, you will write four entries in your DED. You will find important words, quotations, or passages from the book. Then you will explain why those words, quotations, and passages are important—in other words, when you read them, what do those words mean to you?

You will write each entry so that it looks something like this table:

From the book (words, quotes, passages). Please include the page and paragraph. / What it means to me

Here are options that you may choose to write about and how you might organize your thoughts:

Significant passage copied from the text; include page and paragraph #.
Quote / Connections or reactions to recorded statement
Reaction (How you feel about the quote)
Quote / Connection (Self, Text, World)
Quote/Picture / Inference (What you think it means)
Prediction / What Really Happened (You will complete this after you know)
Question you have or something you don’t understand / Answer or possible answer
Author’s Craft (Simile, metaphor, personification) / Explanation of what it means and how it adds importance to the passage
Fact / Your Opinion
Effect (What happened?) / Cause (Why did it happen?)

Here is what your schedule will look like:

Section 1

We will read pages 1-13 together.

YOU will read pages 14-32. Be sure to stop beforethe entry labeled Saturday 20th. As you are reading, think about the following:

Jake and his family

Colonists’ feelings about paying taxes—what is your opinion?

Author’s craft-simile and personification

Pirate punishments

Navigation on the ship

Make a prediction after reading Friday 19th entry: Who is aboard the “other vessel” Jake sees?

Remember to write at least 4 journal entries for Section 1. In addition, remember to add to your Dictionary of Piratical and Nautical Terms. Remember to include sketches and anything else to help you remember important words and terms.

Think about adding the following terms:

brig
masts
starboard
port
contraband
customs taxes
Molasses / upper topsails
first mate
helmsman
flogged
latitude
backstaff
almanac

Look for Martinique, the West Indies, England and Jamaica on a map.

Here is an example of the DED from the first section.

Effect: The deck must be washed all the time aboard a ship to keep the wood wet. (p.12) / Cause: The wood boards on the deck will shrink apart—if dry—and let the sea water into the lower part of the ship. (P.12-13)
Quote: “…if you can put up with old Captain Nick!” (p.11) / Connection: Makes me think that Captain Nick is a bad fellow, maybe mean and nasty. I wonder if something bad happens because of this Captain Nick?
Quote: “Candles are permitted only inside a horn lantern, which protects the ship against fire” (p. 13) / Inference: I imagine with the entire ship made of wood and rope, sailors must be very careful to prevent fire on the ship. I wonder where they store the gun powder and how safe that is.

Example of Dictionary of Piratical and Nautical Terms:

Quayside (p. 10, 12, 13): quay is a platform that runs along the edge of a port or harbor, where boats are loaded and unloaded, so quayside is the side of the ship that is next to the dock.

Section 2

You will read pages 32-61.

As you are reading, think about the following:

The Pirate Attack: Cause and Effect

  • Major events that occurred and why they happened
  • Jolly Roger

Pirate Facts and your Opinions about pirates

Conditions aboard the ship

Marooning

Pirate Articles-Oath of Loyalty (Connection to government?)

Whales!

Careening the ship

Henry Jennings

Cannons-How do they work?

Please consult your book, The Best Book of Pirates by Barnaby Harward, for further information on:

Pirate ship pp. 8-9

Conditions aboard the ship pp. 10-11

Tools of the trade-weapons pp. 12-13

Careening a ship p. 20

Pirate Rules and Punishments pp. 28-29

Remember to write at least 4 journal entries for Section 2. In addition, remember to add to your Dictionary of Piratical and Nautical Terms. Remember to include sketches and anything else to help you remember important words and terms.

Think about adding the following terms:

Quarterdeck
boatswain
maggots
marooning
moored
articles / deserters
league
tacking
careen
powder monkey
magazine

Possible Activities (for your classroom):

  1. Individually, create a Jolly Roger-Research the various pirate flags (Jolly Roger) and make your own incorporating elements from the famous pirate flags. Be prepared to discuss why you designed your flag the way you did--what does it symbolize? Please feel free to use fabric and other materials. We will display these in our classroom. Have loads of fun!

Jolly Roger

Look at the flags our class created:

  1. Pirate Articles-Work in groups of 4 and complete the following:

Read the Pirate Articles in our book and compare/contrast them to articles from other pirate ships. Please consider each rule/article separately. Do you think each rule/article was necessary? Discuss/Write a response to this.

Consider the articles as a whole. Are the rules fair? Is the punishment just? What is it about the rules that would attract individuals to an outlaw life of piracy? Be sure to check out the books in class along with these web sites:

Work as a democracy: Please name your ship; select your Captain and crew (entire class is available to be a crew-member on your ship). Write a log of today’s decisions.

  1. Quartermaster
  2. First Mate
  3. Boatswain
  4. Cabin Boy
  5. Carpenter
  6. Gunner
  7. Powder Monkey
  8. Surgeon
  9. Battle Strategy
  10. Life On Board a Sailing Ship

Finally, create your own Pirate Articles.

Section 3

You will read pages 62-93.

As you are reading, think about the following:

New Providence-Bahamas

Author’s craft-Simile and personification

Pieces of eight & Doubloons

Saint Elmo’s Fire

Manatees and Mermaids

Passing time on the ship

Tools on the ship

The “Dutch saw” and Ben…what do you think happened?

England’s King George and the Act of Grace…what are your thoughts? Would you have taken the pardon? Be prepared to defend your answer.

The Storm at sea and its effects

Jake’s relationship with Abraham

Uncle Will is Alive!

Remember to write at least 4 journal entries for Section 3. In addition, remember to add to your Dictionary of Piratical and Nautical Terms. Remember to include sketches and anything else to help you remember important words and terms.

Wrapping it up. Write in your journal addressing the following:

What other books/characters does the book remind you of? (Literary Connections)

What special meaning or message does the book have for you? (Theme)

What is your favorite part of the reading?

Questions I still have are______

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