Pirates in Historical Fiction and Nonfiction: A Twin-Text Unit of Study

In this article, the authors outline an interdisciplinary unit of study using quality children's literatures, and they describe several instructional strategies and activities for reading and responding to historical fiction and informational texts. This "piratical study" integrates social studies and the language arts. Several social studies topics emerge during the lessons: (a) the economic impact pirates and privateers had on American colonies; (b) the roles that pirates and privateers played in the wars between England and Spain, the American Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812; (c) the absolute and relative location of major landforms, bodies of water, and ports of call in the early Americas; and (d) the emergence of some democratic practices among some pirates: Pirate's Code-The Articles of Agreement. The authors conclude that combining good historical fiction and informational texts about key social studies topics with engaging and interactive comprehension activities will facilitate students' comprehension and understanding of social studies content. (Contains 6 notes.)