The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi is one of those books I vividly remember from childhood. I read it in the fifth grade. I remember staying up late in bed, past my bedtime, devouring the novel. My mind had to know what was going to happen to Charlotte. Was she going to be hanged for a murder she didn’t commit? Was she going to survive the tumultuous seas as well as the treacherous captain? The book is intriguing, mysterious, adventurous, and inspirational. It’s also courageous, as this brave thirteen-year-old girl defies the odds to break past her social class and station in life to stand up for doing the right thing by becoming a crew member.
As a teacher, I have taught this book as a unit and recommended it as a great novel for independent reading to my upper elementary and middle schoolers. Every student who has read this book has loved it. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers across generations. If you’re looking for an exciting novel that will have your students on the edge of their seats asking to read one more chapter, you must utilize The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi in your classroom!
First, let’s take a look at what this book is all about.
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is excited to return home from her school in England to her family in Rhode Island in the summer of 1832. But when the two families she was supposed to travel with mysteriously cancel their trips, Charlotte finds herself the lone passenger on a long sea voyage with a cruel captain and a mutinous crew. Worse yet, soon after stepping aboard the ship, she becomes enmeshed in a conflict between them! What begins as an eagerly anticipated ocean crossing turns into a harrowing journey, where Charlotte gains a villainous enemy… and is put on trial for murder!
This book lends to numerous hands-on activities, thought-provoking lessons, challenging literature tasks, and engaging project-based learning. A literary gem, this novel is perfect for cross-curricular opportunities and riveting learning adventures.
#1 Diary Scrapbook/Perspectives
The main premise of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is that Charlotte’s father urged her to keep a diary of her summer sea voyage from her boarding school in England to their new home in Rhode Island. Her father was eager to read and grade her writing and utilized her diary as extra schoolwork for her. Charlotte, nevertheless, is alone on her voyage and uses her diary during the summer of 1832 as a confidante and companion as she confesses the nitty-gritty details of an unsettling voyage. As the audience, we are reading her diary.
A perfect hands-on activity students can make is a diary scrapbook. Students infer and draw conclusions from the novel for extra diary entries Charlotte may have written. This activity can be hands-on as students also create, find, or make mementos, tokens, and photographs that can be included in the diary scrapbook.
Take this writing activity a step further by discussing point-of-view and perspective and task students with creating a diary scrapbook from another character’s point of view. It would be awesome to ponder and write diary entries from the kind, wise, and soft-spoken Zachariah, or the controlling, manipulative, power-hungry Captain Jaggery. It would be very interesting to even explore and infer all about the one-armed, vengeful, stow away, Cranick.
#2 Character Analysis
Charlotte is a protagonist who goes through a drastic transformation. From being a timid, prim, and proper young lady at the beginning of the novel to morphing into a rugged, brave, serious crew member, Charlotte undergoes a tremendous journey to her transformation. Explore dynamic characters and Charlotte’s physical and mental changes by completing a simple drawing and character traits activity.
Students fold a piece of paper into three parts and label each section as Beginning, Middle, and End. In each section, they draw the version of Charlotte presented in the novel, complete with various character traits. Students will see the transformation with their very eyes. Students then write a paragraph or more explaining what specifically caused these changes.
Grab the above activity in our PBL Unit here!
Another character analysis activity involves the whole cast and crew of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. With so many diverse characters, students can create a character booklet describing each of their character traits, writing specific quotes that demonstrate characterization, drawing each character to match their description from the book, and more. Students can create the book with a vintage, nautical theme for an accurate and immersive experience.
Interested in a pre-made character booklet complete with pictures of each character and questions? A full character booklet is in our PBL Unit.
#3 Build a Ship
I love how the author, Avi, utilized accurate sailing language to describe the parts of The Seahawk, the ship that is the center of the setting. From the bowsprit to the rigging, from the mast to the flying jib, readers learn all about the parts of a ship while reading this novel. There are even helpful drawings and diagrams in the back of the novel to refer to.
