In this thrilling assignment, it is you, yes you, who is aboard the majestic Titanic as she sets sail from Southhampton, England across the icy seas en route to New York.

As one of our goals is to observe the text organization in "Finding the Titanic" story, you too will write your narrative in four chapters. The chapters break down as follows:

Chapter 1 : April 10, 1912 - Embarking upon the Titanic

Explain to the reader your feelings as you board the ship. Are you excited? Terrified? Thrilled? Anxious? What does it feel like to stand on the deck on the mightiest ship built in its time?

Here is where you want to answer who you are, your class (1st, 2nd or 3rd class), your career, and why you are in England going to New York.

Chapter 2: April 11, 1912 - Exploring the Titanic

You will use this part to explain the interior of the Titanic. What does your room look like? Where are you sleeping if you are a first-, second-, or third-class citizen?

Where do you eat your meals? What type of food do you eat? Describe eating with other people.

What does it feel like to walk along the deck of the Titanic? Windy? Cold? Sharp sunlight that burns your eyes? Talk about the people around you. What are they wearing? How do they act? Are they friendly?

Describe the neat parts of the Titanic: The Grand Staircase, the Sitting Room, the elevators, the swimming pool...Are you able to use any of these items? Remember, based on your class would depend on your privileges. If you are a third-class passenger, you may not even be allowed to stay for very long certain places!

Describe how on Sunday afternoon it becomes very cold (foreshadowing into the next chapter...)

Chapter 3: April 15, 1912- 12:30 a.m. - Iceberg!

Here begins the sad chapter in which the freshly painted black hull of the unsinkable Titanic hits an iceberg. Where are you when it hits? Are you in bed sleeping? Does someone wake you up? How does it feel? What happens around you? Are glasses shattering and people shouting? Is the floor shaking beneath you?

Once you know you have to get to the deck, what are you wearing? What precious item do you take with you, anything?

Describe the bitter cold of the deck. Can you see your breath as you wait to find out what is happening? Are you shivering and your teeth chattering? How are other people reacting?

Now, tell us about your survival. Do you get onto a lifeboat? What number is it? What about your family and friends-are they with you?

What happens to the Titanic? What do you hear around you? Screaming? Crying? Silence? Do you see the flares light the sky? What do they look like to you?

Chapter 4: April 15, 1912 - 3:00 a.m. - Survival

The rescue ship, the Cartpathia, finds the survivors several hours later. While on deck, do you end up finding your family/friends? Were they in another lifeboat? Or, are you alone? What are the people's faces like around you as they find people who found loved ones, and those who don't?

How do you end your story? Are you still alive and 93 years old? Find a creative way to put closure to your fantastic journey...

Epilogue- optional

An epilogue, also called an afterword, is a short addition or concluding section at the end of a literary work, often dealing with the future of its characters. If you want to tell what happens to you and your life after surviving the Titanic, feel free! What career do you choose? Do you tell your grandchildren and great-grandchildren about your past? Do you write a book? Do you become a sailor? Ship expert? Let us know!

Links to assist your writing:

RMS Titanic's Final Resting Place
Encyclopedia Titanica
I survived the Titanic
Titanic Exhibit
PBS: Titanic Ghosts
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
SOS Message sent by Titanic's crew

This page last updated on September 21, 2005