Grades 9–12 Activities

EXPLORATION

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• Grades 9–12 Student Worksheet and Answer Key (PDF)

Students will analyze the roles and contributions to the history of exploration of two Antarctic explorers: England's Robert Falcon Scott and Norway's Roald Amundsen. Students will observe tools and other objects the teams used, collect information on the role of team members, and learn about the backgrounds of Scott and Amundsen. They will use what they learn to make inferences about each explorer's motivation and planning strategies for being first to the South Pole, and for understanding the outcome of the race.

By the end of the 1800's Antarctica was the last remaining unknown in continental exploration. For some explorers being the first to the South Pole was the ultimate triumph. While the Pole was goal of many expeditions, others also included scientific teams that studied meteorological conditions, ocean currents, magnetism, geology, and biology. In 1909, two very different men, England's Robert Falcon Scott and Norway's Roald Amundsen, vied to be first to the South Pole. Each man utilized different strategies to travel overland, and to deal with the challenges of the extreme cold, malnutrition, frostbite, and howling winds.

Class Discussion: What is Exploration?

Use the following questions to stimulate a class discussion about exploration:

• Why do people explore?
  (Answers may include: to discover new places, to learn more about places we know about, to be the first to make a discovery.)

• Where have humans explored and where are we exploring today?
  (Answers may include: In the past people set out to find new lands and explore them [Columbus, Lewis and Clarke], expeditions to discover animals/fossils [Gobi Desert dinosaurs]. Today, people explore the ocean depths [Sulfide chimneys], the Moon, Mars, etc.)

• What does it take to be an explorer?
  (Answers may include: curiosity, a desire know or find out, courage, leadership, ability to plan strategically, etc.)

Activity: Explorations in the Early 1900s

Call on students to share what they know about life in the early 1900s. Ask students to think about culture, politics, explorations, technology, and social developments during that time. Tell students they will work together to create a timeline showing developments in these areas from the 1900 to 1910, the year Scott and Admundsen left for Antarctica. Divide the class into four groups. Assign one topic to each group to research: culture, technology, politics, or social developments. Ask groups to find at least one entry per year. (Examples: Culture — silent movies; Technology — First Model T Ford; Politics — British Empire includes Australia, Canada, India, Pakistan and many other countries; Social Developments — advocates fight for children's labor laws and welfare.) When groups are ready have them create one timeline showing all the developments. Discuss with students how this might give them a different perspective on the journeys that Admundsen and Scott made.

Explain to students that at the turn of the last century, Antarctica was the last continent to be explored. Have them share what they know about its geography, seasons, climate, and wildlife. Ask:

• What do you think explorers hoped to find in Antarctica?
  (Answers may include: wanted to be the first to discover the South Pole, wanted to learn about the geography of the continent, wanted to learn about the organisms there, study weather.)

  Point out that early expeditions to Antarctica often took several years. Ask:

• What planning would you need to do for an expedition of that length of time and under those harsh conditions?
  (Answers may include: need to plan for clothing, shelter, food, navigation equipment, fuel, and transportation. Explorers would also have to carefully map out a plan for going to and returning from the Pole.)

Tell students that in the exhibition, Race to the End of the Earth, they will follow the in the footsteps of two explorers, Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen, who vied to be the first to reach the South Pole.

Race to the End of the Earth Exhibition

4th floor (30–45 minutes)
As students explore the exhibition have them compare Scott and Amundsen's teams. Each student should focus on these aspects: transportation, clothing, food, fuel and planning. Have students note details on their student worksheets.

Lower Level (15–20 minutes)
In the Cullman Hall of the Universe students can examine a full-scale replica of a NASA Mars Exploration Rover, a robotic geologist with a mission to discover the history of water on Mars. Have students identify the technological tools aboard the Rover and how they collect information about the Martian landscape.

Class Discussion: Scott vs. Amundsen

Have students work in small groups to share and discuss what they learned. Then have groups present their findings to the rest of the class. Ask:

• What motivated Scott and Amundsen, and how did their differences in planning affect the outcome? How would you characterize each leader?
  (Answers will vary. Students should support their responses to this question.)

• How would you characterize each leader?
  (Answers may include: Amundsen was an efficient, detail-oriented planner with just one goal in mind — getting to the pole and back. Scott's goal was to get to the pole, but to also do scientific investigations. His planning was more complicated, but he often did not pay attention to details and made bad decisions.)

Activity: Apsley Cherry-Garrard's Journal

Explain that Apsley Cherry-Garrard was a member of Scott's team who made a side trip with two team members to collect Emperor penguin eggs. His journal describes the harshness of the Antarctic climate. Have students read the journal entry. Ask:

• What does this excerpt tell you about the harshness of the Antarctic climate?
  (Answers may include: It describes how brutal the climate is.)

• Why do you think explorers wanted to go to Antarctica despite the challenges? (Answers will vary. They wanted to do scientific investigations, they wanted to be the first to reach the Pole, etc.)

Letter from Stephanie: Antarctic Exploration

Let's Talk with Donal Manahan about Antarctica's Early Explorers

Excerpt: The Last March by Robert Falcon Scott

Excerpt: At the Pole by Roald Amundsen

Excerpt: Crevasses by Edmund Hillary

Excerpt: The Voyage of the James Caird by Ernest Shackleton

The Last Place on Earth

Huntford, Roland
(Modern Library Paperback Edition), New York: Random House, Inc. 1999
An account of Scott and Amundsen's race to the Pole, a masterpiece of scholarly research and an extraordinarily rich reading experience.

I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination Spufford, Francis
New York: Picador U S A (distributed by St. Martin's Press), 1999.
A thrilling cultural history that offers new insights into the immense philosophical and cultural implications of the British love affair with ice.

Antarctica: The Farthest Place Close to Home
This award-winning curriculum connects students to the continent's biology and geology, and helps them master important science skills. Easily tailored to your time frame and grade level.