illustration of titanic sinking
RAYMOND WONG/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION

Searching for the Titanic

Could the most famous shipwreck in history ever be found?

By Lauren Tarshis
From the September 2020 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify supporting details as they read this narrative nonfiction article about the discovery of the shipwrecked Titanic by a team of oceanographers.

Lexiles: Starter, 500L-600L, 600L-700L, 800L-900L
Guided Reading Level: P
DRA Level: 36
Think and Read: Supporting Details

As you read, look for the details that help you understand how the shipwreck of the Titanic was finally found.

It was April 14, 1912. The Titanic sped across the Atlantic Ocean. The sky glittered with stars; the sea was as still as glass.

This was the Titanic’s first voyage. But already it was world famous. It was big and beautiful. Many believed it was the safest ship ever built.

And then . . . disaster struck!

At 11:40 p.m., the Titanic hit a massive iceberg. The ship’s thick metal side tore open. Icy seawater flooded the ship. The Titanic was doomed. There weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone on board.  Out of more than 2,200 people, only 705 escaped.

Less than three hours later, the Titanic disappeared into the black waters of the North Atlantic.

Would it ever be seen again?

On April 14, 1912, a new ship called the Titanic sped across the Atlantic Ocean. The sea was as still as glass. The ship was big and beautiful. It was famous around the world.

And then . . . disaster struck!

The Titanic hit a big iceberg. It sank into the ocean. Would it ever be seen again?

It was April 14, 1912. The Titanic sped across the Atlantic Ocean. Stars were bright in the sky. The sea was as still as glass.

This was the Titanic’s first voyage. But it was already world famous. Many people thought it was the safest ship ever made.

And then . . . disaster struck!

Late at night, the Titanic hit a massive iceberg. The side of the ship ripped open. Icy seawater flooded in. There were more than 2,200 people on the ship. Only 705 escaped.

A couple hours later, the Titanic sank into the ocean. Would it ever be seen again?

On the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic sped across the Atlantic Ocean. The sky glittered with stars, the sea was still as glass. On board were more than 2,200 people—bejeweled millionaires and hopeful immigrants, passengers from all around the world. 

This was Titanic’s first voyage. But already it was world famous. Built from the strongest steel, from the most modern designs, the Titanic was said to be “unsinkable.” Then disaster struck.

At 11:40 p.m. the Titanic collided with an iceberg. As icy seawater flooded the ship, it quickly became clear that the Titanic was not unsinkable. It was doomed. And so were most of those on board. 

Two hours and forty minutes later, the magnificent Titanic disappeared into the inky black waters of the North Atlantic.

Would it ever be seen again?

Beyond Reach

The Bottom of the Ocean

Beyond Reach

Titanic Sinks! 1,500 people lost!”

The news of the Titanic disaster shocked the world. Some hoped people had survived inside the wreck. They wanted the Titanic to be found!

But the Titanic was at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. It was under more than 2 miles of water. No person could survive in water so deep, even if they had air to breathe.

That’s because of something called water pressure, the force of water pushing against the body from all directions. The deeper you go under the sea, the more crushing the pressure becomes. Lungs can’t inflate. Blood doesn’t flow. The heart can barely squeeze out a beat. This is why humans had never explored the deep sea.

Nobody had been to the bottom of the ocean before. Humans can’t survive deep underwater. There’s too much water pressure. That’s the force of water pressing against the body. If humans go too deep, they will die. Lungs can’t inflate. The heart can’t beat.

Years passed. People came up with new ways to explore the ocean. But still no one found the Titanic.

In 1960, two scientists went inside a tiny submarine. It was called a “submersible.” They used it to explore the deep ocean. They inspired other scientists, like Robert Ballard. Ballard saw many things in the deep sea. He saw worms that were as big as humans. But he really wanted to find the Titanic. Ballard and his team tried to find it in 1977. But they had a problem. Part of their ship fell into the ocean. They had to return home.

