:Edmund Hillary Conquers Mount Everest
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Approach:  Station Level: Year 8 
Focus:  Accurate recall and interpretation of a news story.  
Resources: Audio recording on laptop computer.
104KB

Questions/instructions:

This activity uses the computer.
Click on the button that says Edmund Hillary.
Click the Play button to hear the video. Only play the tape once.
Listen carefully to the recording of an old news story. It is about Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing reaching the top of Mount Everest.

Audio script:
On the 29th May 1953, Everest was conquered by Tenzing and Hillary. And here’s how New Zealanders heard the news:

And now we will break into the normal programme of this service. I’m able to announce that a newsflash has just come through advising us that the New Zealander, Hillary, has succeeded in conquering Mt Everest.
“This vertical crack was about 40 feet high and I managed to wedge myself into the crack and by jamming back on the ice with my crampons or ice spikes on my boots and scrambling onto the rock in front, I was able to wriggle and push my way up the crack and onto the top. Then I, after recovering my breath, took the rope in, and with many a heave, got him onto the top too. I really felt then that the worst of our problems were over and it was mainly a matter of just hard work and time before we got to the summit. And so it proved. I cut steps around bump after bump, keeping looking for the top. It was rather hard to see where it was. And finally, after a long bout of step cutting we actually reached the summit itself. It was certainly a tremendous thrill for both of us. So we... On top we only spent quarter of an hour. I took my oxygen off in order to take photographs and photographed Tenzing waving his ice axe with 4 flags tied to it on the top.”

Sir Edmund Hillary describes the climb of Everest May 29th 1953


% responses
2002 '98
y8
1. Circle when Hillary and Tenzing reached the top of Mount Everest.
     
1833
1920
1953
1965
1953
94 (92)
2. About how high was the vertical crack they had to climb before getting onto the top of the mountain?
40 metres
40 feet
40 kilometres
40 centimetres
40 feet
88 (90)
3. What helped Hillary to get up the vertical crack?
answer with some merit
(equipment, method, effort involved)
56 (55)
4. Once they were out of the crack, what did they have to do to get to the summit?
cut steps, hard work or persistence
15 (21)
5. Why did Hillary take off his oxygen mask when he was at the summit?
 
to take photos
71 (73)
6. What did Tenzing do when he was at the summit?
 
waved ice axe/flags
21 (29)
7. About how long did they stay on the summit of Everest?
  
one day
one hour
half an hour
quarter of an hour
quarter of an hour
65 (61)
 
Total score:
6–7
15 (20)
4–5
52 (50)
2 –3
28 (26)
0–1
5 (4)

Commentary:
Overall, the 2002 students performed at a similar level to the 1998 students. Individual facts were relatively well recalled (questions 1,2,5,7) but the more complex or extended details were less well grasped.
 
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