Lesson Plan - Survival on the ice
21 November 1915 – The sinking of Endurance.
Learning outcomes
Students will:
- identify factors that would make living in Antarctica difficult
- explore fabrics and their characteristics and compare clothing worn by Antarctic explorers past and present
- compare how well different materials insulate.
- design an outfit that would enable survival in Antarctica’s extreme conditions
Focus Essential Learning Area
Social Studies:
Place and Environment L2-4
Time, Continuity, and Change L2-5
Integrating Essential Learning Areas
Technology:
Technological Knowledge and Understanding L2-4
Technological Capability L2-4
Technology and Society L2-3
Science:
Making Sense of the Physical World L2-5
Activities
1. |
Discussion – Living in Antarctica
As a class, discuss factors that would make living in Antarctica difficult. Consider things like the temperature, length of summer and winter, heating, shelter, provisions, food, animals, transport, and fuel. To survive in Antarctica, what would you have to have, and what would you have to do?
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2. |
Climate and clothing
How do the seasons influence our clothing? Temperature plays a big part in determining what we wear. What is the average temperature in summer and winter where you live? Find the average temperature in summer and winter at Scott Base and the South Pole.
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3. |
Fabrics
As a class, talk about what fabrics you normally wear – for example, cotton, wool, polyester, and fleece. Read the labels on your clothing and write down the materials listed.
- What fabrics are warmest, and what ones keep you cool?
- What do you use to keep you dry?
- Do some fabrics allow for more air movement than others? How does air movement help keep you warm?
- What role do hats play in regulating your body temperature?
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4. |
Exploring clothing past and present
Look at images of clothing that people wear in Antarctica today. Compare the items with what explorers wore 100 years ago. Consider aspects such as warmth, insulation, weight, and waterproofness.
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5. |
Design the ‘Antarctic range’
Design an outfit to wear in Antarctica. Your outfit should:
- keep the wind out (since wind chill can make the skin freeze and cause frostbite)
- be comfortable and allow for easy movement
- allow for easy air circulation
- insulate the body, keeping warm air close to the skin
- not allow the sweat to freeze against the wearer (since this makes you colder)
- allow the wearer to go to the toilet without getting completely undressed (several layers are better than one layer).
Luckily, your outfit doesn’t need to be fully waterproof since it doesn’t rain much in Antarctica.
Remember – if you walked outside into a temperature of –100ºC without wearing the proper clothing, you would die in a minute. The moisture in your blood would freeze and set like jelly!
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6. |
Insulation test
- Put the same amount of hot water into several identical jars.
- Label the jars and record the temperature of each.
- Wrap each jar in a different material (for example, polar-fleece, wool, cotton, silk, nylon, denim, polypropylene, leather, or fur). Leave one jar uncovered as a control.
- Predict which jar will drop in temperature the fastest and which will maintain its heat the longest.
- Record the temperature of the water in each jar every 15 minutes for 1 hour.
- Graph your results.
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Useful websites
www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/weather/SBweather/sbweather.html
Weather at Scott Base – data logged every two minutes
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/antarctica%20environment/climate_graph/vostok_south_pole_mcmurdo.htm
Climate data for the South Pole
www.visitandlearn.co.uk/factfiles05/polar5.asp
Early and modern polar clothing
www.nmm.ac.uk/searchbin/searchs.pl?exhibit=it3574z&axis=1137110087&flash=true&dev
British and Norwegian Antarctic clothing from 1900 to 1915 compared with modern outfits
www.secretsoftheice.org/explore/dress.html
‘Dress Your Scientist’ activity
www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/clothing_in_antarctica.htm
Antarctic clothing today
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