The document provides a writing prompt asking students to write a story explaining what happened to the crew of the ghost ship Mary Celeste, which was found abandoned in 1872. It includes questions to help students brainstorm ideas for their story, such as how the crew will disappear and how their story will start and end. The document also provides guidelines for writing, revising, and editing their story paragraph.

1. Name: _________________ #: ____ Date: ______________
The Ghost Ship
In 1872 the crew of the Mary Celeste disappeared without a trace. It’s what maritime legends
are made of: A ship was seen in the distance and hailed without anyone responding. The crew
boarded the empty ship finding only a creaking wheel, cabin doors slamming open and shut in the
wind, the sails completely open, but not a soul in sight. What happened to the crew of the Mary
Celeste? Make up a story that explains what happened to the crew of the ghost ship. Start with
an engaging topic sentence followed by vivid details in sequence that tell the story of how the crew
disappeared, but the ship did not.
Brainstorm your ideas on the back of this paper using the questions I provided for you before
starting your rough draft. After you answer the questions turn them into a paragraph about the
day you were a different age. Then have an adult help you edit your rough draft by looking for
capital letters, correct punctuation and grammar, spelling mistakes, and how well you stayed on
topic. Last, rewrite your paragraph in your neatest handwriting or type it up on the computer.
Make sure to turn in this sheet, your edited rough draft, and your final copy.
REMEMBER:
1. Sentences should start with a capital and end with a period, question mark, or exclamation
point.
2. A sentence should be a complete thought or idea. Your paragraph should have at least 6
sentences.
3. Strong sentences have vivid details.
4. Your paragraph should stay on topic and have a topic sentence, detail sentences, and a
concluding sentence. Don’t forget to indent!
proofread
5. All words should be spelled correctly. Have an adult proofread your paragraph before
turning it in.
Here’s an example of my paragraph:
The morning started like any other day on the high seas. The sun was shining and the blue water lapped
at the sides of the ship, so how were we to know soon everything would change forever? The sun soon was
high overhead when the sky began to turn dark and grey. We thought a storm was brewing, so we began
to change our course and all crew members were pulled onto the deck. Suddenly it looked as though a
whirlpool was shooting out of the sea itself, and a black figure rose above it. “How dare you enter my
territory!” bellowed the shadow. “Your actions have doomed you for eternity!” With those words a bolt
of lightning struck our ship and I could feel the magic coursing through my body. I blinked my eyes a
couple of times and noticed that the clouds were gone along with the booming voice and the whirlpool, but
so were the rest of the crew members. I looked down at my own hands and body and saw nothing. I
reached for the cabin door and found that I could float right through the walls. We were all ghosts and
would spend the rest of eternity on our ship, the Mary Celeste.
Turn to the back to fill out the organizer.

2. How do plan on having the Mary Celeste disappear? This will be the idea that you base
your story around.
///////////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////
How will you engage your reader with a strong topic sentence?
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////
What will happen at the beginning of your story? What situation will the Mary Celeste
find itself in before the crew disappears?
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////
What will happen in the middle of the story? What will the crew do or have happen to
them the leads them to disappear?
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////
How will your story end? How does the crew disappear, but the ship remain on the sea?
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////