Introduction
 

This coming May, Joey Smith, a 12 year-old boy, is attempting to summit Mt. Everest with his father.  He will be the first 7th grader on the top of the world.  This is a feat the world will want to know about.  You are a reporter assigned to the team covering the story, “Seventh-Grader Tackles Everest”.  As part of his expedition you will report on the challenges faced by this young climber and the survival techniques needed to surpass these challenges.  Your job is to keep the world informed on Joey’s progress up the mountain.

Does Joey have what it takes to successfully climb Mt. Everest?
 
 

The Task
 
 

Throughout this activity you will be working as reporters to create a newspaper/newsletter.  Each reporter will be given an assignment to cover one aspect of Joey’s attempt to climb Mt. Everest.  You will be using the Newsletter template on Word Perfect (or another program).  You will be required to read several articles/web sites and synthesize the information found.

The Process
 

You will work in an assigned team to complete this project.  Each person in your team will be assigned duty as a newspaper reporter.  On each newspaper team there will be a Biographer, Researcher, and Survival Expert.  As a newspaper reporter you must contribute an article for the newspaper.  There will be activities that are done as a class ­ reading Krakauer’s, Into Thin Air, and activities completed individually, determined by your job as reporter.

In addition to the article writing, each reporter will be required to responded to two expository readings.  One of these readings must be the article Into Thin Air, (this can be read as a class or individually). The other may be one you used in your research for your article.  You may respond to these articles/web sites in any of the following:  written summary, graphic organizer (Inspiration); outline; powerpoint presentation; or an oral report.

    BIOGRAPHER

Research and provide a brief description of past climbers of Mt. Everest.  These may include expeditions which successfully climbed Everest, along with those that failed.  Include the early climbers Mallory and Hillary.  After reading about past climbers, good and bad, write a description of Joey.  Include what traits you feel are needed to face this challenge.

    RESEARCHER

Provide a description of the mountain itself (height), Nepal and Tibet.  You may want to include weather conditions and the best time to climb.  Also include information about the people of the land ­ Sherpas.

    SURVIVAL EXPERT

Describe a survival kit for Joey Smith.  This kit must include at least 5 items that could help Joey survive Everest.  You must include an explanation of each item.  Also include facts and figures on past expeditions, including success and failure rates of climbers
 
 

Resources
 

    EVERYBODY
 

Explore the scenes of Mt. Everest using Quick Time VR.  See pictures from a variety of different locations on Mt. Everest.

 

You will also need to read John Krakauer’s magazine article, Into Thin Air, on the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest.  You may read this individually or we will read this as a class.

You are also required to respond to two articles/web sites, one of which must be Krakauer's, Into Thin Air.  You may respond to these articles/web sites in any of the following:  written summary, graphic organizer (Inspiration); outline; powerpoint presentation; or an oral report.

    BIOGRAPHER
 

As a biographer you will need to determine the characteristics of an experienced climber on Mt. Everest.  Your job is to research current and past climbers including Mallory and Hillary.  George Mallory (pictured right) was one of the men who made early attempts to climb Mt. Everest. Sir Edmund Hillary was on the first successful expedition of Mt. Everest.  For more information on Hillary.

    RESEARCHER

As the researcher on Mt. Everest, you will need to provide a description of the mountain itself, a brief history of the mountain.  Also include information on the two surrounding countries, Nepal and Tibet. You will also need to include information about the people of the land - Sherpas.

    SURVIVAL EXPERT
 

It is your job to plan the best route up the mountain and determine the supplies needed for the climb.  Remember to include, survival facts, numbers of ascents and the death rate.

Evaluation
 

Each member of your newspaper staff will receive a grade which includes assessment in an individual's work along with group work.
 

Collaboration among group member	I didn’t participate in group discussions or show that I care about the group goals; or I actually work against the goals. I participate in group discussions and show that I care about the group goals, but do not do the jobs assigned to me. I participated in group discussions and show that I care about the group goals.  I complete the jobs assigned to me. I participate actively and even help lead the group in setting goals.  I do the jobs assigned to me better than anyone expects.
Newspaper/Newsletter  Layout	Each article was turned in individually Project was done in a word processing program, but not done in a newspaper/newsletter form. Newspaper/newsletter included all assigned articles. Newspaper/newsletter included all assigned articles, along with graphics and headlines.
Article Response	Did not respond to articles. Responded to only one article. Responded to both articles, but did not include enough information. Responded to two articles used for assignments.  Included valuable information.   Used a different application for each response.
Mechanics of Writing	Did not write in complete sentences. Major errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, which hindered understanding. Minor errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but did not hinder understanding. No errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation found.

Conclusion
 
 

Throughout this WebQuest you have made the journey up Mt. Everest.  Each year hundreds of people attempt the climb, yet only a brave few successfully reach the summit.  You now know what it takes to survive such a challenge.