At the turn of the 19th century, the United States was a rapidly growing nation. When the United States acquired territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, the job of maintaining open sea lanes fell to the U.S. Navy. To maintain a strong and well-trained force, the Navy needed to attract personnel to work onboard their ships. It used poster art to advertise as an easy way to reach a large number of people. This lesson plan asks students to interpret a poem and recruiting poster that offers them insight into the life of turn-of-the-century sailors when they first joined the Navy and how their lives at sea differed from life ashore. The lesson contains seven sections: (1) "Lesson Plan"; (2) "Student Introduction Page"; (3) "The Great White Fleet"; (4) "Poem--The Rookie Player"; (5) "Recruiting Poster"; (6) "Student Worksheet"; and (7) "Teacher Answer Sheet". (BT)