After reading the pirate unit articles I was inspired to go look at my pirate books.  Each of the articles had creative and thought provoking ideas.  I remember when I was in school we made kwl charts.  By doing kwl charts many benefits  are rewarded.  Along with the kwls, the teacher guided questions are very helpful.  In the second article I felt like the methods of writing and learning were a lot more concrete.  Students are required to read and research Pirate topics and write their own understanding.  Students can also get a concrete understanding by engaging in the twin texts and writing in their pirate notebooks.  By doing so students can be expressive with their own questions and thoughts in a small group without sharing to the class.  Students are also able to build a more personal experience with pirate by researching one certain pirate.  All of these parts in the pirate unit are all beneficial for the social studies aspect as well as the writing aspect.