Treasure
Island
Script by David Morgan
Adapted from the book by Robert Louis Stevenson
Classroom Guide
Grades 4 - 5
Guide content © copyright 2011 by The Magik Theatre, unless otherwise noted. Available free
of charge for educational use only. May not be republished or sold.
How to Use This Guide
This classroom guide for Treasure Island is designed for Texas students in Grades
4 and 5. It offers activities to help you integrate a performance of Treasure Island
into English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, social studies, music, art,
and theatre curricula.
All activities in this guide are linked to Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
(TEKS) content standards.
For students outside Texas, this guide’s ELA and math activities also are linked to
Common Core standards. At the back of this guide, you will find a list of the
guide activities and their related Texas and Common Core standards.
Table of Contents
Theatre
1: Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
English Language Arts
2: Word Meaning in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3: Write Your Own Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Mathematics
4: Word Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Science
5: Tracking Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Social Studies
6: Famous Pirates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Art
7: Create a Diorama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Music
8: Exploring Music – Sea Shanties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Appendix
Activity Content Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2
Grades 4 – 5
THEATRE
1: Discussion Questions
Before the Performance
Treasure Island is a stage play. What is a stage play?
 How is a play similar to a TV show or movie?
 How is it different?
Who performs the parts (roles) in a play?
 What kinds of skills do you think performers need to have to perform in plays?
 Who else works on plays? (Remember: you may not see them on stage!)
The play is based on a book: Treasure Island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
 Have you read Treasure Island as a class or by yourself?
 Based on what you read, what do you think may happen in the play?
During the Performance
When you watch a play, you are a member of the audience. What kinds of things should you do
as an audience member? Examples:
 Pay attention
 Laugh when something funny happens
 Clap if you enjoy something
What kinds of things should you not do as an audience member? Examples:
 Talk to your neighbor
 Use a cell phone during the performance
 Yell at the actors (unless they ask you to!)
After the Performance
What did you think of the play?
 If you read Treasure Island beforehand, how was the play similar to the book?
 How was it different?
Describe the performers in the play.
 What did they do to make their characters special (different from the other characters)?
 How did they use their bodies to play their characters (using voice, movement, etc)?
 Did you see anyone else who worked on the play besides the performers on stage?
Describe the characters’ costumes.
 What did each character’s costume tell you about that character?
 Did any of the performers change costumes?
 If so, why do you think they needed to change costumes?
Describe the set of the play.
 Did it have a lot of locations?
 Did it look like a place you’ve been to before?
 How did different lighting change how the set looked for different scenes?
Did the play have music in it?
 If so, was it only in the background, or did it help tell the story?
 What instruments did you hear in the music?
If you were going to direct Treasure Island, how would your production be different from the
play you saw by Magik?
3
Grades 4 – 5
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
2: Word Meanings in Context
Each of the following sentences appears in Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, in the
chapter noted. In each sentence, at least one word or phrase is underlined. Use the whole sentence to help you discover and describe the meaning of the word or phrase. Use other sentences
in the chapter, if necessary.
He was a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand, and though
he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like a fighter. (Chapter 2)
Thither we had now to walk, and our way, to my great delight, lay along the quays
and beside the great multitude of ships of all sizes and rigs and nations. (Ch 7)
The thicket stretched down from the top of one of the sandy knolls, spreading and
growing taller as it went, until it reached the margin of the broad, reedy fen,
through which the nearest of the little rivers soaked its way into the anchorage.
(Ch 14)
The rest of the arms and powder we dropped overboard in two fathoms and a half
of water, so that we could see the bright steel shining far below us in the sun, on
the clean, sandy bottom. (Ch 16)
As for the captain, he had carried his [gun] over his shoulder by a bandoleer, and
like a wise man, lock uppermost. (Ch 17)
Owing to the cant of the vessel, the masts hung far out over the water, and from
my perch on the cross-trees I had nothing below me but the surface of the bay.
(Ch 27)
He drew some cognac from the cask into a tin cannikin. (Ch 28)
Often, as I still lay at the bottom and kept no more than an eye above the gunwale,
I would see a big blue summit heaving close above me; yet the coracle would but
bounce a little, dance as if on springs, and subside on the other side into the
trough as lightly as a bird. (Ch 24)
4
Grades 4 – 5
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
3: Write Your Own Story
In Treasure Island, a boy finds a map to a pirate’s hidden treasure. When he sets sail to find the
loot, the crew members of his ship decide they want the treasure for themselves. Using the
worksheet below, plan a story about a character who must outwit another to get what he or she
wants. On a separate sheet of paper, write a first draft of your story. After sharing your story
with your class and your teacher, gather feedback and use it to revise your story. When you finish, share your final story with your class again. How are your classmates’ stories similar? How
are they different?
CHARACTERS
Main character (outwitter):
Age:
Male or female?:
Physical description:
Personality:
Second character:
Age:
Male or female?:
Physical description:
Personality:
Other characters:
SETTING
Where:
When:
PLOT
How does your story begin?
