Lesson Plan - Mystery of the Ghost Ship

Watch a Slideshow: Mary Celeste - Mystery at Sea

Ask: What do you think happened to the people on the Mary Celeste? Explain.

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• navigation 
• theories

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them underline clues about what happened to the ship’s crew.

1. What is the author’s purpose in the first three paragraphs of the article? 
The author’s purpose in these paragraphs is to grab readers’ attention by describing the spooky scene when the Mary Celeste was found floating in the Atlantic Ocean.
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2. According to the article, what are two theories about what happened to the Mary Celeste crew?
One theory is that pirates attacked the ship. Another is that the captain, worried the ship was sinking, used the lifeboat to try to get his crew and family to safety.
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3. Why does the author write that “this is one mystery that might never be solved”?
There is no proof to explain the ship crew’s disappearance, although people have theories.
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FEATURED SKILL: Cite Text Evidence

Use the Skill Builder “Be a Text Detective” to have students practice citing text evidence in response to true-or-false questions from the article. 

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