Multimedia essay 1

Multimedia Essay

Primary Sources to Enhance Social Studies Lessons About Pirates

Source 1A General History of the Pyrates by Daniel Defoe

Photo from http://books.google.com/books?id=aMn78z-oJ_cC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Link:http://books.google.com/books?id=aMn78z-oJ_cC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Citation: Defoe, D. (1724). A General History of the Pyrates Manuel Schonhorn, (Ed.). Mineola, NY: Dover Publications.

Description: This source is the book A General History of the Pyrates which was originally published in 1724. The author has been disputed over the years but it is most often attributed to Daniel Defoe. The book contains many biographies of some of the most notorious pirates from this time period. I chose this source because it is one of the few publications from the time period during which pirates were very prevalent. I think this book would provide students with a great inside look into the lives of pirates during this time period. The book provides historical information that will provide students with insight different than the glamorized images of pirates portrayed in cartoons and movies. Also, it could provide an interesting project opportunity to contrast contemporary pirates with pirates of the past. Source 8 of this Multimedia Essay could be used in conjunction with this assignment because it provides the perspective from a modern day pirate.

Source 2Iron Men, Wooden Women: Gender and Seafaring in the Atlantic World

Photo from http://books.google.com (specific link posted above)

Link:http://books.google.com/books?id=ZAWKSLubwpQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=iron+men+wooden+women&source=bl&ots=5UEmj957mB&sig=-eztn6uarBBhxIDpeF4eLxqdF1A&hl=en&ei=1L66S7TZLoO8lQfkg6jMBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Citation: Creighton, M. S., & Norling, L. (Eds.) (1996). Iron Men, Wooden Women: Gender and Seafaring in the Atlantic World, 1700-1920. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press.

Description: This source is the book Iron Men, Wooden Women edited by Margaret Creighton and Lisa Norling and published in 1996. I chose this because it provides biographies on female pirates. The female pirate perspective is very often left out of stories, movies and other sources so I was excited to find a book that would provide students with this information. It provides interesting details students probably would not know like how females often had to disguise themselves as men to live at sea. The first part of the book focuses on the lives of two famous female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Furthermore, there is a reprinting of 1724 narratives by Captain Charles Johnson about these women which provides great primary information for students. Additionally, I liked this book because it provides further information about gender issues during this time period with seamen and even addresses the lives of African Americans. I think this book is a great source to supplement the limited information I found in school textbooks which do not fully address these other perspectives.

Source 3Audio Description and Image of Remains from a Young Pirate

The Strange and Brief Life of a Young Pirate

ListenTalk of the Nation•Add to Playlist•Download•Transcript

June 5, 2006

For almost 290 years, the remains of a young pirate-- a fibula, a silk stocking and a shoe -- remained unidentified. Anthropologists have now determined that the remains belong to John King, a 10 or 11-year-old boy believed to have been a pirate.

The remains were found on the wreck of the Whydah, a pirate ship which came to a watery end off the coast of Cape Cod in the 18th century.

Barry Clifford, an explorer with the Whydah Sea Lab and Learning Center in Provincetown, located the ship in 1984 and brought many of the artifacts he found to the surface. Clifford talks about the discovery and common misconceptions about the lives of pirates.

Stocking, fibula, and shoe from the recently identified remains.Photo by: Barry L. Clifford

Source 3 (continued…)

Audio Description and Image of Remains from a Young Pirate

Link:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5452068&ps=rs

Citation: Clifford, B.L. (2006, June 5). The Strange and Brief Life of a Young Pirate. National Public Radio. Audio retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5452068&ps=rs.

Description: This source, a page from npr.org, provides a lot of valuable information because it contains an image, text description and audio. The main purpose of the page is to inform people that anthropologists have recently identified remains that have been unidentified for the past 290 years. An image of the remains is shown, which portrays a fibula, shoe and silk stocking, that have been identified as belonging to an 11-year-old boy pirate. The text provides a brief description that the remains were found among the wreckage of pirate ship Whydah off the coast of Cape Cod. The audio on the website is from Barry Clifford, an explorer with the Whydah Sea Lab and Learning Center that found the wreckage in 1984, and he discusses the discovery and misconceptions about pirates. I chose this source because it provides different types of information. Also, I thought that the fact that the remains are from an 11-year-old boy could better engage students because the subject is close to their age. This source could be used to prompt student to think about what it would be like to be a pirate at their age and to live at sea. They could write journal entries from this perspective and brainstorm some of the challenges and adventures they may face.