How does your main character meet the second character?
What is the main conflict between your two characters?
What is the climax of your story?
How does your story resolve? (What happens after the climax?)
5
Grades 4 – 5
MATH
4: Word Problems
Counting stars is a favorite past time of anyone on post in the crow’s nest. If Scurvy Jack counts
585 stars on his first watch and 925 stars on his second watch, how many stars did Jack count in
all?
Fish are a-plenty on the open sea, and schools of them wind up on the ship for the pirates to
feast upon. If a net catches 644 fish in the morning, 450 fish in the afternoon, and 333 fish in
the evening, how many fish would be aboard the ship at the end of the day’s haul?
Scurvy Jack grew up on a pirate ship, but he always felt there was something else on the horizon, waiting for him to notice it. He decides to get a new spyglass that will help him see farther
in the fog at night, and it costs a hefty sum. If Jack has 2,500 ducats and a new spyglass costs
1,325 ducats, how many ducats will Jack have left after the transaction?
The purchase was definitely worth it because now Scurvy Jack can see for miles farther than he
previously could. With his old spyglass, he can only see 1111 trees on the distant shoreline;
with his new one he can see 4525 trees. How many more trees can Jack see with his new spyglass?
While on watch, Scurvy Jack spies something approaching across the water. He sees 125 sets of
15 seahorses skimming the water’s surface, pulling a small boat. How many seahorses did Jack
see in all?
Scurvy Jack can hardly believe what he sees. When he peers into the spyglass, he spots a figure
inside the small boat. On each of his buttons are 16 starfish. If the figure has 150 buttons on his
jacket, how many starfish are there total?
As he nears Scurvy Jack’s ship, the fellow in the boat opens a chest. He pulls out 900 gold
coins and divides them evenly into 15 sacks. How many coins are in each sack?
To Scurvy Jack’s surprise, the fellow in the boat tosses one of the sacks to him. “Share this loot
equally with your mates, or cursed your ship will be!” Jack opens the sack and counts the coins
again. (Use your answer to the question above to find this number.) If Jack has 11 shipmates,
how many coins must each pirate get to avoid the curse?
6
Grades 4 – 5
SCIENCE
5: Tracking Weather
Weather happens all around us. It can affect all kinds of things, from how well crops grow on a
farm to how fast a ship can travel across an ocean. Keeping track of weather, and then looking
at our records, helps us to predict what kind of weather may happen in the future.
Work together as a class to make a weather board. To the top half of the board, draw or attach a
monthly calendar. On the bottom half, leave space to describe today’s weather. Make cutouts to
represent these weather conditions:














Sunny
Part sun / part cloud
Cloudy
Rain
Thunder / lightning
Sleet
Snow
Breezy
Windy
Full moon
¾ moon
½ moon
¼ moon
New moon
Mount a thermometer outside your classroom. Every morning, discuss the current weather. Display the cutouts that represent those conditions, and write a brief description on the calendar
(e.g.: sunny and windy). Measure the outside temperature and record it on the calendar, too.
Every evening, look at the moon. When you talk about the weather the next morning, display
the moon cutout that matches what you saw the previous night.
After several weeks, review your calendar. Do you see patterns? Can you predict what the
moon will look like tonight? Tomorrow night? Next week? Try measuring weather using additional tools, like an anemometer for wind, a barometer for air pressure, or a rain gauge.
Talk about how people get information about weather.
 How does your family use that information?
 Does weather information affect the kind of clothes you wear to school?
 What kinds of weather information would be useful to Jim Hawkins and the sailors in
Treasure Island?
A common saying among sailors says:



Red sky at night: sailor’s delight.
Red sky in morning: sailor’s warning.
What do you think this saying means?
Do you think this saying is true?
What do experts think? Why?
7
Grades 4 – 5
SOCIAL STUDIES
6: Historical Pirates
Pirates have existed nearly as long as boats have. While many of us associate pirates with treasure and treasure hunts, we sometimes forget that pirates made their living stealing from others.
And some pirates were so good at it — or so ruthless with their victims — that we still know
their names.
Many pirates acted on their own. Some were ship captains and crews hired by national governments to raid enemy ships during war times; these were known as privateers. One specific
group of privateers was known as buccaneers; they raided Spanish ships in the Caribbean during the late 1600s.
Pirates still exist today — they just use more modern technology than historical pirates who
used cutlasses, cannon, or muskets. Pirates abound in our popular media, too. Can you think of
pirate characters from at least three different movies or books?
Below is a list of people who made careers as pirates and/or privateers. Divide the names
among your classmates. When you have your assigned name, research that person’s life and
career, answering these questions:
 Where were they born?
 When did they live?
 Where did they commit most of their piracy?
 Did they have a nickname?
 Did they pilot a famous ship?
 Were they still a pirate when they died?
 Did they ever act as a privateer? For which government(s)?
