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Overview:
Winter darkness, intense cold, and ice cover have hindered explorations at the Poles, and the oceans around them are the most remote and least explored on Earth. The Arctic Ocean is water surrounded by land; the Antarctic continent is frozen land surrounded by water. But both climates and the hardships they impose defied explorers until the 20th century. Even now, polar exploration is limited to summer months. In this lesson students will learn about famous explorers of the polar regions and have a simulated polar exploration of their own.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, social studies, history, English
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Lined paper or journals
- Pencils or pens
Objectives:
Students will
- describe the differences in terrain between the Arctic and Antarctic;
- learn the hardships imposed on polar explorers by climate and terrain; and
- explain how modern technologies have expedited polar exploration.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Crossing icescapes by dogsled, Robert E. Peary in 1909 claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole. Norwegian Roald Amundsen reached the geographic South Pole in 1911. Other adventures were not so lucky. Robert Falcon Scott and his party froze to death returning from the South pole. Ernest Shackleton failed to reach it but gained fame for rescuing himself and his 21 men.
Modern technologies have revolutionized polar exploration. Today, visitors on nuclear-powered icebreakers view Arctic and Antarctic waters from snug comfort. In recent years remotely operated instruments, satellites, and computers have added to our knowledge. The Science Ice Exercise, a five-year study in the 1900s, used nuclear submarines under the ice to map the floor of the Arctic. The increase in global warming has made research in the polar seas more important than ever before.
Development:
Read the overview and the opening to this lesson to the class and initiate a discussion about the hardships inherent in polar exploration and what preparations are necessary to undertake a trip there.
Have students explore the following sites about famous expeditions to the North and South Poles:
American Museum of Natural History: The Endurance—Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
BBC: North Pole 2001
North Pole 1909
South-Pole.com
Ask the students to imagine they are members of Shackleton's or Scott's party, or another famous expedition team. Have them work in small groups and study in more detail the specific journey they have chosen. Ask them to brainstorm about what they would need to do to prepare for such a journey. Remind them to take into account the need for food and fresh water, animal life they may encounter, the bitter weather, and transportation.
Closing:
What have students learned about polar exploration? What do they think would be the most challenging part of a journey to one of the poles? What would be the most exciting part? Would they like to go themselves, if given the chance?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask each small group to create a log of a journey that describes some of the hardships involved in the trek they brainstormed about earlier. Each student should in the group should take on the role of a member of the expedition team, whether it be the ship's captain, a doctor, or a cook.
Have each student write at least two or three entries in the journal about what they see (e.g., terrain and wildlife), how they feel, and what they miss most from home.
Make sure students include only wildlife that would exist in the pole they have chosen to explore; for example, polar bears exist only in the Arctic. [Note: The names of both polar regions come from the Greek word arctos, meaning "bear"—the Arctic, where bears are, and the Antarctic, which translates roughly to "against bears."]
When the students have completed their logs, ask each group to read a few entries to the rest of the class. Conduct a classroom discussion about each entry. What did different students focus on? Were some more positive than others, based on the journey they chose? Extending the Lesson:
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