Source 4Cannons Recovered from Queen Anne's Revenge Wreckage

Photos courtesy of Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project

Cannon 4 is a cast iron minion class or 4-pounder 5.5-feet in length from base ring to muzzle face. The trunnions, anchored low on the tube, have a slight conical shape. The right trunnion face bears an "IF" foundry mark. This mark is associated with at least two generations of John Fullers who operated the Heathfield Furnace in East Sussex. The gun has the characteristics of the 1690 English naval pattern that persisted until 1715 with the adoption of the Borgard pattern.

Link:http://www.qaronline.org/artifacts/cannonC4.htm

Citation: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. (2001-2009). Artifacts: Navigation. Retrieved from http://www.qaronline.org/artifacts/navigation.htm.

Description: This source provides images of real artifacts retrieved from the wreckage of Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. I chose this source because I think it is something children would be interested in because it involves the artillery aspect of pirates' lives. Evidence of these artifacts prove that cannons were in fact a part of pirate ships and not just something shown in movies. I think the fact that these images are of actual pirate cannons retrieved from wreckage in North Carolina also will excite students. They can be used in a lesson plan about pirate ships and their various parts.

Source 5Navigation Tools Retrieved from Queen Anne's Revenge Wreckage

Photos courtesy of Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project

A few navigation instruments have been recovered so far, including a set of dividers, a sector, and slates. The most numerous navigation tool are several sounding weights of varying sizes that would have been used to record bathymetry and bottom sediments in various water depths and conditions.

Link:http://www.qaronline.org/artifacts/navigation.htm

Citation: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. (2001-2009). Artifacts: Navigation. Retrieved from http://www.qaronline.org/artifacts/navigation.htm.

Description: This source contains images of real navigation tools retrieved from the wreckage of Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the famous pirate Blackbeard. I chose this source because navigation was a major part of the pirate lifestyle and students can better understand how this was achieved without the modern technology we have today. I think it would be great to find replicas of these older navigational tools so that students could pretend to be pirates and learn mapping skills like people had to hundreds of years ago. These images can provide students with evidence of life on a pirate ship and different jobs that had to be accomplished.

Source 6Interactive Map of Queen Anne's Revenge Wreckage Site

Link: http://www.qaronline.org/QARinteractiveSiteMap.htm

Citation: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. (2001-2009). [Interactive map of wreckage site with locations and images of artifacts found]. Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project. Retrieved from http://www.qaronline.org/QARinteractiveSiteMap.htm. 

Description: This is a great source to provide students with a lot of visual information about the wreckage of Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. Recently, divers have been exploring the wreckage site off the coast of North Carolina and have found a multitude of artifacts. The link is to an interactive map of the ship wreckage which divides the illustration of the ship into the traditional nautical terms bow, midship and stern. Then students can click on each section and view a diagram with the locations of where various artifacts have been found in that area. Furthermore, students can click on the names of the artifacts to see an image of the actual finding and a brief description. I thought this was a great way for students to get an in-depth view of the findings at the wreckage site. They are able to see some of the common items used by pirates and where they were found on the ship. I think this map can be used to spark discussions with students about the everyday lives of pirates and objects they used. Students can compare these discoveries with their own lives. Also they can discuss the different parts of a pirate ship and why certain artifacts may have been recovered from the specific locations.

Source 7Video Footage of Diver Explorations of

Queen Anne's Revenge Wreckage

Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Q5HhHNflA&feature=related

Citation: Nautilus Productions. (2009, February 15). Queen Anne's Revenge Artifact Lift [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Q5HhHNflA&feature=related.

