StudySync Lesson Plan Treasure Island  

Objectives 1.

Engage students in the plot, setting, and characters in a chapter from Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure yarn. Prepare students for discussion and indepth written analysis of the excerpt.

2. Practice and reinforce the following Grade 7 ELA Common Core Standards for reading literature, writing, and speaking and listening: READING: LITERATURE – RL.7.1-4, 6-7, 10 WRITING – W.7.1-10 SPEAKING AND LISTENING – SL.7.1-6

Time    

130 minutes (with up to an additional 250 minutes of extension possibilities)

     

Materials SyncTV Premium Lesson on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island

Overview The name “Long John Silver” conjures up images of pirates and treachery on the high seas. In this excerpt from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel, Treasure Island, readers will go back to Silver’s first appearance at the Spy-Glass Tavern. Stevenson was a child of Victorian England who longed for adventure, leaving a potential law career to become a writer. It all worked out for the best, of course, as Stevenson’s two most famous novels – Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island, are among the world’s most widely read works of literature. Both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island explore the division between the opposing forces of order and recklessness, politeness and impropriety. Close examination of this excerpt will offer students the opportunity to read a classic adventure story that has had formative influences on the genre. Students will participate in class- and group-led discussions, and write critical essay responses consistent with the ELA Common Core Standards for Grade 7.

  studysync.com

Page 1

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

Background (10 minutes) 1.

Watch the Preview (SL.7.1-2). As a group, watch the video preview of the premium lesson. After viewing, use the following questions to spur a discussion: a. Many of the images and accompanying words and phrases in the preview will be familiar: pirate ships, buried treasure, “X marks the spot,” peg-legged seaman, etc. Where have you encountered these before–on TV, in film, in video games, etc.? What stories or films have you read or seen that contain these story elements? b. What is the “swashbuckling” genre? What are the conventions of these kinds of stories? Can you name other examples of this genre? What is the oldest example of a “swashbuckler” you can think of? What is the newest? c. Where have you heard the name Long John Silver before? What kinds of images and emotions does the name bring to mind? Why do you think both this literary figure and the accompanying genre have remained so popular? Extension (additional 75 minutes) d. Illustrate (ELL and SL.7.5). Have students draw an illustration of a pirate and post their drawings on Picasa. Think about how pirates appear in popular culture and what standard attributes they possess. Students should keep their illustrations in mind as they read the following excerpt, noting how much of the conception of this character in popular culture has been influenced by Stevenson’s Treasure Island. e. Define (SL.7.1-3). Students should also be aware of the literary device of foreshadowing, if they are not already. Define this term for the class, and have students brainstorm examples of this device in other works. Why do authors, filmmakers, etc., frequently employ foreshadowing? How does it make a narrative more interesting or exciting? f.

Write (W.7.2, 4, 7). In classic terms, the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) of a story are clearly good and evil. But do all stories follow this model? Have students compose a short written response detailing at least one popular work that goes against this model. How can a morally ambiguous protagonist or antagonist make a story more meaningful or complex?

g. Explore (RI.7.1-2). Go to http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Swashbuckler and have students read up on the conventions of the swashbuckler, to give them more context for the following excerpt from Treasure Island.

 

Engaging the Text (120 minutes)  

2. Read the Text (30 minutes) a. Read and Annotate (RL.7.1-4, 6). Have students read and annotate the introduction and excerpt. If students are completing as a homework assignment, ask them to write any questions they have into the annotation tool – these questions are visible to you after the students submit their writing assignments or beforehand if you use the “Mimic” function to access the students’ accounts. b. Discuss (SL.7.1, 3). Have students get into small groups or pairs and briefly discuss the questions and inferences they had while reading. As a class, discuss the

  studysync.com

Page 2

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

following: What do you make of the character of Long John Silver? Is he goodnatured and trustworthy? Deceitful and cunning? Compare your own viewpoint with the viewpoint of Jim, the narrator. Are they different? Why?

 

Extension (additional 20 minutes) c. Listen and Discuss (SL.7.1-2). As a class, listen to the audio reading of the text. Ask students to share how their understanding of the text changed after listening. What additional images came to mind? What words did the author use to develop the setting? The characters? d. Comprehend (RL.7.1-4, 6, 10). Have students complete the multiple-choice questions. Collect papers or discuss answers as a class.

