Titanic Projects for School

The Titanic was a large and legendary ship that attempted to sail from England to New York City in the early 1900s. On its journey the ship hit an iceberg, which led to it sinking and over 1,500 people drowning or freezing to death in the cold Atlantic Ocean. There are many school projects that can help students learn more about this historical ship and tragic occurrence.

Using a map of the Atlantic Ocean that shows both the United States and England, mark the port where the Titanic began its journey. The Titanic originally left Southhampton, England, stopped in Cherbourg, France and again in Queenstown, Ireland to bring passengers on board. The final destination of the Titanic was New York City. The Titanic sank 1,000 miles east of Boston and 375 miles southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland. This is an interactive project that allows students to see the path of the Titanic in a visual way.

The Titanic was originally called an unsinkable ship. Brainstorm ideas on what would actually make a boat unsinkable, and have students create drawings of this ship. Create a detailed plan of the materials that would be used in the construction, how many people the ship would hold, how flexible its metal would be and how far it would be able to tip before sinking. Ask the students to come up with a plan for testing whether a ship would sink or not.

Involve an entire class in a mock trial relating to the sinking of the Titanic. Go over the history of the Titanic and the people that were thought to be responsible for the sinking, such as White Star Lines. One group would be the defense for White Star Lines and talk about why they were not responsible for the sinking and deaths of many passengers. The prosecuting team would present evidence why White Star Lines were to blame for the sinking. Another section of the class can be members of the jury to determine the ultimate guilt.

Use a large sheet of construction paper placed on a wall in a classroom to be a large Titanic timeline of events. Students can help mark the dates of important events, such as the first ship built by White Star Lines, the design of the Titanic, building of the Titanic, other ships built by White Star Lines going on voyages and the sinking of the Titanic. Students can do research on events to come up with as much detail as they would like, as well as drawing pictures to go along with the events.