Old, weathered book lying on a wooden surface with a blue ink bottle and a quill pen.

Story & Character

The Quartermaster’s Journal

A dense forest with tall trees covered in moss and a large moss-covered rock among the greenery.

Explorers

Aboard a long-lost ship, your students discover pages from a journal—written by a cunning quartermaster with secrets to hide and a thief to expose. As they read and unravel each entry, students must piece together clues, decode motives, and figure out who’s been sabotaging the voyage.

This mystery-driven literacy challenge blends storytelling, close reading, and creative writing. With each twist, students sharpen their inferencing skills and bring their own voices into the story—crafting responses, writing journal entries, and ultimately solving the case through thoughtful collaboration.

**To download the PDFs or Google Docs, you can find those links below the directions. There are full links for the teacher instructions as well as student hand-outs.

Overview

The Lost Journal of the Quartermaster

The Quartermaster’s Journal is a story-based writing and literacy challenge that invites students to uncover the fragmented journal of a mysterious ship’s quartermaster. Each entry reveals a piece of an unfolding adventure—clues, conflicts, and character insights—designed to immerse students in narrative thinking and critical reading. Through guided lessons, students analyze texts, make inferences, and explore character motivations as they piece together the quartermaster’s secrets and uncover the identity of a hidden thief aboard the ship.

Structured as a five-part writing journey, this challenge balances creative exploration with structured literacy skills. Students not only read and respond to journal entries, but also craft their own additions to the story, argue claims using textual evidence, and collaborate in solving the mystery. With built-in roles, twists, and prompts, the Journal transforms language arts into a shared adventure that deepens comprehension, encourages reflection, and brings storytelling to life.

🎯Learning Goals

  • Build Grit Through Analytical Reading

    Students persist through complex texts, deciphering layered journal entries and piecing together a mystery through critical thinking and careful attention to detail.

  • Strengthen Empathy and Perspective-Taking

    By exploring the motivations and biases of the Quartermaster and crew, students deepen their understanding of how characters—and people—interpret events differently.

  • Cultivate Creative Expression

    Through role-based writing and imaginative journaling, learners develop voice and style, while crafting their own pieces that extend or reshape the story.

  • Enhance Argumentation and Evidence Use

    Students gather and present textual evidence to support claims, whether identifying the thief or debating moral choices made during the voyage.

  • Foster Collaborative Problem-Solving

    Whether through suspect discussions or a class “trial,” learners practice respectful discourse, teamwork, and collective decision-making.

  • Ignite Curiosity About Story Structure and Hidden Clues

    Each journal entry draws students into a layered narrative, sparking questions about authorship, hidden meanings, and how stories are constructed.

Pacing Guide

📆 Quartermaster’s Journal

Day 1: The Discovery

  • Introduce the shipwreck scenario and the journal concept.

  • Read Entry 1 together as a class.

  • Discuss the setting, tone, and voice of the quartermaster.

  • Optional: assign roles or set the stage for ongoing mystery.

Day 2: Digging Deeper

  • Read Entry 2.

  • Students annotate or highlight clues, suspicions, or possible lies.

  • Introduce the idea of the thief and begin building a suspect list.

  • Optional: short written response or sketching suspects.

Day 3: Perspective & Voice

  • Read Entry 3.

  • Students write their own journal entry as the Quartermaster or a crew member.

  • Discuss voice, bias, and perspective.

  • Group discussion or pair share on how truth can be twisted.

Day 4: Clues & Confrontation

  • Read Entry 4 and 5 (can be split).

  • Students finalize their case files: Who do they suspect and why?

  • Use logic grids, role cards, or quote evidence to build arguments.

  • Optional: prepare for a classroom “trial” or discussion.

Day 5: The Reveal & Reflection

  • Reveal the true culprit using a provided guide or collective voting.

  • Discuss what clues were most important or misleading.

  • Reflective writing: What would you have done as Quartermaster?

  • Optional: group celebration or showcase of best journal excerpts.

Our Characters

Sketch of a man with unkempt hair and beard, wearing a collared shirt, on a card featuring his name 'Matthew Vane,' profession 'Sailmaker,' with details about his location, job duties, known traits, and suspicious notes.
Illustration of a man with crossed arms wearing a cap and apron, with text describing him as Jonas Bell, a cook working at galley and food stores, known for being proud of his work and rarely leaving galley, with notes about his suspicious behavior of locking the galley when no one was inside.
Sketch of a man with glasses, wavy hair, wearing a collared shirt and vest, with text below reading: Samuel Finch, Navigator's Assistant, location: Quarterdeck and chart room, job includes: logs ship's path, checks compass, maps the sea, known for: nervous, always sketching maps, talks to himself, suspicious note: map not of the sea, ink too dark, found in mess hall without explanation.
Sketch of a man with long hair, mustache, and beard, wearing a collared shirt. Below, a character profile reads: HECTOR SHAW, GUNNER'S MATE. The profile states his location as "Gun deck and in powder magazine," job includes "Maintains cannons, heck powder and weapons, supervise Jem," known for "Stern and serious, calm under pressure, old leg injury," with a suspicious note indicating he "Opened the magazine too early; was seen alone below deck."
A sketch of Edwin Pike, a ship's carpenter, holding a hammer, with details about his job and traits below.
Sketch of a young boy with messy hair, wearing a collared shirt, with text describing James 'Jem' Alder, known as Powder Monkey, including his role on a ship, job duties, personality traits, and suspicious notes.
A sketch of Thomas Greeley, a gruff man with a beard and headscarf, with a description of his role as Boatwain, including location, job duties, and personal traits.
Sketch of a man with long hair and beard wearing a pirate hat, labeled 'The Quartermaster,' with descriptions of job duties and traits.

Aboard this weathered vessel, every crewmate carries a role—and possibly a secret. As students investigate the Quartermaster’s Journal, they’ll get to know the ship’s officers, deckhands, and specialists, each with their own quirks, duties, and hidden agendas. Trust will be tested as students piece together who’s loyal, who’s lying, and who might be behind the sabotage. The truth lies in the details—and in the hands of your students.

Our Setting

The Endeavor is no ordinary ship. She’s a rugged brigantine built for long journeys and risky cargo, crewed by a tight-lipped band of sailors and led by officers who don’t always see eye to eye. Her sails have weathered more storms than most ever live to tell about, and her decks creak with the weight of secrets.

Students will step aboard just days after a mysterious landing on a remote island. The crew is tense, the hold is lighter than it should be, and whispers swirl about stolen treasure and betrayal. Somewhere among the ropes and barrels, a mystery is waiting to be uncovered—and only those with sharp minds and steady grit will bring the truth to light.

Sketch of a sailing ship with multiple masts and sails.
Page from a ship's diagram listing key locations on the Endeavor and from the journal, including the quarterdeck, chart room, main deck, rigging, galley, powder magazine, gundeck, stern, and the three masts with foremast, mainmast, and their descriptions.

Downloadable Materials for teachers.