Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay

Home , Richard Worley, William Claiborne

Maggie’s Activity Pack

Name ______

Long ago, many pirates sailed on the Bay. They went on ships. They

took treasure. They

wanted to keep this treasure. Some pirates did keep their treasure. Other pirates went to jail. Their treasure was

taken away. Some of it

was used to build a

college!

Yes No

Draw a picture to show your thinking.

© Maggie's Earth Adventures, 2015. www.missmaggie.org Teachers may reproduce for classroom use. Dear Colleague, What better way to get children interested in reading informational text about history and geography than to use pirates as a topic? I was fascinated to learn about the pirates who sailed the Chesapeake Bay. And I might add, this activity is personal as my son gives programs on the pirates of the Bay and our Executive Producer’s son attends the College of William and Mary, started with pirate treasure! There is a plethora of information about the pirates of the Bay. We included some of the information below for you to read aloud to your children. This is a good way to practice listening skills. Read and then have them draw pictures of the key points. Ask them to trade drawings and have them write captions for the pictures. You may even have them practice public speaking by pretending to be a pirate and telling about their life. Happy teaching, Dr. Kathy

Pirate information: William Claiborne was an early pirate of the Chesapeake Bay. He lived on an island in the Bay called Kent Island. Claiborne named it after his hometown in England. But Lord Baltimore claimed that Kent Island did not belong to Claiborne. He was mad so he began attacking ships. Finally, Claiborne had to give up his land and all of his treasure. Three pirate captains that worked together in the Chesapeake Bay were Davis, Wafer, and Hinson. These men attacked ships for five years. Then they decided to quit the life of piracy. They wanted to retire in Virginia. But they were captured and put in jail. The treasure that was taken away from them was used to start the College of William and Mary in Virginia. William Kidd, a Scottish pirate in the late 1600s, was first hired to hunt down pirates! However, in trying to keep his crew happy, he became a pirate himself. He sailed many waters including the Chesapeake Bay. It is said that William Kidd buried a treasure somewhere around the Bay. Probably the most famous pirate that sailed in the Chesapeake Bay was Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard would try and scare other ships so that they would give up. He was known for lighting fuses in his hair and beard on fire to look like a monster. After stealing a lot of money as a pirate, Blackbeard decided to retire in North Carolina in 1718. However, Governor Spotswood of Virginia punished him. Richard Worley was a captain of a small boat and wanted to sail from New York down the coast of America. But Worley did not think he could make it with his small ship. He began attacking small fishing boats and taking their cargo. He then attacked and captured a bigger ship called a ‘sloop’ in the waters of Philadelphia and became known as a pirate. Worley kept on attacking ships, including those in the Chesapeake Bay. It eventually took four naval ships to capture him.

Goals: Children will read a level-appropriate text about pirates of the Chesapeake Bay. They are asked a critical level question as a follow-up and draw a picture to show their thinking. Text is provided for a teacher read-aloud and ideas are shared to supplement this. The activity is also available on the intermediate and primary levels and aligns with RI – Key Ideas and Details of Common Core and with the Time, Continuity, and Change Standard of the National Social Studies Standards.