People were upset. Some hoped that passengers in the ship were still alive. People wanted the Titanic to be searched. But first, the ship had to be found.

The Titanic was at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Nobody could go that deep underwater.

That’s because of something called water pressure. Water pressure is the force of water pressing against the body. The pressure gets worse as you go deeper into the ocean. Lungs can’t inflate. The heart can barely beat. This is why humans had never been to the deep sea.

News of the Titanic disaster shocked the world. Right away, people demanded that the ship be found. Some desperate families held out hope that their loved ones could still be alive, sealed off somewhere inside the wreck.

But the Titanic had come to rest on the bottom of the North Atlantic, more than 2 miles beneath the surface. Nobody could survive in such depths, even if there were air to breathe.

That’s because of water pressure—the force of water pushing against the body from all directions. As water gets deeper, pressure becomes more and more crushing. Lungs can’t inflate. Blood doesn’t flow. The heart can barely squeeze out a beat. Even strong metal submarines can be crushed like soda cans. 

In 1912, humans had never ventured into the deep sea. The Titanic was lost in a world as mysterious—and unreachable—as outer space.

Human-Size Worms

A Big Metal Object

Human-Size Worms

Human-Size Worms

JOHN B. CARNETT/BONNIER CORPORATION VIA GETTY IMAGES

Robert Ballard

But as time went by, new inventions let people go deeper into the ocean. In 1960, two researchers climbed into a tiny submarine—a “submersible.” They went 7 miles down in the Pacific Ocean.  Their submersible was strong. It wasn’t crushed by the water pressure.

The men didn’t see much underwater. It was almost pitch-dark down there. But they made it back alive. Their achievement inspired many people.

One of those people was Robert Ballard. Ballard had always been fascinated by the sea. He went to college to become an oceanographer—a scientist who studies the sea. He was able to go deep underwater in submersibles. What amazing wonders he saw! Eyeless fish. Human-size worms. Foot-long clams.

But there was something else Ballard wanted to find: the Titanic.

And in 1977, he decided to try to find it. Ballard and a small team set out for the North Atlantic. Hopes were high. But then, just days into the voyage, a huge piece of Ballard’s ship came loose. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of expensive equipment plunged into the sea. He had no choice but to return home.

Ballard wanted to find a new way to explore the deep sea. He and his team built a new kind of submersible. It could be controlled from far away. No human needed to be inside. It had cameras that took pictures and recorded videos. They called it Argo.

In 1985, Ballard used Argo to look for the Titanic. He sent Argo to the bottom of the ocean. From above, Ballard and his team watched images on a screen. Argo worked perfectly. Finally, on September 1, one of Argo’s cameras found a big metal object. Ballard’s heart pounded. He knew what he was looking at: part of the Titanic’s engine! Then they saw other things from the ship, like its round windows. They had done it! They had found the Titanic.

Ballard and his team made amazing discoveries. They learned that the ship had cracked in half just before it sank. The front part was far away from the back. Debris was all over the place. But Ballard didn’t take any of the treasures he found. He left the shipwreck of the Titanic alone. He wanted to honor the memory of those who had died on that night in 1912. 

Years later, people made new inventions to explore the ocean. In 1960, two researchers climbed into a tiny submarine. It was called a “submersible.” They went down into the Pacific Ocean. The submersible was strong enough for the water pressure.

The men didn’t see much underwater. It was very dark. But they made it back alive. Their achievement excited many people.

One of those people was Robert Ballard. Ballard is a scientist who studies the sea. From inside submersibles, he saw many wonderful things. Fish without eyes. Worms as big as humans. Foot-long clams. But Ballard really wanted to find the Titanic.

In 1977, he set out to find it. Ballard and a few others went to the Atlantic. Hopes were high. But a big piece of Ballard’s ship came loose. This happened only a few days into their voyage. Equipment that cost thousands of dollars plunged into the sea. Ballard had to stop and go home.

But in the coming decades, new inventions would slowly open the deep sea to exploration. The most important was a technology called sonar, which uses sound waves to create images of objects miles underwater.