  3. Watch SyncTV (30 minutes) a. Watch. Either watch the SyncTV discussion as a class or ask students to watch it on their individual computers. b. Focus (SL.7.1-3 and RL.7.1, 3, 6). Have students watch the portion of the episode from 1:42-2:20 and model how the SyncTV students cite quotes that show Jim’s excited view of his surroundings – and how these descriptions give us insight into his character. c. Focus (SL.7.1-3 and RL.7.1, 3). During portions at both 2:28-3:00 and 7:30-8:13, the SyncTV students, along with their TA, discuss the two opposing sides to the adventure: the lure of excitement and the threat of danger. Pay attention to these two opposing themes and how they interact throughout the course of the excerpt. d. Focus (SL.7.1-3 and RL.7.1, 3, 6). From 3:23-4:16, the discussion centers on Jim’s initial response to meeting Long John Silver, and how the character of Long John Silver is filtered through Jim’s eyes. Think about how perspective plays a role in determining our understanding of these characters and events. e. Discuss (SL.7.1-5 and RL.7.1-4, 6, 10). After watching the model discussion, have a conversation with the class about the ideas discussed in the SyncTV episode. What new thoughts do they have after hearing the students' discussion? Next, divide students into small groups (3-4 students). Move around the room monitoring groups as students follow the SyncTV episode as a model to discuss some of the following questions: i. Discuss the character of Jim, the narrator. What are some passages in the excerpt that tell us things about this character? What are some specific passages that show us things about this character? ii. How do the two opposing forces of fear and excitement affect Jim’s observations and actions? Are these two forces inextricably linked? How and why? iii. What is foreshadowing? Why do authors use this literary device in their stories? How and why does Stevenson use it in this chapter from Treasure Island, and is it effective? What do you think will happen in the chapters to come? iv. Why isn’t Jim more suspicious of Long John Silver at this point? Do you think his perspective is skewed by his yearning for adventure and buried

  studysync.com

Page 3

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

treasure? Or do you think it owes to Silver’s charming and convincing nature? v. How does Stevenson use dialect in the dialogue in Treasure Island? How does it help us get a better sense of Long John Silver, and other characters? Where is this dialect from? Extension (additional 75 minutes) f.

Read Aloud (SL.7.4-6). For a fun class activity, have students take turns reading Long John Silver’s lines out loud. Record the best line readings using the podcast app and post them online for students to share. Use this activity as an audition to find the best class member for the role of Long John Silver in the following activity.  

g. Perform (SL.7.1, 4-6). Now, assign roles for the rest of the characters in the excerpt, or split the class into groups and have each group perform a scene from the excerpt. If desired, film the scenes and edit them using iMovie (or similar digital media app).

 

4. Think (10 minutes) a. Respond (W.7.1-2, 4, 6). Ask students to read the “Think” questions, watch the corresponding video clips, and respond to the questions, either in class or for homework.

  5. Write (50 minutes) a. Discuss (SL.7.1). Read the prompt you have chosen for students, and then solicit questions regarding the prompt or the assignment expectations. Whichever prompt you have chosen, make sure you are clear about the assignment expectations and the rubric by which you and the other students will be evaluating them. b. Organize (RL.7.1-6, 10 and W.7.1-2). Ask students to go back and annotate the text with the prompt in mind. They should be organizing their thoughts and the points they’ll address in their writing as they make annotations. If you’ve worked on outlining or other organizational tools for writing, this is a good place to apply them. c. Write (W.7.1-2, 4-5, 9-10). Have students go through the writing process of planning, revising, editing, and publishing their writing responses. d. Review (W.7.4-6). Use the StudySync “Review” feature to have students complete one to two evaluations of their peers’ work based on your chosen review rubric. Have the students look at and reflect upon the peer evaluations of their own writing. What might you do differently in a revision? How might you strengthen the writing and the ideas? Extension (additional 80 minutes) e. Write (W.7.1-2, 4-5, 9-10). For homework, have students write an essay using one of the prompts you did not choose to do in class. Students should publish their responses online.

  studysync.com

Page 4

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

f.

Write Creatively (W.7.3-4, 9-10). Write a modern-day Treasure Island, featuring you as the main character! Use your imagination and compose a swashbuckler of at least 300 words, in which you embark on an exciting and dangerous adventure. Keep in mind the conventions of the genre, as well as some of the literary devices from Treasure Island (dialect, foreshadowing, etc.). The rest is up to you!

  studysync.com

Page 5

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS         Key Vocabulary 1.

squire (n.) – In 18th century England, a landowner in a village

2. seafaring (adj.) –Traveling the seas, usually while working on a vessel 3. dexterity (n.) – The skill to move or act quickly and gracefully 4. buccaneer (n.) – Someone who tries to get money or power through dishonesty (e.g., a pirate) 5. mahogany (n.) – A reddish-brown wood or color 6. keel (n.) – A long piece of wood along the bottom of a boat 7. gone bail (v.) –Put up money in exchange for a person’s release from jail 8. confounded (adj.) – (old fashioned) Awful or annoying 9. mirth (n.) – laughter; hilarity 10. trump (n.) – The highest-ranked card in a deck; a person of great merit

    Reading Comprehension Questions 1.

Jim sets off to find Long John Silver ______________. a. at a tavern b. on the ship c. on a dock d. at a market

2. Jim is surprised to discover that Long John Silver is ______________. a. drunk b. good-natured c. tall and strong d. employed 3. The letter from the squire to Long John Silver is probably intended to _______________. a. warn Silver about Black Dog b. remind Silver that he owes money c. ask for Silver’s help apprehending a criminal d. introduce Jim to Silver 4.

