Grade 5 Reading Information - Similarities and Differences

Story - Surviving Being Lost at Sea
Surviving being lost at sea is difficult for anyone who finds themselves in this situation. In a lifeboat lost at sea following their capsized ship, members of the crew experience different outcomes based on their behavior and decisions. All of the food and bottled water that was removed from the ship prior to it capsizing was distributed among the crew members.

Account 1 - Mark
All three of us entered the lifeboat where we dispersed the food and water. I did not catch many fish and then I lost my sharp tool in the ocean below the boat. I realize that I am the youngest and least experienced crew member on the boat, but I suffered the most because the crew members only helped me initially. At first, they gave me some food and some of their water. However, I love to eat food and I noticed that I didn’t have as much food as the others after a few hours. So, I know that they ate some of my food. I had to resort to drinking the ocean water when I got really thirsty.

Account 2 - Leslie
I had about three years’ experience working on boats at the time of this encounter. While on the lifeboat, I was aware that I needed to keep as much bottled water as possible. I only drank from my own supply when I felt thirsty. However, I know that I had trouble catching fish. I did eat the food that was allotted to me to keep up my strength. I told Bill to use the lighter to warm his fish. I survived but with injuries since I did not have a lot of food because no one shared food with me.

Account 3 - Bill
As the captain of the capsized boat, I have the most experience of the crew members. I knew to conserve my bottled water and food. I told the other two to eat and drink only a few times a day which is what I did. Each of these times was done in small amounts. I devised a plan to use a net to swoop up any small plankton or fish that I could catch. The other two crew members didn’t seem interested in doing this method because they said it was pointless and Mark seemed to struggle with survival the most. However, I kept my hands and body out of the ocean and was able to add a small amount of food to my supply each few days. I survived with minimal injuries at the time of the rescue.