Introductory Activity
(one class period)

1. Play the "Under Antarctic Ice" video from the very beginning until the introductory credits appear. Stop it at this point (about one minute into the video) and tell the class that they will be taking a field trip to Antarctica. Ask them what difficulties they think they'll encounter. List their responses on the board.

2. Fast-forward the video to the segment that shows the people in the airplane on the way to Antarctica (about three minutes into the video). Pause the video about one minute later, just at the end of this section. Tell the class that they will see some "residents" of this bleak environment. Then, continue to play the video from this point, where penguins are walking on the ice and swimming below it. Pause the video when the aerial view of McMurdo Station appears (this clip is about two minutes long). Ask the class how they think penguins stay warm in Antarctica. List their responses on the board and save them for use in Activity One.

3. Ask the class if they know where Antarctica is located, and if they know any specific locations there. Record their responses on the board.

4. Fast-forward the video to the scene where the two divers are preparing to go into the water, about 14 minutes into the video. Ask the class if they think the divers will find much to photograph under the ice. Ask them why or why not. Play the video for about seven minutes, showing students the scenes of marine life under the Antarctic ice.

5. At this point, tell the class that they're about to embark on an adventure unlike any they've experienced before: "Survival in Antarctica." Inform students that they'll be divided into teams of explorers/scientists. They will have to solve three challenges in order to survive their ordeal, working together to solve problems and, just like a real team of Antarctic explorers/scientists, making use of the strengths of their team members.

(Note: You know your class well. Forming cooperative groups is something you already know how to do with the specific group of students you have. Try to put teams together keeping in mind individual student strengths, and put students together whose strengths complement those of the others in the group.)

Activity 2: The Second Challenge - Traveling in Antarctica is a Moving Experience
(two or three class periods)

Moving around in Antarctica can be very difficult for many reasons. There may be sudden snowstorms called whiteouts that cause disorientation, windstorms that make communication impossible, and hypothermia that can set in rapidly if you're not careful. This competition is designed to challenge the creative processes of the students.

1.Tell the students the following:

• One member of the team will be venturing out onto the Antarctic ice.
• Without warning, a strong snowstorm descends on the compound.
• The team member is lost in a whiteout 25 feet from safety.
• There are several obstacles between the team member and safety, including a tall snow mound, a deep rift in the ice, and a hungry penguin.
• The team must get their stranded member back to home base before hypothermia sets in. There are several problems the team must overcome: The "lost" team member is blinded by the storm, deafened by the wind, and is wearing large snowshoes.

Activity 3: The Third Challenge - Penguins and Orcas and Maps, Oh My!
(five class periods)

This challenge has four parts and may be considered a scavenger hunt, of sorts. Each group is given a number of tasks to complete. The team decides which member undertakes each task. A specific task may be undertaken by a small group of no more than three students.

(Note: Before beginning these challenges, you may wish to review the concept of a food web with students and, perhaps, give some examples. Remember that a food web includes the plants and animals in an ecosystem with lines drawn between the members of the web who either eat or are eaten by other members of the web. This Web site, http://oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/foodweb/foodweb.html, is a good resource on food webs.)

These are the four tasks that make up this challenge:

1. The video tells us that 70% of the fresh water on the planet is tied up in the Antarctic ice. Students must create a visual representation that compares the Antarctic ice and its fresh water content to the remainder of the planet's fresh water. In addition, the actual amount of fresh water tied up in the Antarctic ice must be determined.

2. The video tells us that there are 17 different species of penguins. For each species of penguin, students must find the name and a picture or description. They will place each picture they find on a map of the world in the appropriate location.

3. The team must draw a map of Antarctica and label the following places on it:

• McMurdo Station
• Mt. Erebus
• Dry Valleys
• The South Pole
• Antarctic Peninsula
• Additional named locations

Culminating Activities/Assessment:

Students may choose one of the following assignments:

1. Write an illustrated fairy tale about life in the Antarctic. The fairy tale must include:

• Information about the wildlife found there.
• The challenges faced by people trying to live there.
• Information about the geography of Antarctica.