Then, in 1960, two researchers in a submersible—a tiny submarine-like vehicle called Trieste—descended 7 miles down into the Pacific Ocean. The two men didn’t see much in the murky blackness. But their submersible withstood the water pressure, and the men made it back alive. Their achievement inspired a new generation of undersea explorers.

One of them was Robert Ballard. When he was a kid growing up in Southern California, Ballard’s friends loved to surf. But Ballard was more interested in what was happening deep underneath the waves. He went to college to become an oceanographer—a scientist who studies the sea.

By the late 1970s, Ballard had spent more time in deep-sea submersibles than almost any other human. What amazing wonders he saw! Eyeless fish. Human-sized worms. Foot-long clams. Plants that thrived without a speck of sunlight. Mysterious plumes of boiling-hot fluid shooting up from vents in the seafloor.

But there was another undersea wonder that Ballard longed to find: the Titanic.

Decades had passed since the sinking. But millions of people, like Ballard, were entranced by the ship. Like an invisible hand reaching up from the bottom of the sea, the Titanic held tight to hearts and imaginations.

EMORY KRISTOF/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION

Super Submersible

During his second search for the Titanic, Ballard used a new kind of remote-controlled submersible. He called it Argo. It was loaded with cameras and powerful lights.

Deep Underwater


Deep Underwater

Frozen Terror

Ballard wanted to try again. But he was embarrassed by his failure. It was hard to get more money for another trip. He tried not to get too upset. Instead, he focused on another dream he had.

For years, Ballard had wanted to create a better way for humans to explore the deep sea. Submersibles let scientists like Ballard go deep underwater. But the trips were dangerous. And the submersibles could stay down for only a few hours at a time.

Ballard had a new idea. He wanted to build a remote-controlled submersible. This one wouldn’t need a human to go inside. Also, it would be covered with cameras. It would take pictures and record videos that scientists could watch from a ship above.

Ballard and a team got to work on the submersible. It was called Argo. Meanwhile, Ballard hadn’t forgotten about the Titanic. In 1984, he decided to try again to find the shipwreck.

On August 24, 1985, Ballard and his team were back in the North Atlantic. This time they had Argo. They sent Argo down to the bottom of the ocean. Its cameras and video cameras clicked and buzzed. In a ship above, Ballard and his team watched as images came onto the screen. Argo worked perfectly!

In the coming days, Argo took pictures and videos of many things. There were boulders. There were huge holes in the sea bottom. There were plants that could grow without light. But there was no sign of the Titanic.


Ballard wanted to try again. But it was hard to get more money for another trip. He tried not to get upset. Instead, he thought about another dream he had.

He wanted to find a better way to explore the deep sea. Scientists could go deep underwater in a submersible. But the trips were dangerous. And submersibles couldn’t stay down for very long.

Ballard had a new idea: a remote-controlled submersible. No human needed to be inside. It had cameras to take pictures and record videos. Scientists could look at the pictures and videos while on a ship above.

Ballard and his team built the new submersible. They named it Argo. Ballard had not forgotten about the Titanic. He decided to look for it again.

On August 24, 1985, Ballard and his team went back to the Atlantic. This time they had Argo. They sent Argo down to the bottom of the ocean. Its cameras clicked and buzzed. From above, Ballard and his team watched images on the screen. Argo worked perfectly!

Argo took pictures and videos of many things. There were boulders. There were huge holes in the sea bottom. There were plants that could grow without light. But there was no sign of the Titanic.

What about the Titanic was so fascinating?

There was the ship, of course. At the time, the Titanic was the biggest moving object ever built. Few ships were as luxurious. But more than its powerful engines or beautiful first-class cabins, it was the heartbreaking tragedy of the sinking that captivated people like Ballard.

More than 1,500 people died in the sinking. And most of their deaths could have been prevented. The Titanic’s crew had been warned that icebergs were lurking in its path. Yet the Titanic’s captain kept the ship steaming across the ocean at close to top speed.