Historical Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers
Samuel Bellamy
Nathaniel Butler
Stede Bonnet
George Booth
Jan de Bouff
John Bowen
John Callis
Anne Cormac
Cheung Po Tsai
Howell Davis
Peter Easton
Daniel Elfrith
Edward England
Henry Every
Benjamin Hornigold
James Kelly
William Kidd
Henry Morgan
John Morris
John Nutt
Grace O'Malley
Thomas Paine
Jack Rackham
Mary Read
Bartholomew Roberts
Richard Sawkins
Bartholomew Sharp
Edward Teach
Thomas Tew
Charles Vane
Richard Worley
8
Grades 4 – 5
ART
7: Create a Diorama
Teacher: For this exercise, provide modeling materials with a variety of colors and textures, as
well as structural materials, such as cardboard and glue. Equalize student access to materials
by making this an in-class exercise, rather than an at-home exercise.
A diorama is a three-dimensional (“3-D”) scene. A diorama tells a story: it includes a setting, at
least one character, and some kind of action.
Using materials provided by your teacher, make a diorama that shows a scene from Treasure
Island. Think about what your setting should look like, who you want to be in the scene, and
what you want them to do.
When you finish, share your diorama with the class. Answer these questions:
 Where does your diorama take place?
 Who is in your diorama?
 What are they doing?
 Why did you choose this scene to depict?
 What materials did you use to make your diorama? How did you build it?
 Did any of your classmates make the same scene as yours?
 How are your dioramas similar?
 How are they different?
 Did any of your classmates make the scene right before or after yours? Can you tell the
whole story with your class’s dioramas?
Use the space below to make a planning sketch of your diorama.
9
Grades 4 – 5
MUSIC
8: Exploring Music – Sea Shanties
In the play of Treasure Island, the pirates sing a sea shanty. Traditionally, sailors sang sea shanties to help them do their shipboard work. Sailors often used the rhythm of a shanty to do actions in unison, such as pulling lines to hoist a sail or anchor.
As an exploration exercise, play samples* of sea shanties for your students. Encourage children
to use what they’ve learned about shanties to add movement to their listening experience — to
act out the kinds of work they might have to do onboard a ship. Make sure students have room
to move around. Point out different tempos and rhythms to encourage change in movement.
Help students find the beat of a piece by clapping, marching in place, snapping your fingers,
etc.
Using a variety of musical instruments** or everyday objects***, lead students through a discussion of musical qualities:
 Demonstrate musical qualities
 loud vs. soft sounds
 high-pitched notes vs. low-pitched notes
 fast rhythms vs. slow rhythms
 Ask students to emulate your examples using instruments, their voices, or their bodies
(e.g.,clapping their hands, snapping their fingers, clicking their tongues)
 Ask students to sort instruments
 sort single-pitch instruments from low-pitched to high-pitched
 sort single-pitch instruments separately from multi-pitch instruments
 Create a simple rhythmic pattern
 ask students to repeat it
 ask students to create and repeat their own simple rhythmic patterns
 Create a simple melody
 ask students to repeat it
 ask students to create and play their own simple melodies
 As a class, compose a shanty to help you do a certain job together
 What kind of work does your shanty accompany?
 Did you use instruments in your shanty?
 Does your shanty make it easier to do the job you chose? Why do you think so?
* Lyrics and video clips may be found online at sites such as shanty.rendance.org and YouTube.com. Note that both are commercial sites.
** If you live in a city or town with music resources like a university music department, professional orchestra, or high school band program, consider asking local musicians to demonstrate
their instruments for your students.
***Including: cardboard oatmeal can (with lid), rubber band, chopsticks, metal spoons, plastic
bucket, plastic storage bin, pots and pans, pot/pan lids, wooden spoon, plastic cup with lid,
filled ¼ full with dry beans or rice, cardboard tubes, glasses with different levels of water
10
APPENDIX
ACTIVITY CONTENT STANDARDS
TEXAS
Grade 4
Activity
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Standard(s)
Fine Arts 117.16.b.5
ELA 110.15.b.2
ELA 110.15.b.15-16
Math 111.16.b.3-4
Science 112.15.b.8
Soc Studies 113.15.b.21
Fine Arts 117.14.b.1-2, 4
Fine Arts 117.15.b.1-2, 4
Grade 5
Activity
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Standard(s)
Fine Arts 117.19.b.5
ELA 110.16.b.2
ELA 110.16.b.15-16
Math 111.17.b.3
Science 112.16.b.8
Soc Studies 113.16.b.24
Fine Arts 117.17.b.1-2, 4
Fine Arts 117.18.b.1-2, 4
COMMON CORE
Grade 4
Activity
Standard(s)
2
ELA L.4.4
3
ELA W.4.3, 5
4
Math 4.OA.3
Grade 5
Activity
2
3
4
Standard(s)
ELA L.5.4
ELA W.5.3, 5
Math 5.OA.1-2
11