Stairway to Everest Activity: Divisions I to IV
Integration Notes:
The Stairway to Everest challenge allows students to actively participate in the Everest expedition and can be integrated into current physical education and health lesson plans. It also encourages students to become physically fit.
There is an opportunity to interact with the team online and share information with other schools via the Internet. For more detailed start up information see Phase 2, Stairway to Everest.
Please note that this activity continues through to Phase 5 of
the education program as students follow the Everest 2000 climb.
If students are part of the telecollaborative project, Getting to
Know You - Part 2 in Phase 3, this project will complement it (learning
about life in Nepal and comparing those experiences to their own).
Learner Outcomes:
Students will:
- Set a goal to climb a predetermined number of stairs or make laps around the gym (group decision at the school level).
- Work collaboratively to meet a goal.
- Track and record their progress.
- Submit data and reports electronically
Activity Instructions:
1. View the Stairway to Everest Challenge video clip.
When this segment of video is available,
Byron will challenge students to join him and his team on their journey
to the top of the world by participating in the Stairway to Everest
activity.
2. Challenge students to climb 29,035 stairs. This challenge can
be structured in a number of ways.
3. Choose a goal option from the list below
Students should plan to achieve their climbing goals in conjunction
with Byron reaching the summit of Everest (sometime during the
first two weeks of May). You may wish to have students participate
in online ceremonies and events in celebration of Byron reaching
the summit and to celebrate students reaching their goals.
GOALS:
a) Division I - Climb 29,035 stairs
Kindergarten grade one, grade two and grade three classes may wish
to form a team to achieve this goal.
Stair climbing can be incorporated into regular physical
education classes and/or as a noon hour activity.
b) Division II - Climb 29,035 stairs
Grade four, five and six classes may wish to form a team to
achieve this goal. However, it might be an interesting challenge
to see which class can reach this goal.
c) Division III and IV - Climb 29,035 stairs
Give students some choice regarding the number of students
in each group.
Consider more than one group in the class for this challenge,
depending on the in-class time you wish to dedicate to the project. Ask students to use a decision making model that would form a number of equal teams in the classroom.
Form your teams.
Make it more challenging by getting physically fit students
to carry a pack during the climb. Each
member of the expedition would carry close to 14 kilograms or about
30 pounds.
4. Decide on team size and whether teams will include students from
other schools (telecollaborative connection). Please note that the
teams can be a whole class, two classes or more. Students should
have input in the decision.
5. Discuss the benefits of participating in the Stairway to Everest
project, which include:
- Participating in setting and achieving goals with the Everest
2000 team.
- Motivating students to become more physically fit.
- Providing an audience for student achievement.
- Learning more about climbing Mount Everest, and/or gaining
perspective on how to face life's daily challenges.
6. Record student progress on a daily basis. For Division I, keep
a class record of your progress - a simple chart will work.
For Division II to IV, have students track the climbing in their
group on a spreadsheet or chart. They will need all their data
for reporting in Phase 5. Data should include the names of team members,
dates climbing took place, number of stairs climbed each day
and total to date. There is an excellent opportunity to build math
concepts into this challenge.
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