 mins)
Henry Morgan (20 mins)
Jack Rackham (10 mins)
Ann Bonney / Mary Read (7 mins)
Bart Roberts (15 mins)
Blackbeard  (13 mins)
Blackbeard  (13 mins)
In the game - which is played at various points throughout the remainder of the unit - groups of students (each representing a ‘crew’) move their ships around a board representing the Caribbean. They aim to build up their store of gold by successfully attacking settlements in the region and by attacking each other’s ships. A successful attack is only possible by answering factual questions correctly.
The game gives students a fantastic incentive to build up their factual knowledge throughout the unit - because progress in the game is determined by how successfully the team is able to answer questions based on what they have learned about the Golden Age of Piracy.
The game is played across various lessons (the positions of each ship / the amount of gold held by each team should roll over to each subsequent ‘round).
The first ‘round’ of the game can be played after have completed their initial research about pirates (which forms the basis of one batch of the available questions).
Thereafter, it should be alternated with the other worksheets (e.g. on the Pirates Code) which broaden the amount of test questions available: a format of 30m on worksheets and 30m on the activity is a good idea.
At the end of the main unit, and just before students start on their individual write-up, the ‘gold’ held by each team can be traded in for chocolates. Let students know this outcome before they start the game - it really fires them up!
Weaponry in the films: Evidence of Accuracy | Video Clip
The Pirates of the Caribbean films do a good job in using historically accurate weaponry. This worksheet and this accompanying video clip helps students understand how and why.
Pirate Code - Introduction Video Clip (1 minute)
The Pirate Code: Overview
In this activity students will get an overview of some of the central rules of Pirates and consider why they existed. A teacher version is available.
Pirate Codes: Comparisons and Contrasts with the film
This exercise gets students to compare and contrast the different pirate codes side by side to help decide which pirate had the most reasonable terms of service. A teacher version is available.
Table: Comparisons and Contrasts between different pirates
and / or
Venn: Comparisons and Contrasts between different pirates
This could be used as an extension activity if time is pressing, but otherwise should be used as a standard part of the unit.
The Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones, the Kraken and Calypso | Primary Sources on the Flying Dutchman
Students are presented with information about the ways in which various sea myths are depicted in the film. Firstly, we use some primary sources which show the evolution of the Flying Dutchman myth to test the accuracy of the film. Then students conduct their own research on the remaining aspects of the film to reach a conclusion. There are teacher notes available.
End of Unit Project: Instructions / Markscheme
To round the unit off, students produce an individual research project bringing their findings together using this helpsheet. The mark scheme is based closely on those used for the ActiveHistory Mysteries so that students can build upon their previous progress.
Births (100 years ago today): 1918 - Leonore Annenberg, American businesswoman and diplomat (d. 2009)
Deaths (400 years ago today): 1618 - Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
Deaths (50 years ago today): 1968 - Anthony Asquith, English director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
Commemorations:World Day of Social Justice
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Backward Essay Planning the Rule of Pinochet
How important was the role of women in the anti-Apartheid movement?
The Sophiatown Removals: Sample Sourcework Paper / Model Answers
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Summary revision: Cold War Crises Compared
Model Essay: Evaluate the political and economic impact of military rule in Chile between 1973 and 1989
Historiography: C