Even after the collision, almost everyone could have survived. But there were only enough lifeboats for half of those on board. 

In the years after the disaster, survivors shared their terrifying memories—the haunting cries they heard as the ship went down, their hours of frozen terror in the lifeboats, their tears of relief when, at dawn, the ship Carpathia came to rescue them.

Reading these poignant [POY-nyuhnt] stories, Ballard became more determined to find the ship. But where exactly was the Titanic? Nobody was sure.

Titanic’s crew had relayed its location after it hit the iceberg —about 400 miles south of Newfoundland. But the Titanic had most certainly drifted in the more than two hours before it finally sank.

Ballard scoured historical records. Finally he settled on a 100-square-mile area of ocean to search. 

In 1977, he and a team set out for the North Atlantic. Hopes were high. But then, just days into the voyage, a 50-ton piece of his ship came loose and crashed down. Six hundred thousand dollars worth of sonar and other borrowed equipment plunged into the sea. Devastated, Ballard returned home.

JOHN LAMPARSKI/WIREIMAGE (CUP); MICHEL BOUTEFEU/GETTY IMAGES (BINOCULARS); JOSEPH H. BAILEY/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (COIN); BRUCE DALE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (STOPWATCH)

Titanic’s Treasures

Ballard never removed anything from the shipwreck of the Titanic. For him, it was a memorial to those who had died. But in later years, other explorers removed thousands of objects, including these.

Ship of Dreams


Ship of Dreams

Other Dreams

On September 1, Ballard went to his cabin to try to rest. He felt discouraged. Soon they’d run out of time and have to go back to shore. Was this mission going to end like the first, in failure?

He had just settled into bed when he was called back upstairs. The team was studying something in the control room. On the screen was a huge metal object. Ballard’s heart pounded. He knew what he was looking at: part of the Titanic’s engine! Soon they saw more—a piece of twisted metal, round windows for a ship, a bannister. They had done it!

In the coming days, Ballard and the team would make dazzling discoveries. The biggest discovery: The ship had cracked in half just before it sank. The front part was one-third of a mile away from the back. Debris was scattered for more than a mile. They’d find dishes, shoes, and jewels on the seafloor.

But Ballard didn’t take any of those treasures. He explored the shipwreck of the Titanic but left it untouched. He wanted to always honor the memory of those who had lost their lives on that starlit night in 1912.  


Then on September 1, one of Argo’s cameras found a huge metal object. Ballard’s heart pounded. He knew what he was looking at. It was part of the Titanic’s engine! Then they saw a piece of twisted metal, round windows, and a bannister. They had done it!

Ballard and his team made many discoveries. They learned that the ship had cracked in half just before it sank. The front part was far away from the back. Debris was spread out for more than a mile. They found dishes, shoes, and jewels on the seafloor.

But Ballard didn’t take any of those treasures. He wanted to always honor the memory of those who had lost their lives on that night in 1912.  

Ballard’s failure made it hard for him to get support for another search. And soon he had a rival: a millionaire named Jack Grimm.

Grimm loved spending his money on attention-grabbing quests. Over the years, he’d searched, without success, for Big Foot and the Loch Ness monster. In 1980, he set his sights on the Titanic.

Grimm hired top scientists and bought them the best equipment. Ballard felt certain the team would succeed. He tried to let go of his Titanic dreams. Fortunately, Ballard had other dreams to focus on.

For years, Ballard had wanted to create a better way to explore the deep sea. Submersibles had let scientists like Ballard glimpse the undersea world. But those journeys were perilous. Plus, the submersibles could stay down only for a few hours at a time.

Ballard had an idea for a new kind of remote-controlled submersible, one he called Argo. It was basically an underwater robot covered with cameras. Like an octopus with cameras and lights clutched in every tentacle, Argo would capture thousands of images over large areas. Scientists on the surface would be able to see the images on TV screens.

