Teaching In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex | Daily Lessons

Daily Lessons

This section contains 30 daily lessons. Each one has a specific objective and offers at least three (often more) ways to teach that objective. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, in-class handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about the text in a classroom setting. Use some or all of the suggestions provided to work with your students in the classroom and help them understand the text.

Lesson 1

Objective: Preface In order to prepare the reader for the story about the sinking of the Essex, Philbrick begins the Preface with an explanation of whaling in the Pacific Ocean. This lesson is about the literary reasons for the background information along with when, how, and why sailors from Nantucket hunted whales.

1) 1) Class Discussion: What year is it when Philbrick begins the story about whaling in...
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