Stairway to Everest: Division I - IV
JUMP TO: Implementation notes
Integration Notes:
Welcome to Part Two - Stairway to Everest challenge. Students should be planning to complete the actual stair-climbing event during this phase. The intent is for the students to finish the stair-climbing challenge around the same time, or perhaps before Byron summits Mt. Everest. If you are planning to integrate social studies into this challenge, have your students research Nepalese ceremonies around the Mt. Everest climb and incorporate these into your stair-climbing events.
Part Two - Stairway to Everest also provides students with the opportunity to celebrate Byron reaching the summit of Everest, as well as achieving their own stair-climbing goal. One way to celebrate these events is to plan a Nepal Day that will take place in Phase 5 of the expedition.
The Everest 2000 team will be posting information about Nepal as they ascend to Basecamp, based on their visits to locations of religious cultural significance.
You can check the Everest 2000 Website for the photos (Gallery) and daily updates (Daily Dispatch) from the team. You may also wish to provide students with a list of other approved websites that they can access for more information on Nepal (see a partial list on Nepal background)
Students can also celebrate their Stairway to Everest success by sending a press release or news story, including celebration photos, to Everest 2000. Some lucky students will have their news story or press release posted on the Everest 2000 Website for sharing with the expedition team and other schools.
Stairway to Everest can also be linked to the Getting To Know You telecollaborative project. Getting to Know You is an Internet-based project available to schools registered with the Everest 2000 education program. This activity provides students with an opportunity to virtually meet the people of Nepal. For more information, see Getting To Know You - Part 2 in Phase 3.
Learner Outcomes:
Students will:
- Work collaboratively to meet the goal of climbing 29,035 stairs.
- Submit data and reports electronically.
- Communicate with others and conduct research via the Internet (including websites, E-mail and/or 'chat' room discussions).
- Demonstrate knowledge of Nepalese culture and traditions by planning and carrying out ceremonies and celebrations at the conclusion of the activity.
- Write a news story or other written project based on their experiences participating in this challenge.
Activity Instructions:
1. Continue the Stairway to Everest challenge as established in Phase 3 of this program. Remember your goal is to climb 29,035 stairs. (Please see Stairway to Everest from Phase 3 for start-up information.)
2.Continue recording your progress on a daily basis.
3. If possible, plan to achieve your goal about the same time Byron reaches the summit of Mount Everest.
4. Write a newspaper article or press release describing how your school or team achieved the goal of climbing 29,035 stairs. These articles should include the who, what, when, where, why and how components of a good news story. If you would like to get local media coverage of your event, send the press release before you finish the stair-climbing challenge (approximately three days in advance of your last climbing day).
5. Send your press release or news story, including celebration photos, to Everest 2000. Some lucky students will have their news story or press release posted on the Everest 2000 Website for sharing with the expedition team and other schools.
6. Your teacher may decide to celebrate your success by having a Nepal Day in your class or school. Use the information that follows as a guide.
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 stair-climbing event, or post-climb 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. (Broadcast schedule)
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 stair-climbing summit and/or 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 Stairway 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.