“I don’t care two coppers who he is,” cried Silver. “But he hasn’t paid his score. Harry, run and catch him.” From this quote above we can infer that Long John Silver is________________. a. wanted by the law b. the boss at the tavern c. struggling for money d. an elderly man

  studysync.com

Page 6

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

5. We might also guess that Black Dog runs away because _______________. a. b. c. d.

he has no money he is afraid of Long John Silver he sees Jim he has some of the buried treasure

6. "If he were Admiral Hawke he shall pay his score,” cried Silver. Here, Long John Silver means to say ________________. a. he thinks the man in question might be Admiral Hawke b. he wants to get revenge on Admiral Hawke c. even a man as powerful as Admiral Hawke has to pay his bill d. he is only interested in catching the man if he is Admiral Hawke 7. “By the time the two men had come back out of breath and confessed that they had lost the track in a crowd, and been scolded like thieves, I would have gone bail for the innocence of Long John Silver.” In this statement, Jim is claiming that _________________. a. he sees no sign at this point of Silver’s treachery b. he is slowly starting to distrust Silver c. he doubts whether Black Dog really escaped d. he thinks the men deserved to be scolded 8.

“Here you comes and tells me of it plain; and here I let him give us all the slip before my blessed deadlights!” In the underlined text, Long John Silver is saying that he let the man________________. a. scold him without sticking up for himself b. give him a letter without asking c. take all of their money without putting up a fight d. get away right under his nose

9. “On our little walk along the quays, he made himself the most interesting companion, telling me about the different ships that we passed by…and every now and then telling me some little anecdote of ships or seamen or repeating a nautical phrase till I had learned it perfectly.” From this passage we can infer that Jim is ________________. a. young and inexperienced b. distrustful of Long John Silver c. an experienced seaman d. largely uninterested in seafaring 10. In this chapter, the author of the story seems to be foreshadowing that ________________. a. b. c. d.

Dr. Livesey is not really a doctor Long John Silver might be up to no good the man at the tavern was not really Black Dog The squire is going to be murdered

  studysync.com

Page 7

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

Answer Key

    1. A 2. B 3. D 4. B 5. C 6. C 7. A 8. D 9. A 10. B

Further Assignments 1.

Have students read the entirety of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, keeping a reading journal and/or annotating the text as they read, and preparing essay responses once they are finished. One potential essay topic: how does Stevenson convey the moral ambiguity of Long John Silver? Is Silver a classic antagonist or is he a mixture of both good and bad qualities? Does this ambiguity make Treasure Island a more interesting read? Why? Students should cite specific passages from the text in crafting their responses. (RL.7.1-4, 6, 10 and W.7.1, 4)

2. Students can also compare and contrast Treasure Island with an excerpt from Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (An excerpt from this novel is also available in the StudySync library.) Students should compare the plot, characters, and setting in both excerpts, to draw conclusions about the style and themes in Stevenson’s work. Though they are very different, what do these two works have in common? Students should complete the StudySync lesson for Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and may read the full text, if desired. (RL.7.1-4, 6, 10 and W.7.4, 9) 3. For a fun creative writing activity, ask students to write another Long John Silver adventure, this one a prequel to the events in Treasure Island. Have them pay special attention to the vernacular of Silver’s dialog, then compose their own. The story should involve Long John Silver and should somehow tie in with this excerpt from Treasure Island. Example: write a story about how Long John Silver lost his leg, came to be a cook, etc. (W.7.3-4, 9) 4. Using the list of conventions of the swashbuckler genre from the Preview section, have students identify which conventions Treasure Island follows and which conventions it ignores or changes. Then have students make a list of novels, films, or other works that have been directly influenced by characters or plot elements from Treasure Island (e.g., Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan, etc.). Students should share these lists and discuss them as a class. (W.7.7, 9 and SL.7.1-2) 5. There are dozens of movie adaptations of Treasure Island: screen one (or more) of these films for the class. A list of all the different adaptations of Treasure Island can be found at

  studysync.com

Page 8

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island

IMDB: http://tinyurl.com/aqr4jnu. As a class, discuss the adaptation after the screening. Does it do a good job of translating Stevenson’s characters and events to the screen? What liberties does it take with the original material? (RL.7.7 and SL.7.1-2, 5) 6. Ask students to choose one or more paragraphs from the excerpt and make a list of the most important nouns and verbs in each sentence. (Example from the first sentence: squire, gave, note, John Silver, told, find, place, keeping, lookout, tavern, sign.) Then have them use the words to retell what happens in the paragraph. (ELL) Ask students to translate Long John Silver’s dialog in the excerpt into a modern vernacular. How would Long John Silver talk if he were a person living in the 21st century? Students should rewrite all of his dialog and deliver it in front of the class in their updated versions. (ELL)

  studysync.com

Page 9

Lesson Plan: Treasure Island