Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure: The Greatest Survival Story of All Time. Teacher's Guide To

29 Pages·2012·1.04 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
SE 065 653
ED 460 019
Gibb, Reen
AUTHOR
Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure: The Greatest Survival
TITLE
Story of All Time. Teacher's Guide To Accompany the
Giant-Screen Film.
WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.
INSTITUTION
2001-00-00
PUB DATE
28p.; Guide produced by the Educational Print and Outreach
NOTE
Department of the WGBH Educational Foundation. Film
co-produced by White Mountain Films and NOVA/WGH Boston,
Presented by Stanley Dean Witter.
The Antarctic Connection, P.O. Box 538, Jackson, NH 03846.
AVAILABLE FROM
Tel: [phone]. For full text:
http://main.wgbh.org/imax/shackleton/pdf/teachinggd_hi. pdf.
Classroom
Teacher (052)
Guides
PUB.TYPE
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Elementary Education; *Films; Foreign Countries;
DESCRIPTORS
*Interdisciplinary Approach; *Science Activities; *Science
Curriculum; Science Instruction; Teaching Guides
*Antarctica
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This teacher's guide was developed to accompany the
giant-screen film, "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure". The activities
featured use a multidisciplinary approach and target students ages 7 through
14. Teacher pages include background information and student pages include
instructions and additional information for understanding the activity.
"A Journey Unexpected"; (2) "Ice-Cold Continent";
Activities include:
(3)
(1)
"Stormy Seas Ahead"; and
"In Their Own Words";
"Seal for Breakfast";
(4) (5)
"Finding the Way." (YDS)
(6)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
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DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
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BEEN GRANTED BY
originating it.
0 Minor changes have been made to
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Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
official OERI position or policy.
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
SHACKLETOWS
ANTARCTIC
ADVENTURE
The greatest survival story of all ti
PY AAL
TEACHER'S GUIDE
to accompany the giant-screen film
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Contents
Who Was Sir Ernest Shackleton?
2
A Journey Unexpected
6
Activity I: Track the Expedition
Students use latitude and longitude coordinates to track
Shackleton's epic journey.
Ice-Cold Continent
10
Activity 2: All About Antarctica
Students learn basic information about Antarctica and
compare the continent to the places where they live.
Seal for Breakfast?
12
Activity 3: What's on Your Plate?
Students compare the nutritional value and variety of their
own meals to those eaten by the earlyAntarctic explorers.
In Their Own Words
16
Activity.4: In Your Words
Students read journal entries written by Shackleton and
his crew and create passages documenting their own lives.
Stormy Seas Ahead
20
Caird
Activity 5: Craft the
Students use mathematical scale to create a life-size
outline of the James Caird lifeboat.
The James Caird was the boat that
Finding the Way
carried Sir Ernest Shackleton and
22
five others from Elephant Island to
Activity 6: Find Your Latitude
South Georgia Island in 17 days.
Students make their own quadrants and use them to
This replica of the Caird was made
especially for the film Shacideton's
determine their latitude.
AntarcticAdventure.
Resources
24
130131
6119111651EMO
© 2001 WGBH Educational Foundation
1
Who Was
Sir Ernest Shackleton?
Born in 1874 in County Kildare, Ireland, Ernest Shackleton lived with his family first in
Dublin, Ireland, and then in England, where he was educated at Dulwich College. At age 16,
Shackleton joined the British Merchant Navy. A decade later he volunteered to accompany
the National Antarctic Expedition under British Captain Robert Falcon Scott, which
became the first of four polar adventures Shackleton would undertake.
The 1901- I 904 Scott expedition aboard the ship Discovery came within a record-
breaking 400 miles (643.7 km) of the South Pole, but was ultimately unsuccessful
in reaching its destination.
Shackleton returned to England, married, and tried to establish a name for himself
in journalism, business, and politics.
By 1908, however, Shackleton was again drawn to the Antarctic. Deciding to
attempt the South Pole trek himself, he raised the funds for his own Nimrod expe-
dition. But the Nimrod's quest for the Pole failed, too. His crew got within a scant
I 00 miles (160.9 km) of the Polefarther south than anyone had gone before
when Shackleton was forced to turn back because of the party's ill health and dwindling
Sir Ernest
supplies.To the dismay of England's citizens, boasting rights to the Pole went three years
Shackleton
later to Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
At this juncture, Britain had now been "beaten" to both the North and South Poles.
Shackleton set out to gain Britain the honor of what he called "the largest and most striking
of all journeysthe crossing of the Continent."
To recruit the crew of his British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, who would sail
More on Shackleton
aboard the Endurance, it is said that Shackleton posted the following notice:"Men wanted
www.pbs.org/nova/shackleton/
for hazardous journey.Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness.
Find more information about
Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."
Shackleton's expedition,
Shackleton chose 27 men to serve a variety of positions, such as running and navigating
including sounds and interactive
activities, on Shackleton's
the ship, cooking the meals, and
Antarctic Odyssey, the NOVA/PBS
keeping track of supplies. He also
Online AdventureWeb site that
took scientists, surgeons,a carpenter,
documents the two filming
and a photographer on board.The
expeditions in the Antarctic.
