[Year|4|HASS|-|Explorer’s|Journal|Task]

Name: __________________________________ Date: ________________ Class: ____

Your Task:
In this task you are to take on the role of a famous explorer that we
have researched in class over the term, or as one of the people on
board their ship during a voyage. You are to write several journal
entries about your life and experiences on board the ship. Below are
some examples of topics you might write about:

• Where you are travelling to and who you are travelling with
• Why the voyage is taking place
• How you are feeling about being a part of the voyage, and why
• Experiences on board the ship (what you have to eat, where you sleep, what you do throughout the
day, etc.)
• Difficulties the crew has experienced on the voyage (issues with the ships, travelling in the wrong
direction, being low on food supplies and so forth)

Things to consider:

• What would a journal entry look like? What features might you include in each entry?
• Write your journal entries in an order that makes sense – do not skip backward and forward in time
• You are writing in first person – “I”, “we”, “us”
• You are writing after the event has happened (past tense)
• Use a variety of sentence structures
• What is the name of the explorer you are travelling with?
• What is the name of the ship or fleet?
• What country have you departed from and where are you travelling to?

What you will be marked on:

• Purpose – Is it clear to the reader what you are writing about and why you are writing it?
• Audience – Have you made sure your text is interesting and easy for the reader to follow?
• Text Structure & Organisation – Have you included all of the important features that are required in a
journal entry?
• Subject Matter – Are you using vocabulary related to the topic? Have you included facts such as the
names of ships, explorers and the years their voyages took place?
• Cohesion – Are your journal entries in an order that makes sense? Have you connected different ideas in
your writing?
• Sentence Structure & Punctuation – Have you used a variety of simple and compound sentences? Has
punctuation been used correctly?
• Vocabulary and Word Groups – Have you made your writing more interesting by “dressing up your
sentences”? Are you using exciting words rather than simple words throughout your writing?
• Spelling – Have you checked your spelling? Use strategies to spell difficult words correctly.