Lesson Plans
Floating Warrior, Floating City
When a battleship is out to sea, she is almost self-sufficient. That is, she must have everythingneeded to fight efficiently, run smoothly, and keep her crew happy, healthy, and trained. During World War II, the Battleship had approximately 2,195 enlisted men and 144 officers on board. These men were assigned to one of seven departments: Hull, Gunnery, Navigation, Engineering, Communications, Medical, or Supply. The man in charge of the Battleship was the Captain. He was assisted by the Commander, who was also known as the Executive Officer. The Battleship also had a Chaplain who conducted religious services, worked to promote high morale, and was in charge of the ship's library.
All of these men lived and fought on board the Battleship. The ship is
728 feet 8 5/8 inches long and 108 feet 3 7/8 inches wide at her widest
point. From the bottom of her keel to the top of the mast, the ship is
15 stories high.
Goals/Objectives
(Grade 7 - Comp. Tech. Goal 2 and 3)
(Grade 7 - Social Studies Goal 1-obj2)
- The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skill in the use of computer and other technologies-select appropriate spreadsheet functions to solve problems.
- The learner will use a variety of technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply, and communicate information.
- The learner will demonstrate an understanding and use of the properties and relationships in geometry, and standard units of metric and customary measurement.
- The learner will use the five themes of geography and geographic tools to answer geographic questions and analyze geographic concepts.
DAY 1 - The students will gain and understanding on what is needed for
people to live on ships during a war or peacetime and compare/contrast
Ship to city.
DAY 2 - The students will determine population density for ship, city
and school and record information in a spreadsheet.
Material/Resources
- Flip chart of chalk board for interaction/discussion
- Internet Access - http://www.battleshipnc.com
- Copy of attached tour map
- Copy of attached general data info
- Copy of attached directions for spreadsheet design
Pre-Activities
- The students should have the general knowledge of how to read maps and spreadsheets.
- They should also be able to find the population density of an area.
Activities
DAY 1
Before looking at the map or website…
Have students think about the purpose of a battleship. They might mention things like her guns, or perhaps her fighting spirit, maybe someone can bring up the idea of whether they think the crew acts together as a team so that the ship is a single warrior or would the ship really be a group of warriors?
Why would she be considered a floating city?
You might lead a discussion about how the needs of the crew and the ship must be met in order for the ship to be a fighting instrument. What are things that a city has in order to meet the needs of its residents?
Some of the things that students might mention are:
Food
Clothing
Shelter
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Other
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After the brainstorming session, hand out the maps and have the students examine them carefully. Have students log onto the website battleshipnc.com to see historic photos of the Ship and read about daily life onboard this "floating city."
As the students look to see what is on the ship, have them decide which spaces or things seem to help the ship serve as a warrior and which places are similar to something that would one would have in a city.
Some of the spaces shown on the "Ship's Profile" are not open for touring. These are the spaces which appear to be shaded or gray. Among these areas not open but which the ship does have similar to a city are the brig (Navy term for jail), library, and a variety of workshops like aviation shop (the NORTH CAROLINA had 2 Kingfisher float planes during the war), canvas shop, wood shop, sheet metal shop, lighting shop, and fire control/optical shop.
DAY 2
Have students use the attached General Data information and figure the area of the Ship. The students should use the average measurements for length and height to find the area, since crewmembers do not live in all the spaces onboard. Use the number of crew members to find the Ship's population density.
Have the students find the area for their classroom and school- then have them find the population density for these areas. If time allows and resources are available, have them find the population density for their city- possibly for extra credit.
Have the students create a spreadsheet, from prior learned knowledge or use instructions attached, and input gathered information. Create a graph from completed spreadsheet.
Assessment
DAY 1- Have the students think of other comparisons for the Ship other
than floating warrior, floating city. Is it like a manufacturer? A
school? A machine? An organism? Which comparisons do they find most
useful?
DAY 2- Completed spreadsheets and graphs for display.
A great follow up activity would be to take the students to the Battleship
for a field trip to explore the spaces in this "City".
Supplemental Resources
If the students come to the Battleship for a field trip, they could make a list of what areas they find that relate to weapons, what spaces are for maintaining the battleship, and what spaces are for maintaining the crew. Different groups of students could be assigned to focus on a particular category such as daily life, weapons, ship maintainence and make lists of what they find related to their topic. When they return to the classroom, they could discuss what they saw. They might also discuss how they would feel serving in a Battleship and even compare that to serving in a small ship or a submarine. What would be the advantages and disadvantages? Try thinking of comparisons to life and combat in the Army, Marines, or Air Force? Which branch of service would they choose?
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