I
crew set forth from BuenosAires,
Argentina, on October 26,1914.
Egild11111EIEMS
Endurance crew members pose
beneath the ship's bow.
2
Biographers have said that Shackleton was drawn to polar exploration by his romantic,
adventurous nature rather than scientific interest. But Shackleton knew that expeditions
were formally sanctioned by their scientific goals; therefore, he recruited a scientific staff
of foura biologist, a geologist, a meteorologist, and a physicist.The plan was for these
men to work from their base on theWeddell Sea to investigate Graham Land to theWest
and Enderby Land to the East; the Endurance was equipped for dredging and hydrological
work.These original goals were thwarted, so, in the end,the crew's most significant
contribution to science was its careful record of theWeddell Sea's infamous drift.
While Shackleton and his crew failed to make the first crossing of the Antarctic continent,
their expedition became a larger-than-life testament to heroism and human endurance,
with all 28 men surviving two years in the barren,frigid Antarctic after their ship,the
Endurance, was caught in pack ice and eventually crushed.
The crew officially dispersed in October 1916, with most of the men returning to England
to serve in WorldWar I.The expedition team was later awarded the Polar Medal, although
Shackleton denied it to four of his men who he seemed to feel had not given their all in that
dire time.
In 1921, Shackleton led his final journey to the Antarctic on the ship Quest, bringing with
him a handful of the original Endurance crew members. But shortly after the start of the
expeditionon January 5,1922Shackleton died of a heart attack; he was in his late 40s.
At the request of his wife, he was buried at Grytviken,the South Georgia Island whaling
station that played a pivotal role in his journey of endurance.
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Shackleton originally intended to land at
Vahsel Bay and head southwest toward the
65°S
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Ross Sea.His actual route (inset) was much
d,JD- *,`-
differentbecause the Endurance became
stuck in pack ice,Shackleton and his crew
41.,
remained in theWeddell Sea, never actually
setting foot on the continent.
Note: Shackleton's routes are approximated.
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3
.
Shackleton's
Antarctic Adventure
I
The giant-screen film Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure transports viewers back in time to
experience Sir Ernest Shackleton's amazing tale of leadership, heroism, endurance, and epic
adventure.The film:
explains that no place on Earth is more hostile to life than Antarctica,which is
surrounded by immense ice floes and gripped by temperatures that dip well
below -100°F (-73.3°C) and winds up to 200 miles per hour (321.9 kph). It is the
only continent never permanently settled by people and the last to be explored.
tells how Shackleton twice attempted to reach the South Pole, only to have it
Film Web Site
claimed first by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.Shackleton set a new
www.shackletonsantarctic
goal:He would be the first to cross the entire Antarctic continent, some 1,700
adventu re.com
statute miles wide (2,735.8 krn).
Visit the Shackleton'sAntarctic
AdventureWeb site to find e-mail
describes how Shackleton recruited his 27-man crew of scientists, officers, and
postcards featuring images from
seamen, and how they finally set sail from South Georgia Island in December
the film,a downloadable version
1914 for the Weddell Sea coast of Antarctica.
of this teacher's guide, a listing
portrays Shackleton as a man of towering ambition and boundless optimism,
of special events nationwide,
and more.
whose crew members dubbed him "The Boss:'
recounts how his wooden ship,the Endurance, became trapped in the pack ice of
theWeddell Sea before ever reaching Antarctica. For 10 months,the ship drifted,
locked in ice, until millions of tons of moving pack ice pressed against the
Endurance with tremendous pressure, crushing it.
re-creates life at Patience Camp,the camp on an ice floe where the crew lived
for five months after they had to abandon ship.
shows how the men played games and engaged in sing-alongs, plays, and skits.
chronicles how once their camp drifted close to open areas of water,Shackleton
and his men rowed their three lifeboats as far as uninhabited Elephant Island.
depicts the perilous 800-mile (I,287.5-km) journey made by Shackleton and five
others in a 23-foot (7.0-rn) lifeboat called theJames Caird through the world's
worst seas to seek help at South Georgia Island.
introduces three of today's most accomplished mountaineersReinhold
Messner,StephenVenables, and Conrad Ankerwho retrace Shackleton's final
leg of the journey to seek help:crossing 26 miles (41.8 km) of mountain peaks
and crevassed glaciers on foot across South Georgia Island to a whaling station.
reenacts the rescue of all 22 men left on Elephant Island, 22 months after their
initial departure from BuenosAires, Argentina.
7
4
When Shackleton purchased
his 144-foot-long (43.8-rn),
300-ton, (272.2-metric tons)
wooden sailing ship, it was named
Polaris; he renamed it the Endurance
in honor of his family motto:
FortitudineVincimus"by endurance
we conquer:'
Using This Guide
This guide is intended to be used with the giant-screen film,Shackleton's
AntarcticAdventure.The multidisciplinary activities presented here are designed
for students ages 7 through 14.
Each lesson features teacher and student pages.Teacher pages include topical
background information and a setup to provide instruction for carrying out
the activity.WebTreks offer more information on each activity topic,and
Extensions offer ideas for augmenting the activity.