With money provided by the U.S. Navy, Ballard and a team got to work on Argo. Meanwhile, Grimm’s Titanic search went on and on, without success. Finally, after three separate missions costing millions of dollars, Grimm ended his Titanic quest.




Bomb Craters




By 1984, Ballard was ready to try again.

This time would be different, though, because Ballard could use Argo.

The new video submersible worked just as Ballard had imagined it would. In one of its first tests, Ballard used Argo on a secret U.S. Navy mission to explore two sunken submarines. Both subs had disappeared in the Atlantic in the 1960s.

Using Argo, Ballard quickly found the subs. And those searches taught him an important lesson. The submarines had broken up as they were sinking. Debris was scattered for more than a mile. Argo—and Ballard—spotted the debris first, and that’s what led Ballard to the submarine wrecks.

Surely the Titanic had also broken apart as it sank, Ballard realized. Its metal would have been crushed by water pressure. Furniture and china and other objects would have spilled out and been carried by ocean currents. Like a trail of breadcrumbs, Titanic’s debris could lead right to the main part of the wreck.

Or so Ballard hoped.

On August 24, 1985, Ballard and his team were back in the North Atlantic. They directed Argo to the area near where the Titanic most likely sank. Argo’s images started to flash onto TV screens. Just as Ballard had envisioned, Argo provided a window into the deep sea.

In the coming days, Argo would reveal deep undersea canyons, giant boulders, and enormous holes in the ocean floor. But mostly the team saw. . . nothing.

The days ticked by, and there was no sign of the Titanic, not a glint of metal. Ballard started to panic. The U.S. Navy was paying for this mission and had provided the ship and equipment. It had given Ballard a strict deadline, then he and his team would have to head home.

Was this mission going to end in failure?




Ship of Dreams




On September 1, Ballard went to his cabin to catch a precious few hours of rest. He was exhausted and deeply discouraged.

But then Ballard was called back to the deck. He hurried to the control room and found the team studying an image on one of the TV screens. It was a huge metal object covered in rust.

Ballard’s heart pounded as he realized what he was looking at: one of the Titanic’s boilers, a part of its engines. Soon came other images—a piece of twisted metal, portholes, a banister. Cheers erupted. They had done it!

In the coming days, they’d make more dazzling discoveries. They’d find that the ship had cracked in half just before it sank. The front part was a third of a mile away from the back. They’d see jewels and dishes and shoes scattered across the seafloor. Ballard would become world famous.

But in those first moments of discovery, a chill ran through Ballard’s heart. He thought of those people who had been on board. His mind filled with their voices, their cries.

He hadn’t just found an empty shipwreck. He’d found the final resting place of a magnificent ship of dreams—of the hundreds who lost their lives on that starlit night in 1912.

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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
From the Storyworks 3 Archives

Your students can learn more about the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage in “Into the Dark Water,” a narrative nonfiction story from our September 2017 issue. Afterwards, they can hear all about author Lauren Tarshis’ writing process in the 3-minute video included on our resources page.

Visit the Titanic

Explore the majesty of the ill-fated ship in virtual reality with these three 360-degree videos of the Titanic. Find Deck A&B here, Deck C&D here, and Deck E&F here

Connect to Another Storyworks 3 Article

Ask students to go online and read our December 2019/January 2020 article “The Search for Pirate Gold,” about a man named Barry Clifford who set out to find a sunken pirate ship. Ask students to compare and contrast the challenges Clifford and Ballard faced in their searches, as well as how they responded to those challenges.

Explore the Deep Sea

What can you find in the deep sea? This fascinating website lets you scroll down to the deepest depths of the ocean and learn about the amazing creatures that spend time there. Ask students if they can find the submersible that was mentioned in the article and the wreckage of the Titanic.

View This

See stunning photos of some of the creatures that live in the deep sea with this slideshow from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Some of the text may be challenging for your students, but they’ll be amazed by the photos.

Make a Science Connection

Explore this interactive page from DK Find Out for a basic introduction to air pressure and water pressure. Share the infographic with your students to see what can survive at different depths in the ocean.

