Did you know that Talk Like a Pirate Day will be celebrated on Friday, September 19th this year? Many teachers plan to incorporate Talk Like a Pirate Day activities into their lessons because it’s a fun, engaging theme that sparks student interest and encourages learning in creative ways.
A few years ago, my daughter Amy and I had fun collaborating to create an exciting pirate-themed math fact game called Pirate’s Luck. The game is always a hit around September 19th, so we decided to create a new pirate-themed resource for Talk Like a Pirate Day, and this one is free!
Let me share a little about what’s included in this freebie, and then Amy is going to explain exactly how you can use each activity. Swashbuckling Pirate Fun includes a link to a kid-friendly video about how to talk like a pirate, 4 sets of Pirate Talk Vocabulary Matching Cards, a pirate-themed crossword puzzle, and set of pirate sentences to translate into English. You’ll also find a word building challenge activity that your kids will love! The pirate fun activity directions assume that your students are seated with a partner or in cooperative learning teams, but you can easily modify the activities for whole group lessons instead.
Hi all, Amy here!
You’ll likely be hearing more from me in the future, but for now we’ll focus on the topic at hand. Laura and I have so enjoyed creating this resource for Talk Like a Pirate Day! As we were putting this resource together we also played through the activities. I’ll walk you through the resource as well as adding some of my thoughts on the activities here and there!
Talk Like a Pirate Video
The best way to kick off your pirate lesson is to show a kid-friendly video that explains how to talk like a pirate.
First, I suggest you start with this very quick and fun 1 minute video which does a great job of setting the tone for the activities ahead! It will be sure to get your students excited to start talking like a pirate. You might even want to let your class mimic the phrases from the video. Chances are, they will already be mimicking them before the end of the video. At least, that’s what I did! Hard to hear this pirate talk and not try to see what I can do as well!
If you’d like one more video to watch, I suggest this 5 minute video from Twinkl Teaching Resources. This video doesn’t have quite the pizazz of the first shorter video which uses a fun, more authentic pirate accent. But, this video goes through much more of the common pirate words/phrases and their meanings, which will help students get acquainted with the basics of the pirate vocabulary.
Click here for one extra video suggestion
I have one more optional video that you’ll want to watch prior to your instructional time. This is a 5 minute video from a language enthusiast who will teach you some important points about perfecting your pirate accent. This video isn’t inappropriate for kids, but it’s highest value would be in helping you build confidence in your pirate accent which will contribute to a really fun time for your class.
Pirate Talk Matching Game
The Pirate Talk Matching Cards can be used in a fun game to teach 20 pirate words and their meanings. Each page has 5 pirate words on the left with the matching definition next to it on the right.
In the first game, have your students get acquainted with the words and their definitions by working through one set at a time. Have them work together to match each word with its meaning. Your students will mostly be guessing, but by working together they should be able to match the cards correctly.
After your students have worked through each set individually, have them play another version of this game where they’ll be matching all 20 words with their definitions. Instruct the students to divide the cards into a word pile and a definition pile. Have them stack the word cards face down and spread the definition cards face up around the stack of word cards. The first person will turn over the top card in the word pile and find the definition that matches it. They will show the match to the team, and if everyone agrees, that person gets to keep the matching cards. If the cards don’t match, they are placed back into the deck or onto the table. Ask your students to take turns around the team with the remaining cards, following these steps, until all words and meanings have been matched.
Pirate Crossword Puzzle
After your students are familiar with the 20 pirate words, have them test their knowledge by completing a crossword puzzle. Several variations of the puzzle and the answer key are provided.
There are two nearly identical versions of the printable crossword puzzle. The only difference being that one of them has a word bank. Students can complete this puzzle on their own or take turns with a partner.
If you prefer that your students complete the puzzle as a class, you can display this colorful version on a whiteboard. Click the links below to explore the options available. 
Finally, there’s a plain black and white interactive version of this puzzle that your students can complete here on the Crossword Labs website. Don’t let this simple version deceive you, it has it’s own benefits! This version allows you to fill in the blanks and lets you know if the answer is correct or incorrect by turning the text green or red. A wonderful free feature for such a simple website!
Click here for a note about using the Crossword Labs puzzle
Your browser is likely to store cookies from this website, so if you fill in some of the answers on the crossword and then later open the link, in the same browser, on the same device, your answers will still be filled in.
You can easily clear the puzzle by clicking on the small button in the bottom right-hand corner of your browser window. This button is very easy to miss if you aren’t specifically looking for it! After clicking on it you’ll see an option to “clear puzzle”, and then you’re puzzle will be brand new again!
Pirate Talk Translations
Next, challenge your students to translate the provided pirate sentences into English. Encourage your students to read the sentences in their best pirate voice! Answers will vary widely, but an answer key is provided to offer a possible translation for each sentence.
The directions at the top of the activity page were designed for students working in pairs, but you can also conduct this lesson in a whole group setting. Swashbuckler Word Challenge
The Swashbuckler Word Challenge is a general spelling and word building activity. Students don’t have to be familiar with pirate words and phrases to complete it. The directions ask students to take turns with a partner finding and recording as many words as possible using only the letters in “Swashbuckler.” Students will cut out the letters at the bottom of the page, and then rearrange the letters to form words. Make sure they understand that they are not expected to find pirate-themed words.
Click here for more thoughts on the word challenge activity
Laura and I did this for activity in a slightly different way. We each printed out the word challenge page and then set a timer for 5 minutes to see how many words we could come up with. After the five minutes, we still hadn’t filled in all the spaces, but our brains were primed to think of even more words so we went for another 5 minutes until the timer went off.
Then we each read off our list of words and it was fun to see how many of the same words we got and how many different words! We both noted how the challenge feels easy at first, then you start to feel like you are running out of words. But then you start thinking of a whole different type of words and realize you could go on and on writing words.
I believe the cycle would continue, where it feels easy for about 10 words, then gets harder, until your brain opens up to a new pathway of thinking. It’s really neat to see how it can feel like you are totally out of words, but then in an instant, you can see all new possibilities!
Laura and I had a wonderful time creating this resource together, and we hope it brings just as much joy to your classroom. “Talk Like a Pirate Day” is the perfect reminder that learning can be playful—and sometimes a little silly! We’d love to hear how your students enjoyed their Pirate Day, so be sure to share your stories with us. They always brighten our day!
Click here to share your stories with us!
If you’re interested in another Pirate themed resource, check out our “Pirate’s Luck Math Game” below!
Pirate's Luck Math Game
Pirate’s Luck is an exciting math game of skill and chance that will boost your students’ fluency with addition and multiplication facts. Printable and digital Google Slides resources are included, so the game is perfect for math centers in the classroom or remote learning at home.
