Image of a sailing ship
Illustration by Gary Hanna; Roc Canals Photography/Getty Images (Flag); Greg Manchess (Sam Bellamy); Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images (Barry Clifford); Jim McMahon/Mapman® (Map); Shutterstock.com (Diver); joecicak/Getty Images (Gold); Nosey Illustration by Lizzie Renaud; John Ewing/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images (Cannon); Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images (Silver Coins); Richard T. Nowitz/Getty Images (Coin & Ring); Shutterstock.com (Sand)
Nonfiction,

The Search for Pirate Gold

The amazing true story of a famous pirate and a treasure hunter who wouldn’t give up.

By Lauren Tarshis | Art by Gary Hanna
From the May/June 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Children will make connections between events from long ago and present-day narratives.

Lexile: 540L
Featured Skill: Main Idea, Key Details,
Vocabulary: crew, ashore, coast, divers, cannons, bronze
Topic: Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two ideas or pieces of information in a text RI.1.4 Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meanings of words RI.1.5 Know and use various text features to locate information RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and information from images RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and adults
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures and uses environmentally appropriate and responsible practices. The student is expected to: (B) identify and learn how to use natural resources and materials, including conservation and reuse or recycling of paper, plastic, and metals. (9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that the living environment is composed of relationships between organisms and the life cycles that occur. The student is expected to: (A) sort and classify living and nonliving things based upon whether they have basic needs and produce offspring; (C) gather evidence of interdependence among living organisms such as energy transfer through food chains or animals using plants for shelter. (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats.

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Sam Bellamy

About 300 years ago, a famous pirate named Sam Bellamy sailed the seas. He and his crew hunted for other ships full of gold, silver, silk, and spices. Whenever they found one, they would attack the ship and rob the treasure! 

At one point, Bellamy and his crew were sailing a ship called the Whydah (WIH-duh). It was filled with their stolen treasure, including 180 bags of gold and silver coins. 

They were sailing close to shore when a terrible storm blew in. Waves crashed over the ship. Winds tore apart sails. The Whydah broke apart, and pirates fell into the sea. 

Sam Bellamy and most of the crew were never heard from again. The ship and all the treasure sank to the bottom of the ocean.

PAUSE AND THINK: What happened to the Whydah?

A Treasure Hunt 

Fast-forward 230 years. 

A boy named Barry Clifford was living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He lived close to the sea where Bellamy’s ship sank. 

Barry often listened to his uncle tell pirate stories. Uncle Bill told Barry about the Whydah and the bags of gold and silver. Young Barry wondered: Could he find the sunken ship and its treasure?

Many people said the treasure was gone, but Uncle Bill disagreed. He thought the treasure was still out there, and Barry believed him. When Barry grew up, he decided to find it.

PAUSE AND THINK: What did Uncle Bill tell Barry when he was a kid?

Barry Clifford, ocean explorer

Where to Begin?

It is not easy to find sunken treasure. To start, Barry had to learn more about the Whydah and where it sank. He went to libraries. He studied old maps. Then Barry got special tools and a crew to help. Finally, he was ready to begin exploring underwater!

Barry and his crew searched for four months. But then cold weather and rough water made it too risky to keep going. They would have to stop for a while. The crew became grumpy. Some quit. Maybe Uncle Bill was wrong after all. 

PAUSE AND THINK: What did Barry do before searching underwater?

Divers like this one searched for the Whydah. 

Surprising Discovery

But Barry still wanted to try. The next year, he and his crew started their work again. Divers searched the waters day after day, but all they found was junk. 

After a few months, Barry thought it was time to give up. He sent a diver into the water one last time. No one expected to find anything. But the diver came back up quickly. 

He yelled, “There are three cannons down there!” 

Barry felt his heart racing. Could the cannons be from the Whydah? 

Soon the crew brought up what looked like a large rock. Barry tapped it, and a piece broke off. Inside was a very old silver coin!

Barry smiled. He wished his uncle were there. “I think we’ve found a pirate ship,” he said.

PAUSE AND THINK: What was inside the rock that they found?

Treasures found on the Whydah

A Dream Come True

Barry’s crew found coins, jewelry, and a big bronze bell. They even found pirate shoes! 

All this treasure was worth as much as $400 million. But Barry decided not to sell it. Instead, he helped open a museum where people could see some of the treasure and learn about the ship.

Barry says finding the Whydah was never about making money. It was about making a dream come true—and proving Uncle Bill right.

Talk Like a Pirate

How would you talk on a pirate ship? Read these pirate words in your best pirate voice!

Ahoy! = hello

Ahoy there!

Matey = friend

Come with me, matey!

Grub = food

This is good grub!

Arr! = Yes, that is true.

I love gold. Arr!

Shiver me timbers = Oh my goodness 

Shiver me timbers! This is a treasure map.

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Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
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More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Comprehension of a nonfiction text through speaking and listening

Social Studies Focus

History

Vocabulary

crew, ashore, coast, divers, cannons, bronze

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole Group: Plan to read the article twice: first for comprehension of key details, and then for further exploration.
  • Technology Time: After reading the story with a teacher, students can listen to the Video Read-Aloud of the article.

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Background Builder: Ahoy, Pirates!” “Mini Read: A Puppy Found Treasure,” “Paired Text: Toys or Treasures?”
  • From the Storyworks archive: “Big Read-Aloud: Escape From the Ice” (December/January 2024)
  • Suggested books: Pete the Cat and the Treasure Map by James Dean; X Marks the Spot by Libby Brereton

Before-Reading Resources

  • Vocabulary Slideshow: (3 minutes) crew, ashore, coast, divers, cannons, bronze

Suggested Reading Focus

Information from text and images (20 minutes)
  • As you read the article aloud the first time, model stopping and asking questions at each Pause and Think to check comprehension and facilitate discussion. Ask students to give one- or two- sentence summaries of the section you just read.
  • When you read the article a second time, prompt students to think about Barry’s search for the lost pirate ship. Why was the sunken ship hard to find? What did he do once he found the sunken ship? Have students share their ideas in think-pair-share format or as part of a group discussion.

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: Key details/vocabulary; key details (15 minutes)

Extension Activity

Skills: Key Details (15 minutes)

  • Barry opened a museum where people could see the treasure and learn about the ship. Have students create exhibits for their own pirate museum! They can use art materials to construct the artifacts the article mentions. Then have them write some facts about the artifacts they created.

Text-to-Speech