Teacher’s Guide for
The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Pre-reading:
Before beginning to read The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed, research the practice of whaling on the internet. Write down three interesting facts you learned.
Prediction Guide:
Chapters 1-3
- Will Patience’s father relent, and let her attend Miss Mitchell’s school? How do you know?
- Will Patience and Thad see the two rough and tumble sailors again? Why or why not?
- Will Aunt Anne go to sea with the other Goodspeeds?
- Will Thaddeus get into further mischief? Predict one.
Chapters 4-6
- Who will be the first to spot the whale?
- Will Binyon and Todd be problems throughout the voyage? What makes you believe so?
- Will they catch more whales? How many? Will they all be so easily taken?
- Will Patience and Thad go back up on the masthead again during the next whale hunt? Why or why not?
Chapter 7-9
- Will Patience end up telling her father about what Bunyon and Toad did to Thad? Why or why not?
- Will Patience’s father begin teaching her to navigate now or not?
- Which present will be her favorite? Why?
Chapters 10-12
- What does Patience see in the storeroom? Will they become important later in the story? How?
- Will the Morning Star survive the blow? How do you know?
- Will they find Tom? Will cousin Jeremiah recover?
- Do you think Patience is right in disliking Bridgewater?
- Do you think Aunt Anne will come on the next expedition? Why?
Chapters 13-15
- Is Bridgewater to be trusted? Why or why not?
- Who are the traitors?
- Will father and Thad be marooned forever?
- Will they catch Ishmael?
- Will her calculations be correct? Will it matter?
Chapters 16-18
- Will Patience be able to help gain control of the ship again? How?
- Whose side is Charlie Fishback on? What makes you think so?
- Will Todd give away Patience’s plan?
- What will happen to Bilgewater, Bunion and Toad?
- Will Father let Patience navigate more now?
- Will Patience want to go on the next whaling expedition? Why or why not?
Comprehension Guide/ Quiz Questions
for The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Knowledge:
- Describe the reasons why Patience does not want to leave Nantucket.
- Sequence the major events in the book.
Comprehension:
1.Summarize how Patience changes from the beginning of the story to the end.
2. Describe life aboard a whale ship in the early 1800’s.
Application:
- Choose your favorite scene from the book. Reread that part, and then, in a brief journal describe why the writing of it was so compelling.
- Instruct a friend, or a teacher, on some interesting tidbit you learned while reading Voyage.
Analyze:
- Compare and contrast Patience with her father. How are they alike? How are they different?
- Research one of the historical events that is mentioned in the book like the sinking of The Essex.
Synthesize:
- Compile a list of items you would want to take with you aboard The Morning Star for a three-year journey.
- Write a letter to Patience explaining what you learned while reading her story.
Evaluation:
- Predict what Thad’s career and life will be like as an adult. Defend your answer.
- Choose your favorite character of the book. Explain why.
Multiple Intelligence Projects for
The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Verbal/ Linguistic
Write at least three journal entries as if you were Thaddeus Goodspeed. Be detailed enough to prove you read the whole book!
Logical/ Mathematical
Design a chart that will display the following information: Major Characters, job aboard ship, relationship to Patience, major roles in each event. Then, study or the quiz from it!
Visual/ Spatial
Illustrate your favorite scene from the book in whatever media you choose: collage, paint, black and white, even photography!
Body/Kinesthetic
Play Voyage of Patience Goodspeed charades. Act out the following scenes from the book, but use absolutely NO words to get the audience to guess which scene you are portraying:
Boarding The Morning Star
Thad as a fish
The whaling expedition
The storm
The mutiny
The marooning
The navigating of the ship by Patience
Saving her father and brother
Musical/ Rhythmic:
Pretend you are creating the special sound effects for the movie adaptation of VOYAGE. With a tape recorder, try to create sounds that would mimmick the following sea sounds:
Ocean waves
Storm
Raising of the sails
Clashing of the mutiny
The animals aboard the ship
Interpersonal
Cooperative Project:
Brainstorm a list of topics that would be appropriate to explore beyond the text. (Discuss what life in America was like during the early 1800’s. What were major ways to earn a living? What was life at home like? Clothing? What were the expectations for young women and men?)
Then, have students draw up a list of responsibilities for each team member and how members will be held accountable. Each group must turn in:
1. A poster of their findings
2. At least three unique references in a full bibliography
3. An individual journal discussing their part in the project and how they perceived its success
Intrapersonal:
Being able to recognize when comprehension has broken down is a hallmark of a good reader. Reread any chapter from VOYAGE and write a distraction journal, a list of all the nonsense thoughts that distract you from your comprehension of the text. Write about when it was most difficult to pay attention, and when it was easiest and why you got the results you did. In future readings, see if this activity doesn’t help you recognize when your comprehension is flagging, and what you might do to improve it!