More About the Article

Content-Area Connections

Social Studies: world history

Science: oceanography, engineering

Social-Emotional Learning:  relationship skills (teamwork); responsible decision-making (analyzing situations, identifying problems, solving problems, ethical responsibility); self-management (goal setting)

Key Skills

supporting details, text features, vocabulary, figurative language, drawing conclusions, interpreting text, inference, cause and effect, main idea, supporting an opinion, narrative writing

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

Watch a Video/Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

  • We offer several reading experiences for this article. As a first read, have students watch the Video Read-Aloud, in which author Lauren Tarshis introduces and narrates the article as it comes to life with images; listen to the Author Read-Aloud (additional Lexile versions available in your Resources tab); or read the article in the magazine or digitally.

  • Look at pages 4-5 with the class. Read aloud the title and subtitle with students. What is happening to the Titanic in the illustration? Remote learning tip: Invite students to share their thoughts in the chat feature.

  • Based on the title, subtitle, and illustration, ask students to predict what this article will be about. 

  • Explain that the Titanic was traveling from Southampton, a city on the coast of England, to New York City in the United States when it sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Point to both locations on a classroom map. Help students use the compass rose to identify the direction the ship traveled across the North Atlantic Ocean. [source: www.britannica.com/topic/Titanic]

  • Explain that an iceberg is a gigantic piece of floating ice. Only a small part of a giant iceberg is seen above the water; the rest is under the surface. Although icebergs are very heavy, they still float because ice is lighter than water. Ice cubes float in a glass of water for the same reason. [source:  https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/iceberg/353281]

  • Read aloud the titles and captions in the photo spread “Ship of Dreams” on pages 6 and 7. Explain that “first-class passengers” refers to people who paid a great deal of money to travel on the Titanic. What might it have been like to walk down the grand staircase in the photograph on page 6?  

  • Direct students to the photo on page 8. Read aloud the title and caption with the class. Point out the photograph of Robert Ballard on page 7. Explain that in this article students will learn about his search for the wreckage of the Titanic. Help students identify the special equipment used by the diver in the photo. (oxygen tank, diving suit, flippers)

  • Point to the photo on page 9. Read aloud the caption. Which of the items from the Titanic would students like to learn more about? Why?

Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)

  • We have highlighted in bold seven words that may be challenging and defined them on the page. Preview these terms by projecting or distributing our Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, where images help students with comprehension.

  • Highlighted terms: voyage, massive, inflate, achievement, plunged, boulders, debris

Set a Purpose for Reading (5 minutes)

  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 4 and the Think and Write box on page 9. These support the story’s featured skill, supporting details. Ask students to look for supporting details in both the story and the captions to describe the search for the Titanic.

2. CLOSE READING

Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • First read: Read the story as a class. Use the Pause and Think questions at the end of each section to check comprehension. 

  • Second Read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (available in your Resources tab) to the class. Preview them together. Ask students to read the article again and answer the questions as a class or in pairs.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

  1. Read the first section. The author writes that “the sky glittered with stars; the sea was as still as glass.” What does this sentence help you imagine? (figurative language) The sentence helps you imagine how peaceful and quiet the Atlantic Ocean was at night before the Titanic hit the iceberg.
  2. Why does the author write that “the Titanic was doomed”? (drawing conclusions) The damage caused by the huge iceberg was very bad. There was no way the Titanic could survive the crash.
  3. Read “Beyond Reach.” Why do you think the section has this title? (interpreting text) This section explains about water pressure. It tells why no one could survive the sinking of the Titanic or explore the deep sea to find the ship. Because of this, the wreck of the Titanic was beyond the reach of humans, down at the bottom of the ocean.
  4. Read “Human-Size Worms.” Why do you think Robert Ballard became an oceanographer? (inference/cause and effect) Ballard became an oceanographer because he was always “fascinated by the sea” and wanted to explore it. Also, he was inspired by the two researchers who first went deep underwater in a submersible in 1960.
  5. What underwater wonders did Ballard see from the submersibles? (supporting details) He saw eyeless fish, worms the size of humans, and clams that were a foot long.
  6. Read “Deep Underwater.” Why did Ballard invent a new kind of submersible? (main idea) Trips in older submersibles were dangerous. Also, older submersibles could stay deep underwater for only a few hours at a time. 
  7. Read the section “Ship of Dreams.” How did Ballard know that he and his team had found the wreck of the Titanic? (supporting details) He saw an image taken by Argo and could see that it was part of the Titanic’s engine.
  8. Why didn’t Ballard take any of the Titanic treasures that he found? (main idea) He wanted to leave the items untouched to honor the memory of the people who died when the Titanic sank. 

