Titanic

 In my classroom we recently studied the Titanic. My kids were enthralled with the subject and wanted to dive more in depth into the subject matter. We read several stories from various points of view on the sinking, some involving survivor stories, and some from the point of researchers. We talked about what it must have felt like when the people first walked on to the Titanic and it's massive structure. How it must have felt for the passengers to set off to America, many of whom were meeting with family. And how what it must have been like to have been crammed into the lower levels of the ship all in hopes that when they made it the America a fresh start would be awaiting them.
 As we researched we came across many websites that posted virtual tours and as a class studied them and how they were similar and how they were different. We followed the story of researchers searching for the Titanic. The kids were enthralled to see the how the ship looked at the bottom of the ocean. They were fascinated by the pictures of areas that were virtually untouched after the sinking of the ship, once compared to original photos taken before the journey.
 I decided to have the students imagine themselves on the Titanic and had them draw pictures of what would have been the most incredible sight to them upon entering the ship. Through portholes they drew what they would have seen and we hung them on the walls transforming our room into a Titanic ship all our own. The students reread journals and stories from characters or survivors accounts of the journey and then created their own journal/story. Even after our weeks of studying the Titanic, my kids still enjoy learning about it and continually present me with facts that they learned whether from a book or from spending time with their parents online looking up information. This project drew my students into the learning process and excited them about history. I am very pleased and proud of them and their enthusiasm for the subject!