Nautical Theme for Classroom Ideas
An important concept for students to learn about it seafaring. Water makes up the majority of our planet, so work associated with water is a common occupation. If you are considering teaching your students about seafaring, you may want to do so by using a nautical theme; that is, teaching the topic through various content areas. Through this theme, you can teach them about the importance of fishing and sailing and all that is associated with it.
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Set the Stage
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Turn your classroom into a ship. Using terms that are used on a ship to indicate areas of your room, such as port, starboard, bulkheads, sole and head. Make a mast out of a wooden dowel and white sail cloth or a sheet and display it somewhere in your room. With the scene set, your students will be ready to dive into the nautical theme.
Science
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There are many ways to bring a nautical theme into the content area of science, as a lot of seafaring has to do with science.
Teach your students about the compass. Inform them that sailors rely on a compass to find their way and show students how compasses are used. Have them try to find their way to a destination, perhaps the school gym, by using their compass.
Teach them about the constellations. Before the advent of the compass, sailors relied on the night sky to guide them. Bring in a night sky projector or take your class to the planetarium. Make up a trip and have them use the constellations to guide them to their destination.
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Math
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Math is a skill that is also required for sailing. Teach your students about how sailors measure the speed of their vessels in knots per hour. Teach them the conversion of miles per hour to knots per hour. Provide them with a variety of speeds a car is going, for example, 70, 57 and 45 miles per hour and have them convert the miles into knots.
History
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Seafaring is a large part of the history that makes up our world. Explorers, merchant marines, the Navy and the Marines have helped to change and shape the course of our world. Have your students complete a research report about the great explorers, how the merchant marines transport goods, or why the Navy and Marines are important military branches.
English/Language Arts
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Nautical books and poetry can be brought into your classroom to further instill this theme. Novels include "Moby Dick" and "The Sea." Poems include "The Sea Spirit," "An All Night Sea Flight" and "As If The Sea Should Part." You can also teach them about adages that were used by sailors to warn of dangerous seas or let them know about calm seas, such as "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailor's warning."
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