Salem Sets Sail: Ships, Sailors, and the Sea

A Curriculum-Based Education Program of Salem Maritime National Historic Site and Schooner Fame for Grade 5

 

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  Salem Sets Sail

  Learn about the history of Fame and Friendship, the two reproduction vessels in our education program, Salem Sets Sail!

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  Credit/ Author:

  Doug Cabot

  Date created:

  2011-11-06

 

NPS photo

Knot-tying is an important skill for a sailor!

Come aboard two famous Salem ships, Friendship and Fame, to discover a time when Salem's name was known worldwide. Experience maritime history where it happened as you and your students set sail in Salem Harbor!

Through hands-on activities and guided exploration on shore and at sea, students will discover how the enterprise and daring of Salem's merchants, mariners, and privateers transformed the town from a small fishing settlement into a center of world trade. Students will gain an understanding of the crucial role Salem played in the establishment of America and the growth of the new nation.

This three-hour program is offered from Memorial Day through mid-October. It is designed for a maximum of two classes of 30 students and 5 chaperones per day. Grant funding may be available to support participation in this program for schools from Salem and Essex County, Massachusetts.

 

In this program, students will:

 

NPS photo

Finding out what a sailor, an officer, and a captain carried with them to sea!

• Explore the replica merchant vessel Friendship and examine authentic sailors' objects to draw conclusions about life and work at sea in the 19th century
• Use their senses to inspect various world trade goods brought to Salem and learn of the importance of world trade in America's economy and lifestyle

 

NPS photo

Sailing on board Schooner Fame!

• Sail in Salem Harbor on board the replica privateer Fame as a crew member, taking a turn at the tiller, raising sails, and learning to navigate at sea
• Engage in inspiring learning experiences to cultivate a sense of place and a personal connection to one of America's national parks.

 

Courtesy of Schooner Fame

Captain Mike Rutstein and Ranger Maryann Zujewski welcome you aboard Fame and Friendship!

Teachers' comments from our pilot programs in Spring 2011:

"The program was fantastic - I am really impressed with what you all have put together."
"Everyone is RAVING about the field trip!! I wish you could have seen the faces of the students and teachers upon their return!"
"The children loved it!"
"The students were very excited and interested in the program."
 "The students were thrilled that they were able to sail aboard the Fame. It was an experience that many of them had never had before."

Development and piloting of this program was funded by the following sources:

• Grants received by the National Park Service through Parks As Classrooms
• the generosity of an anonymous donor that established the Salem Maritime Education Scholarship where funds are to be used only for Salem Public schoolchildren to take part in place-based, hands-on education programs emphasizing Salem's history
• The Tom M. Leonard Partnership Grant for Education established by Essex National Heritage Commission.

 

Program Details

This three-hour-long program is offered between Memorial Day and Columbus Day.

It is limited to a maximum of two classes of 30 students and 5 chaperones each per day.

Please call Education Specialist Maryann Zujewski for prices and to schedule your visit at 978-740-1662. Click here to email. 
Grant funding may be available to support your participation in this program.

This program meets the following Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks:

Grade 5 Economics Concepts and Skills with relevance to this program include:

12. Define what an entrepreneur is (a person who has started a business seeking a profit) and give examples from colonial history of an entrepreneur
13. Define profit and describe how profit is an incentive for entrepreneurs
14. Give examples of how changes in supply and demand affected prices in colonial history

Grade 5 History Learning Standards with relevance to this program include:

5.11 Explain the importance of maritime commerce in the development of the economy of colonial Massachusetts, using historical societies and museums as needed 
  A. the fishing and shipbuilding industries 
  B. trans-Atlantic trade 
  C. the port cities of New Bedford, Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem and Boston

5.33 Explain the importance of the China trade and the whaling industry to 19th century New England, and give examples of imports from China