Teaching Treasure Island

Instructions for You

Objective: There's no honor among thieves… or so the saying goes, anyway. But is it true? What about the black spot in Treasure Island? It's definitely based on some kind of code. Enter: this activity.

To really dig into pirate culture—and by comparison, British culture, too—students are going to assume the roles of pirates, sentencing three characters to dance with Jack Ketch by handing out three black spots for violating the rules of organized high seas mayhem. Throwing out condemnations isn't a lengthy process, per say, but justifying black spots could be, so we'd plan on this activity taking at least two full class periods.

Materials Needed: Black construction paper, glue, scissors; copies of Treasure Island

Step 1: Ask your class what the two types of characters are in Treasure Island. The answer you're looking for is pirates/criminals and the civilized English—one says aarrr and hands out the black spot, the other says aye and asks for a spot of tea.

Then ask your class if there's anything civilized about the pirates. Is there anything they do that indicates rules or order? The answer, of course, is yes—the black spot.

Tell students that they are going to examine pirate culture, exploring what values underlie this motley crew by giving out black spots of their own. Before they can transform into pirates, though, first they'll need to crack open their books and answer the following questions in their notebooks:

• Which characters receive the black spot? Why are they given it?
• What does the black spot mean?
• How are the pirates in Treasure Island alike?
• What makes the recipients of the black spot different from the other characters?

Step 2: Once everyone's had a chance to put some thoughts down, pose the following question to your class for group discussion:

The black spot is only given out in certain circumstances, suggesting there are some unwritten rules in pirate culture. What unwritten rules do the pirates live by?

Focus the discussion around the rules or codes of conduct that exist between the pirates and how the black spot makes this clear. For instance, you might say that the black spot represents the desire of the group—thereby indicating that the pirates value collective well-being more than individual pursuits.

Step 3: It's time for your kids to turn into pirates now. Yay. To make this next step a little easier, they'll also be pretending that everyone in Treasure Island is a pirate, too, and as such, is bound by the unwritten pirate code. They will make three black spots to be given to three characters from the book. While every single character is fair game, each black spot must include the following:

• The name of the character
• A detailed example from the book about what they did
• Explanation on how it violates the values or duty of pirates
• Written as a pirate from Treasure Island would speak

As for that last part—the pirate speak—here's a glossary of high seas vocab you can share with your students if you'd like. They can also totally build their pirate voices from the text, though.

When students are done writing out their indictments, they should glue them to the backs of black pieces of construction paper and trim off any excess. We're going for authenticity here, yo.

Step 4: Lastly, students need to write three to five paragraphs about how pirate society differs from the English society of Trelawney, Jim, and Smollett.

Instructions for Your Students

Objective: There's no honor among thieves… or so the saying goes, anyway. But is it true? What about the black spot in Treasure Island? It's definitely based on some kind of code. Enter: this activity.

To really dig into pirate culture—and by comparison, British culture, too—you are going to assume the roles of a pirate, sentencing three characters to dance with Jack Ketch by handing out three black spots for violating the rules of organized high seas mayhem. So grab your finest eye patch and let's get going.

Step 1: Question: What are the two main categories of characters in Treasure Island? Here's a clue for you: One says aarrr and hands out the black spot, while the other says aye and asks for a spot of tea.

Thing is, much as these two groups pride themselves on their differences, the pirates aren't quite as unruly as they fancy themselves. Is there anything they do that indicates rules or order? Here's another clue: It's black… and circular… and totally powerful.

Once class discussion is over, bust open Treasure Island and your notebook to answer these questions:

• Which characters receive the black spot? Why are they given it?
• What does the black spot mean?
• How are the pirates in Treasure Island alike?
• What makes the recipients of the black spot different from the other characters?

Step 2: Now that your brain is all warmed-up, mull this over:

The black spot is only given out in certain circumstances, suggesting there are some unwritten rules in pirate culture. What unwritten rules do the pirates live by?

Be prepared to share if the teacher calls on you.

Step 3: It's time to turn into a pirate now. Yay. To make this next step a little easier, you'll also be pretending that everyone in Treasure Island is a pirate, too, and as such, is bound by the unwritten pirate code. Make three black spots to be given to three characters from the book. While every single character is fair game, each black spot must include the following:

• The name of the character
• A detailed example from the book about what they did
• Explanation on how it violates the values or duty of pirates
• Written as a pirate from Treasure Island would speak

As for that last part—the pirate speak—here's a glossary of high seas vocab you can reference. You can also totally build your pirate voice from the text, though.

When you are done writing out your indictments, glue them to the backs of black pieces of construction paper and trim off any excess. It's all about authenticity here, yo.

Step 4: Lastly, write three to five paragraphs about how pirate society differs from the English society of Trelawney, Jim, and Smollett. No pirate speak necessary.