Read Your Way to Everest: Division I - IV
Integration and Implementation Notes
A. Learner Outcomes:
Students will:
- Work collaboratively to meet their reading goal.
- Track and record their progress.
- Communicate with others and conduct research via the Internet.
- Demonstrate knowledge of Nepalese culture and traditions by planning ceremonies and celebrations.
B. General Information:
If you are just joining the expedition's education program, Read Your Way to Everest was introduced in Phase 2 and continues through to Phase 5. Please see Read Your Way to Everest from Phase 2 for start-up information.
This part of Stairway to Everest focuses on: (1) students working on their reading challenge, (2) tracking their progress, and (3) planning Nepal Day, an event to celebrate reaching their goal.
Please note that the intention is for students to finish the reading challenge before the Everest 2000 team summits at the end of Phase 4. Then, in Phase 5 students can celebrate their success along with the Everest team during Nepal Day. In Phase 5 students are invited to send reading results as well as some of their celebration photos and information to be posted on the website and shared with other schools as well as the Everest 2000 team.
If you are participating in the Telecollaborative Project, Getting to Know You - Part Two, there is the opportunity for integrating its outcomes and those of the Stairway to Everest project. The Nepal Day celebration for both projects is basically the same, but the Getting to Know You project is more in-depth.
JUMP TO: Getting to Know You (Part 2)
Optional Idea: If you are interested in additional cultural events related to the expedition, the team will be participating in a Buddhist ceremony (Puja) that the Sherpa people (as well as the climbers from other countries) participate in before beginning the climb from Basecamp towards the summit of Mount Everest. Why not learn more about it and perform your own ceremony to mark your participation in the education program and the expedition?
C. On-line Opportunities:
Daily Updates - current and archived (Daily Dispatch)
Background information and photos of Nepal (Nepal and Gallery)
E-mail info@everest2000.ca for additional information on planning Nepal Day.
D. Telecollaborative Tips
If your students did not participate in the Telecollaborative Project, Getting to Know You (in Phases 2 and 3), you may want to set up your own telecollaboration with students who have. They can be the 'Nepal Experts' for your class for Nepal Day planning since they have likely completed a lot of research and may have already had the opportunity to ask Nepalese students questions through the Everest 2000 Education Coordinators.
If your class would like to plan their Nepal Day celebrations with the help of students from other parts of Canada or the world, please e-mail info@everest2000.ca and ask the education coordinators to try to link you to a school.
In your email, include the Subject Header: "Nepal Day Planning." The deadline for this is April 25, 2000.
Read your Way to Everest Activity
Integration Notes:
Welcome to the next part of the Read Your Way to Everest challenge. By now, you should be starting to read the books you have selected as you work towards your reading goal (depending on your grade) selected in part one of this activity (found in Phase 2 of the education program).
The main part of the project in this phase is for students to (1) read their books, (2) track their progress and (3) research and plan for the Nepal Day celebration that will take place in Phase 5. The intention is for everyone to finish the reading challenge before the Everest 2000 team summits. Then, students can celebrate their success with Nepal Day, and send their climbing results and celebration photos and information, which can be posted on the Everest 2000 Website for sharing with the expedition team and other schools.
NOTE: The Nepal Day planning is exactly the same for the Read Your Way to Everest challenge as it is for the Stairway to Everest challenge, so if you are both climbing and reading, follow the instructions for either one.
Please see the Getting to Know You (Part 2) for related activities.
Introduction:
Read Your Way to Everest - Part 2 provides students with an opportunity to plan events to celebrate Byron Smith and the Everest 2000 team reaching the summit of Mount Everest, as well as achieving their own reading goal. One way to celebrate these events is to plan a Nepal Day that will take place in Phase 5 of the expedition, after the team has reached the summit.
Activity Instructions:
1. Continue the Read Your Way to Everest Challenge as established in Phase 2. (Please see Read Your Way to Everest from Phase 2 for start-up information.)
2. Record your daily progress.
3. If possible, plan to achieve your goal before Byron reaches the summit of Mount Everest.
4. Begin planning Nepal Day.
Suggestions for Planning a Nepal Day Celebration
Introduction:
As you plan your celebration, you will be drawing on information from the Everest 2000 Website and a variety of other print and electronic resources. Use this information to learn about various aspects of Nepalese culture including food, religious and cultural ceremonies, celebrations, clothing, dance, music, games, etc. You will select different aspects of Nepalese culture to fashion your own Nepal Day.
