Treasure Lost at Sea: The Nuestra Señora de Atocha - Rigby

Treasure Lost at Sea: 

The Nuestra Señora 

de Atocha 

by Lisa Rao 

Overview 

In the 1600s, a Spanish treasure ship sunk off the coast of Florida. 

For over 350 years, a fortune of gold, silver, and emeralds lay hidden 

beneath the sea. In this informative nonfiction book, we will read 

about one man’s determination to find the lost ship, the Nuestra 

Señora de Atocha. 

Teaching Focus 

★ COMPREHENSION STRATEGY 

Asking Questions: 

Asking in order to clarify and extend 

comprehension 

Vocabulary Opportunities 

Direct students to the Glossary on 

page 31 for definitions of boldfaced 

words in the book. 

Suggested Trade Titles 

Aparicio, Eduardo. Hurricane on Its 

Way! Rigby, 1997. 

Gibbons, Gail. Sunken Treasure. 

HarperTrophy, 1990. 

Kentley, Eric and Carole Stott. Discover 

the Titanic. DK Publishing, 2001. 

★ LITERACY SKILLS 

• Using a glossary 

• Comparing and contrasting 

information 

• Using a map 

• Distinguishing types of nonfiction: 

Informative text with Description and 

History 

• Understanding compound words 

Individual Needs 

• understanding sailing terms 

MacAulay, David. Ship. Houghton 

Mifflin, 1995. 

Millar, Heather. Spain in the Age of 

Exploration. Marshall Cavendish, 

1999. 

Rigby Literacy Grade 4 Treasure Lost at Sea: The Nuestra Señora de Atocha 9994201743

Setting the Scene 

Using your best judgment, adapt the 

following to meet the needs of each 

group. 

1. Tap into students’ prior knowledge 

by asking what they know about 

shipwrecks.You may also wish to 

have students share what they 

know about historical and modern 

ships, navigation, and underwater 

diving equipment. 

2. Then introduce the book by reading 

the overview and having students 

look at the cover and Table 

of Contents. Invite students to 

make predictions about what they 

will read based on the chapter 

headings. If students predict that 

the treasure is found in Chapter 5, 

“Today’s the Day!”, ask why they 

think Chapter 6 is called 

“Determined to Go On.” 

3. Then introduce the comprehension 

strategy, asking questions. 

In this book we will be focusing on the 

comprehension strategy, asking questions 

in order to clarify and extend 

comprehension. Readers continually ask 

a variety of questions as they read. 

When something is unclear or something 

makes us wonder, we stop to ask 

questions to try to gain understanding. 

Sometimes we may not find information 

that directly answers our questions, 

but we can use evidence from 

the text to clarify our reading. As we 

read Treasure Lost at Sea, feel free to 

ask all types of questions. 

4. Discuss text types Tell students 

that this book includes informative 

and descriptive writing. 

Explain that in this book, readers 

will find factual information about 

historical events.The author 

informs readers by describing real 

people, places, and events surrounding 

the mystery of the Atocha and 

the recovery of its treasure. 

Reading the Text 

1. Below After students Grade Level read pages Readers 2 and 3, 

explain that page 3 is informative 

historical text, which describes 

events of the past. Help students 

see how Spain’s wars led the country 

to explore new lands. 

Do you think Spain would have sent 

fleets of ships to the New World even 

if it did not need money? Why or 

why not? 

2. Have students read pages 4–6 and 

ask them to think of questions 

about the reading. 

Model a think-aloud Show how 

asking questions clarifies the text. 

I wonder why the Atocha was made the 

“rear guard” even though it was sailing 

only its second voyage. I would expect 

the rear guard ship to be one that has 

proven itself reliable on many past voyages. 

I guess the Atocha must have 

been a strong and well-equipped ship. 

Invite students to share some of 

their questions and ask whether 

any were answered by the text. 

Do you agree with the captain’s decision 

to sail? Why or why not? 

d d h 


3. As students read pages 7–9, have 

them imagine what it would be 

like to be on the Atocha during the 

storm. Encourage students to use 

the author’s descriptions to visualize 

the scene. 

How might we know today what 

happened during the storm? What 

questions do you have about the 

sinking of the Atocha? 

4. Invite students to read pages 10 

and 11 and discuss the difficulties 

that the rescuers faced in trying to 

retrieve the treasures from the 

sunken Atocha (water depth of 

55 feet with no air tanks). ✔ 

Does this information give you any 

clues as to what may happen later? 

Explain. 

Allow time for students to share or 

write questions they have. 

Returning to the Text 

Above Grade Level Readers 

All 1. Discuss Groups the book, using open-ended 

1 Discuss questions. the book using open ended 

How did your background knowledge 

help you understand the book and 

form questions? What questions do 

you still have after today’s reading? 

How does this book relate to the 

theme Lost and Found? 

2. Depending on students’ success 

with the book, address one or 

more of the following teaching 

points. Use these teaching points as 

you see fit on each day of the reading 

and with each group as needed 

to provide the support students 

need to be successful with the text. 

★ COMPREHENSION STRATEGY 

★ Asking Questions: Asking in 

order to clarify and extend comprehension 

Explain that careful 

readers ask questions before, during, 

and after they read. Questions 

help us review and clarify important 

information. Questions also 

cause us to think more deeply 

about topics or facts that are not 

explained completely in the text. 

As students read through the book, 

encourage them to write down 

questions that arise in their mind. 

You may wish to have them write 

these on a Questions and Answers 

Chart (see the Rigby Literacy 

Graphic Organizer Book, page 54) 

or on sticky notes.Then have them 

work in pairs or small groups to 

share their questions and look 

through the text again for answers 

or clues that will help them better 

comprehend the information. 



The Nuestra Señora de Atocha 

Rigby Literacy Grade 4 

F/P: R 

DRA: 40 

9994201743 




F/P: R 

DRA: 40 

9994201743 




F/P: R 

DRA: 40 

9994201743 




F/P: R 

DRA: 40 

9994201743

Treasure Lost at Sea: The Nuestra Señora de Atocha - Rigby

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