Description: This source is a YouTube video that provides footage from an actual dive exploration of the wreckage site of Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. It appears that a camera is attached to the mask of one of the scuba divers because the video provides a first person look at the wreckage site and the actions of other divers as they retrieve artifacts. Although the artifacts are not always easily distinguishable, this video provides good footage on what the underwater site looks like and the viewer can see many items that are tagged for recording information about the location and description. I chose this because I think students would be really interested in seeing the process of retrieving the artifacts that they have seen pictures of and read about. This video allows them to see the actual wreckage site from the perspective of these explorers which is a really exciting opportunity that they would not have without this video footage. Also, I think the video adds reality to the topic of pirates and ship wreckage because students can realize that these are not just fictional stories from the past but these were real people and events.

Source 8Interview with Modern Day Somali Pirate

Photos courtesy of BBC News

A 25-year-old Somali pirate has told the BBC's Mohamed Olad Hassan by telephone from the notorious den of Harardhere in central Somalia why he became a sea bandit. Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says he and his big-spending accomplices are seen by many as heroes.

'It's a pirate's life for me'

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8010061.stm

Citation: Hasan, M.O. (Interviewer) & Hayeysi, D.M. (Interviewee). (2009). It's a Pirate's Life for me [Interview Transcript]. Retrieved from BBC News Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8010061.stm.

Description: This is an interview transcript from a telephone conversation BBC journalist Mohamed Olad Hassan had with 25-year-old Somali pirate Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi. One of the reasons I chose this source was so students can realize that pirates are not just characters of the past but that they still exist today. I think this is a very important message to convey to students because when I asked first graders in my class if pirates still existed today the overwhelming majority said no. Another reason I chose this source is because it provides students with extremely interesting insight as to why someone might become a pirate. Hayeysi describes his reasons for becoming a pirate as well as a general overview on the challenges of the lifestyle. Also he explains that many people view them as heroes. I think this source could prompt very interesting journal entries from students as they try to put themselves in Hayeysi's position and whether or not they would choose the same path he did. 

Source 9Image of Modern Day Somali Pirates on a Speed Boat

Photo fromhttp://af.reuters.com/news/pictures/articleslideshow?articleId=AFJOE63806Q20100409&channelName=#a=1

Link:http://af.reuters.com/news/pictures/articleslideshow?articleId=AFJOE63806Q20100409&channelName=#a=1

Citation: Herskovitz, Jon and Suh Kyungmin. “Sout Korea shipping firm seeking talks with pirates.” Reuters Africa, 9 April 2010. Web 13 April 2010. http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE63806Q20100409 .

Description: This source is an image from a current article about modern pirates. The image portrays three Somali pirates on a small speed boat. I think this image is a great addition to a lesson on pirates to fight stereotypical images students have in their mind of pirates as enforced by TV shows and movies. I think it would be interesting to first show the image and ask students what they think it is portraying and who they think these men are. I doubt many students would identify them as pirates because from my History Through a Child’s Eye interviews all of the children said pirates wear bandanas and eye patches. Also, I found this image to be useful because it portrays the men on a small speed boat. This would combat the stereotypical image of a huge pirate ship with pirate flags. Although pirates in history used to have ships like those, it is important for students to know that modern pirates have different appearances and lives than pirates from the past.

Source 10National Geographic Website with Various Links, Information

and Activities about Past and Present Pirates

Link:http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mission/real-pirates/

Citation: Real Pirates. National Geographic, 2009. Web. 13 April 2010. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mission/real-pirates/

Description: The National Geographic has a ton of information about pirates from both the past and present that can help add depth to any lesson or unit about this topic. One of the main features of this web page is images and descriptions of the traveling exhibit Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship, currently in Norfolk, Virginia. There are images of artifacts retrieved from the wreckage of the Whydah ship as well as links to biographical information about various pirates on this ship. I also like this website because it has links to other information about pirates, like Blackbeard, and also an interesting article which debunks some of the myths the media has perpetuated about pirates. Furthermore, there are lesson plan ideas provided for educators on how to teach about pirates and how to utilize available resources. This information is great to help enhance lesson planning. Finally, the National Geographic website has a pirate section specifically for young children that involves educational games about different pirates from the past. These biographies include female pirates and even one Chinese pirate, which is the most diverse information I have found so far. I would use this source as a supplemental resource to my lessons to help find additional information.