In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex Lesson Plan

Mapping the Essex disaster

Kind of Activity:

Mixed Media

Objective:

To use information from the text and the maps included in the text to create a visual representation of the journey of the Essex and the whaleboats.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7

Structure:

In the Heart of the Sea includes two maps: one of the journey of the Essex, and one of the journey of the whaleboats. Using these maps, as well as the information the book provides about the locations of the boats, students will work together in small groups to create a large map of the journey. They should add details the book’s maps do not have, such as...