Student pages include activity instructions,additional information to help
students understand the activity, and follow-up questions. Additional student
pages provide supplementary material to help students complete the activity.
II
Curriculum Connections
Subject
Activity
Mathematics
Health
Social Studies
English
Science
Track the Expedition
.
I
2. All AboutAntarctica
3. What's onYour Plate?
4. lnYourWords
5. Craft the Caird
6. FindYour Latitude
8
MM=E=OU
IMIEVEIMMEN
INIENEIMMESEMI
A Journey Unexpected
Background
When Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew members left South Georgia Island on
December 5, 1914, they sailed south into theWeddell Sea.Their destination was
Vahsel Bay,where they would disembark the Endurance and begin their southwest
Mapping Terra
trek across the Antarctic continent toward the Ross Sea.Shackleton brought
Incognita
69 Canadian sledge dogs to aid the expedition's transcontinental passage, and he
www.pbs.org/nova/shackleton-
arranged for a separate crew to travel inland from the Ross Sea to deposit addi-
surviving/mapping.html
tional supplies he and his crew would use during their crossing. Everything
Presents the evolution of
seemed set.
Antarctic mapmaking,
from ancient Roman times
But what Shackleton and his crew members didn't anticipate was the amount of
to present day.
pack icesolid or broken up ocean icethat they would encounter. And so,
Satellite Image
about a month and a half into their journey, they found themselves on a very
ofAntarctica
different expedition from the one they had so carefully planned:The Endurance
terraweb.wr.usgs.gov/TRS/
became trapped by pack ice,which crushed the ship 10 months later. This left
projects/Antarctica/AVHRR.html
Shackleton and his 27 men stranded on the ice with only three lifeboats, limited
Posts various satellite images
provisions for food and shelter, and little hope of rescue.
courtesy of the U.S. Geological
Survey.
U.S. Census Bureau
www.census.gov/cgi-bin/
Activity 1 : Track the Expedition
gazetteer
E
id
Gives the actual latitude and
longitude of different areas
Objective
when town name and zip code
Students use latitude and longitude
2. Make copies of Track the
are entered.
coordinates to track Shackleton's epic
Expedition and TheTimeline activity
journey.
sheets.Tape TheTimeline activity
sheets together so that they are side-
Materials for each student
Extension
by-side. Distribute all activity sheets to
copy of Track the Expedition
students.
activity sheet on page 7
Have students brainstorm and
3. Have students read TheTimeline
create alternative ways to
copy of TheTimeline activity sheets
represent the timeline's events.
once through before they do the mapping
on pages 8-9
Examples include creating a
activity.
timeline that is:
adhesive tape
4. Once everyone has read the timeline,
scaled to visually display the
Procedure
have students read it again, this time
length of time between events.
I .Tell students that Shackleton originally
locating the latitude and longitude
illustrated to highlight one
planned to be the first to cross
coordinates listed within the text. As
theme that runs through the
Antarctica, but that because his ship got
time period.
they find each coordinate, have them
caught in pack ice, he and his crew
abbreviated to emphasize key map it on their Track the Expedition
members never actually set foot on the
events.
activity sheet.
continent itself. Instead, they found their
presented along with a
5.When students have completed
simultaneous timeline of events
ship immobilized,and they had no
the mapping exercise, have them answer
occurring in other regions or
knowledge of how long their expedition
worldwide.
the questions listed on the student
would be stalled.
activity page.
audio-recorded and presented
along with visuals.
IESEIM=M=L9
13939=111ZIEMMEll
9
6
Track the Expedition
Background
Find out the answers to these questions and
more as you track Shackleton's extraordinary
Where did Sir Ernest Shackleton begin his
journey to and from the Antarctic. Use the map
journey? When did his ship get caught in pack ice?
below with the latitude and longitude coordinates
When did it get crushed? Where were his men
listed in TheTimeline activity sheets to plot
stranded for months?
Shackleton's journey.
9014
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65°W 60°W 55°W
45°W
40°W
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International Date Line
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Longitude
About Latitude
and Longitude
111
Latitude lines represent
Shelf
Ronne Ice
411ItY lbAr
441k
the distance north or
Coats Land 4..
crj
south of the Earth's
A
equator. Longitude lines
S.
represent the distance
L:JR9VaGIg40@t-J
east or west of the prime
,
meridian, or the
1=1
International Date Line.
Questions
=HMS
Both are measured in
angular degrees. On this
I .What were the northernmost and
3. In degrees of latitude, about how far is
map, Punta Arenas, Chile,
southernmost lines of latitude that the
Coats Land, Antarctica,from the equator,
is located at a latitude of
Endurance passed through?
which lies at 0° latitude?
53°S and a longitude of
7I°W
2.What were the easternmost and
4. In degrees of latitude, about how far is
westernmost lines of longitude?
the South Pole, which lies at 90°S,from the
Note:Coordinates in this activity
North Pole, which lies at 90°N?
approximate Shackleton's journey.
© 2001 WGBH Educational Foundation