Title: Linda Greenlaw Level: U
Story Overview
Subject:
cj Linda Greenlaw—swordflshing boat captain.
Main Idea:
o Linda did something she always wanted to do. She followed her dream. Linda was the first female fishing boat captain. She lead the way for others, and proved she could be as successful as any one else.
Subtitles of Text w/ Important Facts:
A Busy Captain at Work
o Linda was the only female swordfish captain working the waters east of the Grand Banks, and she was doing what she loved.
Meet Linda Greenlaw
o Born in Connecticut in 1960 and raised in Topsham, Maine.
o Spent summers as a child on Isle an Haut, a small island off the coast of Maine. There she fell in love with the sea and with fishing.
o When she was young, she dreamed of sailing the Atlantic Ocean. She knew the sea was for her.
From Deckhand to Captain
o To pay for college, she worked as a cook and deckhand on a swordfishing boat. Linda loved it so much, she put off law school to continue working on the boat.
o Linda worked her way up to captain of the Gloria Dawn by the time she was just 26.
Swordfish: A Dangerous Catch
o Swordfish can be dangerous to catch because of their strong “sword.”
o The most productive time to catch swordfish is August thru October.
O Fish bite best at night so she navigates based on the lunar calendar.
o The crew lays down about 40 miles of fishing line with 1,000 hooks.
o The lines are set in the evening. They pull up the line at 3:30 am.
o If there’s tension, they haul in the fish. A swordfish can weigh between 100- 500 pounds.
o Swordfish have an electric blue and purple color on their back. They are strong and put up a fight.
o Linda has caught 62,000 pounds of swordfish in one outing!
On Board the Hannah Boden
o Linda’s boat goes out for 30-day trips.
o The crew loads the boat with gear and supplies, which includes 6 tons of squid for bait.
o Linda needs to find the best fishing conditions. She uses Doppler radar to find the best place to fish.
o The crew sleeps only 3 hours per night when fishing.
oThe more they catch, the bigger their paychecks.
A Dangerous Occupation
o Commercial fishing is very dangerous.
o Fishhooks, slippery decks, and severe weather are some dangers.
o The crew also faces terrible storms where wind gusts reach 120 miles per hour.

Teamwork Is Key
o Linda believes that the key to success is hard work and loving what you do.
o Teamwork- perseverance- determination and resourceflulness are traits Linda looks for when hiring a new crew.
A Dramatic Change
o After 17 years, Linda left deep-sea fishing and started lobstering near home.
o Linda wrote a book, and is working on another. But her passion for bluer waters and bigger fish often tugs at her heart.

Text		Anchor Texts		Reasons		Text Evidence
Linda	•	Sign of the Beaver by	•	non-fiction genre	•	multiple sources of infonuation on
Greenlaw		Elizabeth George Spear	•	biography information		swordfishing
(60) U	• . .	Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgsen Burnett Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt	• • • a a a	headings and titles support the main idea of each paragraph captions under all photographs use of multiple primary and secondary sources use of research facts throughout the book message or theme higher level vocabulary higher level use of punctuation	• • • • • • a •	p.2 background information on Linda Greenlaw p.2 A Busy Captain at Work p. 3 “Linda spent her summers on Isle au Haut, an island off the coast ofMaine. Here is where she developed a love for the sea and fishing.” p. 3, Photographs, p. 4, Illustration, p. 6, Map p. 4 “Swordfish is apopularfish that can be both difficult and dangerous to catch because of its speed and sfrong ‘sword’, or bill... Swordfish can weigh about 100 to 500 poUflds.” “Hard Work Pays Oft” (pg. 4)... Commercial Fishing is a Dangerous Occupation (pg. 8).. .Teamwork is Key (pg.8) flickere4 tjqñcal, longlining, buoys, hauling, tension, pliers... use of commas to tuck in information: “She also studies the weather, finds the fish, and decides when to return home.”