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

  1. Underwater exploration changed a lot from 1912 to 1985. What details in the text show what underwater exploration was like at the different times mentioned in the article? (supporting details) In 1912, people couldn’t explore the deep sea. The effects of water pressure on their heart and lungs made it too dangerous. In 1960, two researchers climbed into a tiny submarine called a submersible. It let them explore 7 miles deep in the Pacific Ocean without being crushed by water pressure. Later, Robert Ballard invented a new submersible, Argo. Because it was remote-controlled, scientists on a ship could watch videos and pictures taken by Argo’s powerful cameras. In 1985, Ballard and his team used Argo to go deep into the Atlantic Ocean and find the wreck of the Titanic.

  2. Reread the caption “Titanic’s Treasures” on page 9. Do you think objects should have been removed from the wreck of the Titanic? Explain your answer. (supporting an opinion) Answers will vary. Students may say yes, because the Titanic is an important piece of history. Studying the objects can help experts learn more about the ship and the disaster. Others may say no, because taking apart the wreck would be disrespectful to those who died. 

3. SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE BUILDING

Featured Skill: Supporting Details

  • Distribute or assign our Supporting Details Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  

  • Discuss the writing assignment in the Think and Write box on page 9. Students should use the first-person pronoun “I” since the journal is written from Ballard’s point of view. They can complete their journals in class or as homework.

GREAT IDEAS FOR REMOTE LEARNING

  • Our new Learning Journey Slideshow (available in your Resources tab) is designed to make your life easier. Have students move through at their own pace or assign smaller chunks for different days. You can also customize the slideshow to your liking.

  • Have kids listen to the Author Read-Aloud (additional Lexile versions are available in your Resources tab). Then convene your virtual classroom, choose the Presentation View of the article, and share your screen. Students can take turns reading aloud as they would if together in class. 

  • Have students complete the close-reading and critical-thinking questions together in a video chat or on a shared Google Doc. A PDF of the questions, as well as an interactive version, is available in your Resources tab.

Differentiate and Customize
For Struggling Readers

Read the lower-Lexile version of the article while students follow along. As they read, ask them to look for important dates in the history of the Titanic. Work with students to create a timeline of these events. Include supporting details to describe what happened on each date. Which event is the scariest? Most exciting? Why?

For ELL Students

Read aloud or have students listen to the audio version of the article while they follow along. Ask them to underline, highlight, or otherwise take note of details that describe the new inventions that enabled scientists to travel deep underwater. If they could use these new inventions to explore the bottom of the ocean, what would they want to see there? Why? Remote learning tip: When students read the article online in Presentation View, they can use the highlighter tool to mark the text. (You may also do this activity using the Beginner or lower-Lexile version of the article, although these versions are not available in presentation view.)

For Advanced Readers

Have students reread the article (or the higher-level Storyworks version) and look for details in both the text and captions about Robert Ballard’s search for the Titanic. Ask them to imagine they are newspaper reporters in 1985. What are three questions they would ask Ballard about his search for the doomed ship? Students can share their questions in pairs.

For School or at Home

Ask students to reread the description of the underwater world on pages 7 and 9 of the article. Encourage them to draw their own pictures of this amazing seascape. Each picture should include a title.

Text-to-Speech