In this lesson, students will learn how a team of modern adventurers are searching the icy Antarctic seas for Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance over 100 years after it was lost.
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “A Search Begins for the Wreck Behind an Epic Tale of Survival” by Henry Fountain
Have you ever wanted to be an explorer? Have you ever read tales from the heroic age of Antarctic exploration?
Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was crushed by Antarctic ice in 1915, dashing his hopes to make the first land crossing of the frigid continent and resulting in what the Times science writer Henry Fountain calls, “one of the greatest survival stories in the history of exploration.” Now, a team of researchers is heading to the Weddell Sea where the Endurance went down.
In this lesson, you will learn about an epic tale of survival in the face of great adversity and what we might gain by finding the long lost ship. In Going Further activities, we invite you to learn more about the heroic age of polar exploration by examining the New York Times archives, as well as by sharing your own hopes and dreams for adventure.
Warm-Up
Part 1: Take a quiz.
What do you know about Antarctica? Have you ever wanted to go there?
Let’s begin with a short quiz about the continent (Don’t worry; it’s not graded.)
How Much Do You Know About Antarctica?
Antarctica is at the Pole?
How did you do on the quiz? What questions do you have about Antarctica? What do you want to know more about?
Now, based on what you learned from the quiz and what you already know about Antarctica, what are three challenges you think explorers — like Shackleton in 1915 or the modern expeditionary team searching for his lost ship Endurance in 2022 — would face in reaching and traversing the southernmost continent?
Part 2: Watch a video.
Before reading the featured article, watch the first five minutes of the video below: “28 Men Lost in Antarctica But What They Did to Survive Is Amazing” by Bright Side. Then, respond to the prompts below in writing or through discussion with a partner:
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What are three things you learned about Shackleton and his fateful trip on the Endurance?
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What are two new things you learned about Antarctica?
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What is one question you have?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the featured article, and then answer the following questions:
1. Mr. Fountain writes that when Shackleton’s ship Endurance sank in the waters of Antarctica in 1915, it resulted in “one of the greatest survival stories in the history of exploration.” In your own words, briefly tell the story of Shackleton’s fateful voyage and whether you agree that it is a truly heroic tale.
2. Why is a team of researchers heading to the Weddell Sea in 2022 to find the 144-foot-long Endurance? Why won’t getting there be easy, even for a modern crew with state-of-the-art technology, according to the article? What is particularly challenging about the Weddell Sea?
3. Why was Shackleton hailed as a hero at the time and still lionized today, in books, films and even business school courses, despite failing to achieve his goal of crossing the icy continent? What lessons about leadership do you think can be learned from his efforts?
4. Why is the expedition team aboard a South African icebreaker, the Agulhas II, confident it will be able to locate the long lost ship? How might the expedition be helpful in the fight against climate change, even if the wreck isn’t found?
5. Stefanie Arndt, a sea-ice researcher from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, who is part of the team of researchers on the new expedition said:
This is a really huge thing. And for me, it’s really special. The first book I read about Antarctica was one about Shackleton’s expedition. This was for me the kickoff into polar science.
What does the article make you think and feel? Does learning about Shackleton’s story make you more interested in the age of Antarctic exploration or polar science in general? Do you think it is worth the effort, and the $10 million dollars the expedition cost, to try to find the fabled Endurance? Would you want to be part of the expedition to find it — or other lost vessels?
7. Make a prediction: Do you think the team of modern adventurers will find the Endurance? Why or why not?
Going Further
Option 1: Explore the Times archive.
Investigate the archives of The New York Times from the heroic age of polar exploration during the first two decades of the 20th century. Below, we provide links to seven original articles to read individually or within research teams. If you have more time, we encourage you to do your own research in the Times archives using the terms “North Pole,” “South Pole” or “Shackleton,” and Jan. 1, 1906, to Dec. 31, 1917, as a date range.
As you conduct your research, consider the following questions:
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What story of the age of polar explorations emerges from the Times archives? What did you notice about the language and images used in the articles? How does the original reporting help illuminate the era in a way textbooks and secondary sources might not?
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What was most fascinating, surprising, memorable or affecting in what you read from the archives?
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What ways do you think the heroic age of polar exploration, and exploration in general, has shaped our world?
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What do the archives reveal about the explorers themselves and their motivations for risking their lives to achieve grand goals? What questions would you ask the explorers, if you could?
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What variety of sources did The Times use as a basis for its reporting? What are the strengths and limitations of Times coverage as a primary source? What is missing from the story of the age, if anything?
After you have read one or more articles, share what you learned using the above questions as a guide.
Original Times reporting from a century ago:
Note: The first link is to the original newspaper in TimesMachine, which is available with some New York Times subscriptions. The second link is to a PDF of the article.
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“Peary Discovers the North Pole After Eight Trials in 23 Years,” Sept. 7, 1909 | PDF
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“How Peary Reached the North Pole,” Sept. 12, 1909 | PDF
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“South Pole Race Near a Finish Race,” Feb. 24, 1912 | PDF
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“The South Pole Discovered.” March 8, 1912 | PDF
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“Scott Finds South Pole; Then Perishes With Four Men in Antarctic Blizzard; Bodies Found After Eight Months,” Feb. 11, 1913 | PDF
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“Sir Ernest Shackleton Outlines His Polar Projects,” Oct. 31, 1914 (International Herald Tribune)
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“Shackleton Back in the Falklands From Antarctic,” June 1, 1916 | PDF
Option 2: Learn more about the modern quest to find the Endurance.
After an 11-day voyage aboard a South African icebreaker, the Endurance22 expedition has begun searching for the wreck, using underwater robots, helicopters and other state-of-the-art technology, to locate and survey Shackleton’s lost ship, which sank in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica in 1915.
You can read about the new expedition in the Times article “The Search Has Begun for an Antarctic Pioneer’s Lost Ship.” You can also follow along with the expedition team on its website and social media.
After you have learned more about the expedition, respond to the following prompts: What questions would you ask the team of modern explorers if you could? If the team asked you to join the expedition, would you? Why or why not?
Option 3: Learn more about Antarctica.
To learn more about the continent, you might check out the Times Antarctic Regions Topics page or “The Antarctica Series,” four virtual reality films that take you on, above and below the Antarctic ice. For more on how climate change is affecting the frigid and icy continent, read “A Satellite Lets Scientists See Antarctica’s Melting Like Never Before” or “Rising From the Antarctic, a Climate Alarm.” To learn more about the scientific studies on the fifth-largest continent, read “Antarctica vs. Science,” which chronicles how the extreme conditions at the bottom of the planet pose special challenges for researchers using delicate, one-of-a-kind equipment.
What new things did you learn about Antarctica? How does it challenge or change your perception of the continent? What questions do you still have about it?
Option 4: Share your thoughts and experiences.
Have you ever wanted to be an explorer? Have you ever gone exploring or on a expedition, whether just in your own neighborhood or somewhere mysterious across the globe?
If you could go anywhere, where would you want to explore and why? Use the questions below to guide your answer:
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What would you hope to learn, see, discover or accomplish?
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What challenges, obstacles or dangers might you face?
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How would you plan and prepare for your exploration to best ensure its success?
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Lesson of the Day: ‘A Search Begins for the Wreck Behind an Epic Tale of Survival’ - The New York Times
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