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The student's "Hillary Challenge" mirrors the route that Sir Edmund Hillary took on his way to the summit of Mt Everest in 1953. Students progress from camp to camp by completing learning activities designed to meet the unit objectives. This way the students will learn about the 1953 expedition, and how each part of the journey required the mastery of challenges, the continuing support and efforts of everyone in the team, a lot of plain hard work along with thrilling adventures, and finally the satisfaction of reaching the summit. Students will be able to develop their knowledge, skills and understandings about the ascent, the achievements and contributions by Sir Edmund Hillary after his successful climb to the summit and relate these to their own lives.
Students plot their progress along the route, either on individual copies of the route map or on a large classroom wall map of the route. A large route map painted on a background of the mountains, glaciers, etc. placed across the corner of a room could really bring the Hillary Challenge alive. Give each student a small flag, like the Everest route markers used in 1953, to mark to mark their progress. They move their flag from camp to camp as they complete the learning activities and track their progress towards the summit.
The beginning of the 1953 expedititon involved much work and effort in getting prepared, practising climbs and getting along together as a team. The students prepare themselves for the route ahead by completing some starter activities designed to set the scene, stimulate interest, motivate inquiry and provide opportunities to work cooperatively together, followed by activities that are designed to build and consolidate essential knowledge of the key learning concepts underlying the unit objectives.
Essential Learning about New Zealand Society, where students learn about Sir Edmund Hillary and his achievements, forming a base of background knowledge and inquiry skills with teacher support.. This reflects the second stage of the 1953 Everest expedition between Base Camp and Advanced Base Camp where the climbers were practising with equipment, developing fitness, acclimatising, setting up routes, and moving towards the final climb to the summit. Here the students continue building the knowledge and skills that they will need to do their own inquiry in their final climb to their summit. The need for Rest and Recreation is recognised with a choice of fun activities to reward their achievements in getting to Advanced Base Camp, and to reflect this period on the 1953 expedition where the climbers regrouped and rested. At the end of this time on Mt Everest the summit teams were selected.
The students complete the steps in the inquiry process as they progress from camp to camp until they reach Camp VII - the final camp before the summit. The group approach echoes the importance of teamwork in the 1953 ascent of Mt Everest, and mirrors the expedition as it progressed above Advanced Base Camp in smaller teams of climbers, who depended on each other's resources and skills to survive, make progress and achieve.
The students reach the summit and celebrate their achievements. Students are encouraged to communicate their learning to others. Hillary, Tenzing, Hunt and Lowe told the Everest story to fascinated audiences everywhere on a five month lecture tour, delivering 12-15 lectures a week. Now it is the students' turn to tell the Hillary story. This is an opportunity for them to be creative in their choice of presentation, to share their efforts and achievements, and to have their learning valued and recognised. It also mirrors the final glory and recognition of achievement for the whole team after they reached the summit of Mt Everest in 1953. It is an opportunity to take social action by involving others in celebrating the life of Sir Edmund Hillary, what he stands for, and what his achievements mean for New Zealanders and people throughout the world today and in the future. This reflects the social action that Sir Edmund Hillary himself took in his many years of humanitarian work that followed his ascent of Everest.
This material has been produced by UNITEC Institute of Technology
under contract to the Ministry of Education.
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