Goals:

The students will be able to use the passenger list of the Titanic to solve mathematical problems.

The students will be able to find the ratio of men/women, dead/surviving, and compare ages of the passengers.

The students will be introduced to the diversity of people that were aboard the Titanic.

The students will use a Browser and clicikable index to access research information.

Resources:

Access to the passenger list of the Titanic (this can be obtained through the Titanic Index)

Access to a printer.

Materials:

• notepads (paper of any kind)
• index cards (if desired)
• pens, pencils. etc.
• Internet access
• printer/paper

Time:

This activity could last up to three to four hours depending on how you decide to do it. If you divide the class into groups, which are accountable for only one of the problems, it will take a much shorter time, but if each group is accountable for all of the problems it could take them up to four hours.

Procedures:

1. Divide the class up into groups of four students.

2. Have students access the Titanic Index.

NOTE: you may make hardcopies of the passenger list for the groups if computer access is limited.

3. Have each group print a copy of the passenger list (This is quite long - you may want to have students work from their computers if time is available; however, it would be best if they had a copy.

4. Let the students look over the lists for a few minutes.

5. Begin a short discussion with the following questions:

• Are there any passengers that have the same last name as you? If yes, did they survive?
• What are some of the job descriptions of the crew?
• By looking at the names, were there a great deal of families aboard the Titanic?
• These are just a few questions that the teacher could use to introduce this activity to the students. Be creative and add a few of your own.

6. Next introduce the problems the students must solve.

• ratio of men to women
• ratio of living to dead
• % of 1st, 2nd, 3rd class passengers that survived and died
• % of crew members that survived and died

7. The students will work on one problem at a time. For each problem they will have to explain how they worked it out.

8. The class will reconvene, explain, and share their results to the problems.

9. The students will engage in a discussion pointing out surprise and unexpected outcomes.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed by the following rubric:

Exemplary - completes all problems with no errors; has appropriate problem solving strategies; explains in detail how they solved each problem

Proficient - completes all problems with little to no errors; most problem solving strategies are appropriate; explains briefly how they solved each problem

Novice - completes some of the problems with some errors; problem solving strategies are few; explains briefly how they solved each problem

Unemployable - completes few of the problems with many errors; no problem solving strategies; does not explain how problem was solved if solved at all

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

Science - discuss how many of the passengers died due to the temperature of the water versus the temperature the body

Math - using mathematical concepts to figure out the problems

Language Arts - discussing and using their communication skills to figure out problems

Social Studies - learning about their heritage by looking at the passenger list.

Technology - Using electronic index and data-base of names to solve problems; using a Web browser; printing from a browser.