You may choose to replicate a specific ceremony accompanied by food, dress, rituals and/or music, as appropriate. You could also design a new celebration of a Nepal Day that reflects Nepalese culture as you understand it through your research. You can extend this activity by writing a press release and sending invitations to local media to cover your post-reading Nepal Day celebration.
Research Ideas:
Research each place-name that the expedition team stops in to find information about particular aspects of the culture of that area. (To start, check out the interactive trek map with
a breif description of each stopping place.)
Namche Bazaar, is a trading market town. Are there any cultural influences from Tibet as a result of their people trading here? What sorts of things (food, toys, household items, tools, technology, decorations, and clothing) can be found there? Do people play music in the streets? What do the people wear? Do the people of Nepal hunt for any of their food?
Thayangboche, is the home of a recently built monastery. What is the culture of the monks in Nepal? Are any of the traditions of the monks a part of everyday life for the Nepalese people? Do they perform religious ceremonies? Do people wear different clothing for special occasions? What are special occasions in Nepal? What is the Puja ceremony?
Dingboche, is a farming village. What are the main crops? How do the people prepare their food? Are there specific local dishes? Have people from other countries influenced the diet of the people?
Mount Everest Region - Are there any specific cultural traditions, stories, etc. that are related to the mountains in the area? What is the legend of the Yeti?
Animals - Are there any animals of special significance in the Nepalese culture? What is the significance of Elephants? Monkeys? Brahmin (white) bulls?
Children - There is a school in Khumjung, which was the first one in the Khumbu region. Do children in Nepal celebrate their birthdays? Do they have special holidays? How do they celebrate? What kinds of games do they play? What kind of music do they like?
If you have questions that you are unable to find answers for through research and daily updates, e-mail your questions to the Everest 2000 team.
Nepal Day Research Instructions:
1. List all of the things you already know about Nepal that might be included in a special Nepal Day celebration. Remember to consider clothing, food, music, activities, religious beliefs, and any other information you have learned about Nepalese children and adults. Please use the "Research Ideas' list as a way to generate discussion and ideas.
2. Review the list you have created and identify other topics that you will need to plan a celebration. You might want to start by listing the things you do on special occasions.
3. Make a final list of topics you will research and have your teacher or team leader approve your topics. Assign each member of your group, or a team of members, to research one or more topics from your list.
4. Follow the daily updates and visit the archived daily updates as well to seek out specific cultural activities, religious and cultural practices, ceremonies, places, foods, etc.
5. Use print or electronic resources to conduct research on your assigned topic.
6. You can also send e-mails to the Everest 2000 team for more information. For example, the Everest 2000 Base Camp manager may be able to ask additional questions of the Sherpa people. You may not receive a direct answer to your question depending on the time and the activity on Mt. Everest. However, the education team will place priority on questions that are not answered already on the website.
Send your question to: info@everest2000.ca
E-mail Subject header: Nepal Day Planning TC
Deadline: April 14, 2000
7. Plan to either replicate a specific ceremony or be creative and create a Nepal Day that is an original combination of the information you have gathered to celebrate the completion of your Read your Way to Everest challenge. Plan to celebrate with the Everest 2000 team when they have reached the summit of Mount Everest. Be sure to watch the CBC Newsworld coverage available on-line and on CBC Newsworld broadcasts.
8. Gather all required materials, recipes, decorations, etc. and construct any items required to conduct your celebration. If the day of the celebration is flexible in your school, you might want to wait until the day after the Everest 2000 team reaches the summit.
9. Either as a whole class, or in individual teams, write a press release inviting the media to attend your Nepal Day Celebration. There are a number of writing guides available in Public Relations guides and textbooks that you can use as a template for your press release. Send these to your local media in the week that your event will take place. Bring some attention to your school!
Extension Ideas:
Students participating in the telecollaborative project, Getting to Know You can use similar research techniques to plan a Nepal Day. In the Getting to Know You project, students choose from developing a web page, multi-media presentation or the collaborative planning of a Nepal Day. The Nepal Day can be the celebration for completing the Read your Way to Everest challenge, while the web page or multimedia presentation can be the method for sending pictures and information about the celebration to the Everest 2000 team.