The Titanic

Non-fiction Writing Unit based on

the sinking of The Titanic Session 12 and 13

The first stop was at the French port of Cherbourg where many

American first class passengers were taken on board to travel home

after their grand tour of Europe.

The last stop before heading out into the Atlantic was at Queenstown,

Ireland. Here, hundreds of steerage (third) class passengers boarded

Titanic, many having sold everything they owned in order to buy a ticket

for a new start in America.

RMS Titanic was built to plough the North Atlantic

route from Southampton to New York, with two stops

on its route. This would have made a lot of money for

the White Star Line. Why was it called RMS Titanic?

The line marks the route of

RMS Titanic on her maiden

voyage, the ports on that

route, and approximate

location of where she sank.

The remaining portion of her

uncompleted route is shown

dashed.

The Titanic passenger list ranged

from the richest people in the world

to the poorest, many of whom were

setting out to make a new life in

America. It is perhaps the range of

people on board with a wide range of

reasons for travel which makes the

ship’s story so fascinating.

The class system which existed

at the time ensured that these

different social classes neither

met nor mixed while on board,

except perhaps during the very

last minutes of Titanic’s life when

everyone was in the same danger,

regardless of their social standing.

John Jacob

Astor was the

wealthiest

man on board

Titanic.

L. O. To plan and write a clearly structured report about life on the Titanic for first class passengers.

Session 12

Today you need to understand what it was like to travel in First Class

on the Titanic.

Read through the information on the next pages to find out what it was

like to travel in style. You may also like to look at some of the

information books available in your Epic! account for additional

information or look on the internet. Make some notes to help you and

create a plan of key points ready to write your report tomorrow.Session 13 – Write your report

The Ship of Dreams

Today you are going to write a report about this amazing ship and all

it had to offer its wealthy first class passengers.

Look at the images on the following slides, and read the vocabulary

surrounding the images.

Think about which words you think are the most appropriate ones to

use to describe each area of the ship.

Passengers ascended the Grand Staircase on their way

to the First Class reception room where they would wine,

dine and dance the night away. Really important

passengers would get a seat at the Captain’s table.

opulent

lavish

luxurious

magnificent

sumptuous

plush

grand

swish

splendid

impressive

wonderful

extravagant

First class passengers enjoyed walking along the

promenade deck. They would stroll along here and

call in at the Veranda Café or chat to friends.

No steerage passengers allowed here!

healthy

beneficial

airy

comfortable

roomy

large

well-equipped

spacious

superior

classy

social

well-ventilated

The Marconi room was where all the

messages were transmitted to and

from the ship using a system called

Morse code.

Italian electrical engineer Guglielmo

Marconi's equipment was on board

many prestigious ships of the time

and the radio operators were skilled in

sending messages.

The two operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride worked in

shifts, taking turns to operate the wireless. Most of the

messages would have been from first class passengers

sending messages to their friends, a bit like we send text

messages today:

"Hello Boy. Dining with you tonight in spirit, heart with you

always. Best love, Girl," read one message sent on to New

York, the Titanic's intended destination.

First CourseHors D'Oeuvres

OystersSecond Course

Consommé Olga Cream of BarleyThird Course

Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, CucumbersFourth Course

Filet Mignons LiliSaute of Chicken, Lyonnaise

Vegetable Marrow FarciFifth Course

Lamb, Mint SauceRoast Duckling, Apple Sauce

Sirloin of Beef, Chateau PotatoesGreen Pea Creamed Carrots

Boiled RiceParmentier & Boiled New Potatoes

Sixth CoursePunch RomaineSeventh Course

Roast Squab & CressEighth Course

Cold Asparagus VinaigretteNinth Course

Pate de Foie GrasCelery

Tenth CourseWaldorf Pudding

Peaches in Chartreuse JellyChocolate & Vanilla Eclairs

French Ice Cream

This was

the final

first class

dinner

menu for

the night of

the

tragedy.

Read what the

wealthy

passengers

were eating

and see if you

can work out

what some of

the dishes

were.

Look at

http://www.titanicandco.com/inside.html

to find out about other facilities that were available to

first class passengers. Chose one or two more to include

in your report.

Remember to … Example

Have a catchy title and introduction

to interest your reader

Use headings and sub-headings

write in the third person

write in the past tense

Use the passive voice

use facts but make them interesting

by my choice of descriptive words

use a variety of connective devices:

time, attention, events

use punctuation accurately