Use these lesson plans to help your students understand more about Ernest
Shackleton's journey, what the Antarctic is like, how sailors can determine
their latitude at night, and the nutritional value of an Antarctic meal. Each
lesson is related to information contained within this Web site. Watch for
regular dispatches from expedition members that will contain additional related
information.
About the author
Reen Gibb currently teaches at Brookline High School in
Massachusetts, where she has been for 20 years. Her teaching experience
includes secondary and middle school biology, secondary school physics, and
college and secondary school chemistry. Ms. Gibb also teaches in the Education
Department at Wellesley College and works as a consultant for a Boston
University Science Foundation grant that focuses on using the computer as a
virtual laboratory in the chemistry classroom.
Week 1: The Coldest Place at the Bottom of the World: Students
use longitude and latitude coordinates to trace and estimate the miles on
Shackleton's actual and intended polar journeys, describe the altitude changes
across the continent, and compare Antarctica to their own state.
Week 2: Icebergs Ahead!: Students make miniature icebergs, float
them in water, expose them to the sun, and compare them to a floating cork
stopper. Students also estimate the amount of drift ice around Antarctica.
Week 4: A Meal of Endurance: Students analyze the nutritional
value of three meals representative of the food Shackleton's men ate as their
journey progressed, and compare them to their own daily diet.
