Week 1: Early Life
Character Lexicon
- sickly: often ill; in poor health
- linger: stay in place longer than is necessary because of a reluctance to leave
- pioneer: a person who among the first to explore or settle a new country or area
- innovative: featuring new methods; advanced and original
- inventor: a person who invented a particular process or device or who invents things as an occupation
Comprehension Questions
- When Jacques refused to ride horses during summer camp he was sent to the lake to clean it of leaves and branches so the boys had a clean swimming space as a punishment. (Pg 2-3)
- While sailing across the Atlantic with his family to move to New York, Jacques made friends with the crew and explored the whole ship. (Pg 12-13)
- Having a camera in his hand helped Jacques not to be as shy. (Pg 15)
- When Jacques borrowed his father’s car to attend a wedding he had a terrible car accident that shattered his arm ending his dreams of being a pilot. (Pg 21-23)
- Jacques friend, Tailliez used aviator goggles, saw blades encased in rubber and a garden hose as swimming equipment. (Pg 27)
- Cousteau, Tailliez and Frederic Dumas called themselves the “Sea Musketeers.” (Pg 31)
- Cousteau made his camera waterproof by placing it inside a glass jar. (Pg 35)
Week 2: Life’s Work
Character Lexicon
- patriotic: having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country
- resistant: to refuse or accept or comply with something
- imaginative: having or showing creativity or inventiveness
- celebrity: a famous person
- devoted: very loving or loyal
Comprehension Questions
- Cousteau used his skill of underwater breathing to untangle some steel cable from a British torpedo ship during the war. (Pg 40-41)
- Jacques was able to put his photography skills to use in the French Resistance by dressing up as an Italian officer and taking photos of top secret maps and documents in an Italian military office. (Pg 43)
- Cousteau and Emile Gagnan created the Aqua-Lung, which was eventually called SCUBA. (Pg 47)
- While in the French Navy, the Sea Musketeers formed the Undersea Research Group whose mission was to develop better diving techniques and train sailors to dive. (Pg 56)
- While testing the limits of his Aqua-Lung, Cousteau made it 297 feet below the waters surface. (Pg 60)
- Off the coast of Marseilles, Cousteau found a two thousand year old Greek ship wreck. (Pg 69)
- Cousteau’s movie, The Silent World, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award for Best Documentary. (Pg 73)
Week 3: Later Life and Legacy
Character Lexicon
- advocate: a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy
- vocal: expressing opinions or feelings freely and loudly; relating to the human voice
- adventurous: willing to take risks or try out new methods
- resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult situations
- affectionate: readily feeling or showing fondness or tenderness
Comprehension Questions
- After leaving the French Navy, Cousteau became the director of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. (Pg 74)
- During his experiments of 1962 he lived on Conshelf II, thirty-three feet below the Red Sea. (Pg 78)
- The deepest habitat Cousteau built was called, Deep Cabin the inhabitants experienced some minor leaks and it was miserably hot. (Pg 82)
- When the men on board the Conshelf III breathed in 98% helium they experienced a dullness in their sense of taste and smell, and their voices were so high they could barely hold a conversation. (Pg 84)
- Cousteau’s first t.v. show was called Conshelf III and was narrated by Orson Welles. (Pg 85)
- The Calypso escaped the waring armies during the Six Day War changing their route and headed south around the Horn of Africa. (Pg 90)
- Cousteau established the Cousteau Society to help protect the world’s oceans. (Pg 93)