The New England Pirate Museum

Pirate Diary

Pirate's Diary

Unlike a ship's log which would contain only factual information, a pirate's diary should also contain personal observations and evaluations. What did the writer think and feel about the experiences he/she was recording? Each enry should have two parts (This activity can be used to expand upon the Pirate Ship's Log activity found elsewhere in this packet.)

Have each student select several dates that would span the course of a voyage. Then provide each student with a copy of the diary page for each date selected.
Each entry should have two parts. The first should describe some incident or just the routine of ship life. The second part should record the writer's thoughts and opinions. Remind the students that part one is descriptive and should include what the writer heard, felt, smelled, and tasted (if applicable) as well as what he/she saw. Encourage students to expand on their descriptions by using similes and metaphors.
Students may read selected journal entries to the class and/or submit all entries in a folder to the teacher.