A Persuasive Writing Challenge: Who Was to Blame for the Titanic Tragedy?
The true tragedy of Titanic wasn't the loss of a ship but the huge loss of life. Use your powers of persuasive writing to put forward your candidate as we explore not whose fault the sinking was- but who failed to preserve those lives.
Tracy Lambert
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(235)
Star Educator
What's included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hoursAssessment
Informal assessment during classClass Experience
US Grade 5 - 7
There have been many debates and much speculation over who was to blame for the sinking of RMS Titanic. In this one time class, we take a slightly different look at the disaster and ask who should carry the blame for the sad loss of so many lives. Whose action - or inaction- meant that the tragedy was so much more than the loss of a ship? Students will explore the importance of persuasive writing and the essential elements of opinion versus facts, finding evidence, and developing it to present a well-rounded argument for their point of view. We will look at four of the candidates and students will decide which they believe, based on the evidence we look at and a class discussion, is most responsible for the tragic death toll. Students will choose between: The men who put RMS Titanic together- the shipbuilders The manager of the White Star Line - Bruce Ismay The man at the helm- Captain Smith The ship which sat 20 miles away and stayed there- Captain Lord and his crew. Learners will write a brief piece outlining their choice and why they have made that decision. No previous knowledge of the Titanic disaster is necessary as information on these candidates will be provided. Due to time constraints, we will only discuss the four candidates listed. If students have a prior interest in the Titanic tragedy, however, and would like to suggest a different candidate for their piece of writing, they may do so as long as they can apply the same criteria of making a statement, providing evidence and forming a persuasive argument. During feedback time, students will share who they have decided is the unfortunate candidate for the biggest portion of blame and give a reason why. If time allows we will share more of students' writing and students may if they wish, discuss their reasoning in more depth. Please note: Although more learners will give more scope for discussion in this class, I will always teach with 1 student enrolled. In case your learner is the only one enrolled for that session and you know that they would rather not be by themselves, please let me know when you sign up so that I can contact you ahead of the class if this turns out to be the case. Otherwise, I will assume that students are happy to go ahead and will see them in class.
Learning Goals
Students will explore how to produce a persuasive piece of writing by using evidence from a text, explaining and using persuasive vocabulary, in an environment of listening and respecting others' opinions.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
During the class, although we will not be going into graphic detail, it will be necessary to discuss the facts of the death toll of the tragedy and events surrounding it.
Supply List
A notebook or paper and something to write with, or device to use for writing their persuasive piece. Students will look at background information together in class and will be given the opportunity to look at specific slides again as they work on their piece.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined September, 2020
4.9
235reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Writing is my passion and as well as majoring in English at university, I've almost 20 years’ experience in teaching English in primary schools (4-11-year-olds). Over those years I have worked regularly with groups of children specifically on English writing skills. My favourite lessons have always been when I can find out what interests and motivates a student and use those interests to engage a learner and build their confidence.
I have worked extensively with students on persuasive writing and have also worked with students on the topic of the sinking of RMS Titanic over the last 6 years when I have led fact vs opinion work, model making, drama- based lessons, persuasive writing and debates on various aspects of the tragedy (including who students feel was mostly to blame for the scale of lives lost), diary-entry style work and so on. Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$13
per classMeets once
60 min
Completed by 26 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-13
1-6 learners per class