Incorporate STEM into the classroom by tasking students with building a ship replica similar to The Seahawk. To reinforce learning the elements of a ship, students can label the various parts, and explore the setting even further by researching merchant ships from the 1830s. Students can complete blueprint drawings of what their ship will look like and even create a report all about how they built their ship and fun facts about merchant ships.
Students can create their ships out of LEGO blocks, craft materials, paper towel rolls, and even use paper for an origami ship.
This is sure to be a project that helps students set sail into learning adventures.
Grab this full Ship Building Project & Ship’s Report, complete with graphic organizers and rubric, in our PBL unit!
#4 Setting Project
What makes this story unique is the time period, as well as the setting of The Seahawk. The majority of the story takes place on a merchant ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The time period is 1832, making for an intriguing and classic story with vintage nautical themes. Additionally, because Charlotte is in this specific era, there are certain gender roles and class station expectations she must adhere to. When Charlotte defies those norms by cutting her hair short, donning sailor clothes, and rebelling against authority, it is an even bigger deal than if she were to do that in 2025.
Task students with exploring the where and when of the novel with a 5×5 project. A 5×5 project is a project template in which students research 5 key topics and write 5 facts for each of those topics. A 5×5 project allows for deeper setting analysis. For instance, students can explore topics such as “Life Aboard a 19th Century Ship” or “Gender Expectations in the 1800s.”
The 5×5 Setting Project with graphic organizers, research pages, and a rubric is in our PBL Unit.
#5 Mock Trial
The novel also centers around how Charlotte gets into a terrifying predicament of first reporting a mutiny to the untrustworthy captain and then being accused of murder. As captain of a ship, Jaggery is the accuser, judge, jury, and executioner, as a 13-year-old Charlotte must undergo a truly unfair and unjust trial.
An engaging project for this novel is for students to put on a mock trial in which Charlotte and Captain Jaggery act as defense and prosecution, but this time, the trial is fair and just. Students work collaboratively, research the novel for evidence and facts, play roles, write compelling argumentation pieces, and perform a full courtroom drama.
Mock trial simulations are true project-based learning at its finest. Students working together, each having their own purposes and responsibilities, authentically ignites learning in students, as they’re working together on a common goal.
Wow! This one is going to be good!
#6 Newspaper Articles
At the end of the novel, we see Charlotte trying to assimilate back into her proper position in society as she lives in her new home in Rhode Island with her family; however, she can’t fight the pull of the sea and ultimately decides to run away from home and join her “new family” on The Seahawk. Her father, having read her diary, believes her writings are just imaginary ramblings and musings of a bored young lady on a tedious and lengthy sea voyage.
Intrigue students with a Newspaper Project that tasks them with being a reporter who has learned of the various murders aboard The Seahawk as well as about a 13-year-old lady captain. Students must summarize the events of the novel in a newspaper article to present the facts of what really happened during the summer of 1832 on The Seahawk. They should also practice inferring skills as they “interview” various crew members. Students work not only on their writing skills but also on their text-based evidence skills.
We have included two different newspaper projects in our PBL Unit. The second newspaper project goes along with the mock trial project. With this, reporters must write an article on the events of the mock trial.
Grab both projects in our PBL Unit.
#7 Recipes
Zachariah, a main character in the novel and an unlikely friend to Charlotte, is the ship’s cook. The book mentions various foods the sailors eat aboard. For example, sailor’s duff, a type of cake, and hardtack, along with tea, rice, and beans. Although the food leaves little to the imagination, students can connect with the novel through cooking and reflecting on their culinary process. By tasting what the characters had to eat for months at a time, students can place themselves in their shoes. Cooking is such a hands-on way of connecting with a novel.
In our PBL unit, there are three recipes (sailor’s duff, hardtack, and pea soup) along with reflection questions.
Conclusion
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is more than just an adventurous sea voyage. It’s a story of courage, transformation, and defying societal expectations. By incorporating these engaging, hands-on activities, you can bring the novel to life for your students. These activities will ignite deep comprehension, critical thinking, and creativity. Whether they’re crafting diary scrapbooks, analyzing characters, building ships, or reenacting a courtroom drama, these projects make literature an immersive experience. Set sail on a literary adventure with your students and watch as they become captivated by Charlotte’s journey!
