Robert Louis Stevenson · Adventure, courage and trust
I will be able to:
Start here: What would make you trust someone on a dangerous journey?
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island appeared as a book in 1883. Jim Hawkins is a boy whose family runs an inn on the English coast. After an old sailor called Billy Bones dies, Jim finds a map showing the location of buried treasure.
Dr Livesey and Squire Trelawney organise a voyage to the island. Jim joins them aboard the Hispaniola. The ship’s cook, Long John Silver, seems friendly and helpful. However, while Jim is hiding in an apple barrel, he hears Silver planning a mutiny. Some sailors intend to take the treasure for themselves.
On the island, Jim meets Ben Gunn, a man who has been left there for years. Meanwhile, the loyal crew and the pirates struggle for control. Jim makes brave decisions, but he also takes risks by acting alone. He eventually falls into the pirates’ hands, and Silver protects him because their interests now overlap.
When the pirates reach the place marked on the map, the treasure is gone. Ben Gunn has already moved it to his cave. With his help, Jim and his friends recover the treasure and sail home. Silver later escapes with some of the money.
Jim returns richer, but disturbing memories remain. The adventure shows that appearances can deceive and that courage needs careful judgement. Silver’s changing loyalties make him difficult to trust.
Original simplified overview; not a quotation. Read the original novel. AI illustration.
Match 1–6 with A–F.
A. faithful to a person or group
B. a long journey, especially by sea
C. the ability to make a sensible decision
D. a rebellion against a captain or leader
E. to get something back
F. to make someone believe something false
Use two words in your own sentences.
Answer in sentences. Find evidence in the reading.
Past continuous: a background action: Jim was hiding.
Past simple: a completed event: He heard a plan.
Complete with the past simple or past continuous form of the verb in brackets.
Try it: Join with while: Jim was hiding. He heard Silver’s plan.
Discuss in pairs:
Useful language: I think… because… / While… / The reading shows… / On the other hand…
Use evidence and consider more than one viewpoint.
Treasure Island — continued
Write 80–100 words. Choose one:
Use the past simple and past continuous, and two vocabulary words.
Check sentence structure, capitals and punctuation.
Put these events in story order. Write the letters.
A. Jim hears the mutiny plan.
B. Jim finds a treasure map.
C. Jim and his friends sail home with treasure.
D. Jim meets Ben Gunn on the island.
E. The pirates find the marked place empty.
Compare your answer with a partner and explain your choices.
Exit reflection: One idea I understand better…
One thing I want to practise…
Final challenge: Write 6–8 sentences, or prepare a one-minute spoken response, explaining how Jim’s idea of adventure changes. Include two events, one lesson about trust, and a sentence using the past continuous and past simple.