Teaching The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Instructions for You

Objective: The (totally failed) mutiny upon the Seahawk is the first climatic event in Avi's novel. Through it, readers see the sailors' honor and Captain Jaggery's true colors. It takes the reader out of a world where familiar people are the ones who can be trusted and asks us to examine the actions of others as a means to their trustworthiness— not necessarily their education, wealth or race.

The real world is a wee bit of a messed up place and there are a lot of stories in the media able to cause "distrust" against what once seemed safe and trustworthy. For instance, when the nice and quiet guy becomes a murderer or when big corporations take advantage of the people they're supposed to help.

In this activity, your students will protest against a current event in the same fashion that Jaggery's crew protested against him. Will there be a round robin to sign at the bottom? You betcha.

Materials Needed: Copies of the text, paper, writing utensils, access to current event articles through newspapers or online

Step 1: This activity works best at the end of the book since one of the mutinies your class will study is practically at the end of the book anyway. Divide your students into groups of three or four. The buddy system works best for mutinies.

There are two specific incidences in the book where the crew members attempt a mutiny. Start by having your students make a Venn diagram comparing these two events. For instance, they will discover that both mutinies failed because somebody snitched to Jaggery—first Charlotte and then Mr. Keetch.

For the Venn Diagram, have your students re-read through the scenes of the two mutinies The first is located in Chapter 10 through Chapter 11 and the second begins in Chapter 19, paragraph 100, and concludes on Chapter 22, paragraph four. Be sure to have your students include direct quotes from the text within their diagrams. They should find at least three points for each section, but as many as possible is best.

Step 2: Time to find a current event. To add technology, your class could research events on computers or iPads. Or, you could also go old-school and refer to national and local newspapers as well. Ask them to specifically look for a social issue that needs to be addressed, not just a dance move invented by One Direction that needs correcting. For instance, they could choose the lack of racial diversity at the Oscars, the campaign of a specific political candidate, or the need for clean water in Haiti.

Step 3: Now that your students have chosen an event, it's time to pull up their bootstraps (or, in most cases, their untied shoelaces) and find a solution. Using their combined brainpower, your groups of students should begin crafting a way to resolve the problem at hand.

Ideally, this would be more than just a quick-fix solution. It would be a lasting resolution. For instance, to create racial diversity at the Academy Awards, instead of simply nominating minority actors, Hollywood should create more roles for minorities in the first place. For cleaner water in Haiti, instead of shipping a thousand water bottles overseas each day (definitely wouldn't be using Jaggery's ship for that…) your students could advocate for groups to build cisterns and wells for the Haitian citizens. For the campaign of a specific political candidate, your students could suggest we just resurrect George Washington and keep him president forever and ever. On a scale of one to ten, he made America a 1776…

…Aanndd moving on.

Step 4: Mutiny time! With a problem selected and a solution proposed, it's time to set up the mutiny. On a piece of paper, your students will answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

• What's the issue in need of correction?
• Why does this issue need a "mutiny?" (It abuses a group of people, it will be hurtful to our society, etc.)
• What's the proposed plan of attack to combat this issue? Include at least three steps.
  • For instance, the second mutiny in the novel had three steps as well:
    • Obtain Jaggery's guns
    • Turn them back on him
    • Force him to confess to the murder
• What's the desired outcome of the mutiny?
• Why's this the most beneficial plan of action for all people involved?

Step 5: Lastly, your students will write a one-page, 300 word essay regarding their problem, their proposed solution, their mutiny. The questions above will serve as the outline for this essay. In short, they should explain the problem, their solution and why a rebellion against authority might have been the best answer.

Step 6: Draw circle at bottom. Sign names inside circle. Dub circle a "round robin." Smile.

Instructions for Your Students

Aye, avast! There be a vengeance for obtaining, ye swashbuckling mates.

Sorry. We'll stop. But you gotta admit—that was pretty good. If only there were a smile emoji with an eye patch we could insert.

One of the most exciting parts of Avi's The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is when the sailors first attempt a mutiny against Captain Jaggery. Sure, it fails miserably and a few of them die, but it was still freaking intense. For this activity, you'll form your own mutiny against a current event. There won't be any swords or scurvy but it'll still be exciting. We promise.

Step 1: To start, you'll be divided into groups of three or four. If you wanted to try and perform a mutiny all on your own, you technically could, but that decision would be, oh, how should we say this? Really dumb.

There are two specific incidences in the book where the crew members attempt a mutiny. You'll start by making a Venn diagram to compare and contrast these two events. For instance, both mutinies failed because somebody snitched—first Charlotte and then Mr. Keetch—so you could put that in the center. Each section of your diagram should contain at least three points, but try to come up with as many as possible.

For review, read through the scenes with the mutinies. You'll find the first located in Chapter 10 through Chapter 11 and the second begins on paragraph 100 of Chapter 19 and concludes on paragraph four of Chapter 22. As always, don't forget to include direct quotes from the text within your diagrams.

Step 2: Time to find a current event. Using computers or iPads, research an event that seems interesting to you and your group mates. Specifically, look for a social issue that needs bold action, not just a dance move invented by One Direction that needs correcting. For instance, you could pick the lack of racial diversity at the Oscars, the campaign of a specific political candidate, or the need for clean water in Haiti. Or in Flint, Michigan.

Step 3: Now that you've chosen an event, it's time to strap up your boots, shiver your timbers and find a solution. With your brainpower combined, design a way to resolve the problem at hand.

Ideally, this would be more than just a quick-fix solution. It would be a lasting resolution. For instance, to create racial diversity at the Academy Awards, instead of simply nominating minority actors, Hollywood should create more roles for minorities in the first place. For cleaner water in Haiti, instead of shipping a thousand water bottles overseas each day (definitely wouldn't be using Jaggery's ship for that…) you could advocate for groups to build cisterns and wells for the Haitian citizens. For the campaign of a specific political candidate, you could just resurrect George Washington and keep him president forever and ever. On a scale of one to ten, he made America a 1776.

Step 4: Mutiny time. With a problem selected and a solution proposed, it's time to set up the mutiny. On a piece of paper, answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

• What's the issue in need of correction?
• Why does this issue need a "mutiny?" (It abuses a group of people, it will be hurtful to our society, etc.) Remember, a mutiny poses a direct threat of rebellion to the authorities.
• What's the proposed plan of attack to combat this issue? Include at least three steps.
  • For instance, the second mutiny in the novel had three steps as well:
    • Obtain Jaggery's guns
    • Turn them back on him
    • Force him to confess to the murder
• What's the desired outcome of the mutiny?
• Why is this the most beneficial plan of action for all people involved?

Step 5: Lastly, you'll write a one-page, 300 word essay regarding your problem and proposed solution. The questions above will serve as the outline for this essay. In short, explain the problem, the solution, and why a mutiny might be the best answer.

Step 6: Draw circle at bottom. Sign names inside circle. Dub circle a "round robin." Smile.