JPL has a "Make Your Own Sextant" unit. Using this information, students
assemble a demo model, hang a North Star, and put together a learning center
at which other students make a sextant, and take readings, and determine the
"latitude" of various taped positions. See ftp://ftp.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/educator/sextant.txt for details.

Longitude - Students will find a way to demonstrate how a watch can be used
for determining longitude. What kind of and how many watches did
Shackleton's group bring? Set up a demonstration using taped positions on
the floor or maps and "boats."

Plans for the Endurance are included in the book. Make a model of all or
part of the ship out of any suitable media (see me before you start!).

Ropes - ropes (called "lines" by sailors) often spelled the difference
between life and death for sailors. Find out about nautical knots and put
together a demonstration. What is/was the use for each on board a ship? What
kind of rigging did the Endurance carry? Put on a live demonstration and have
practice ropes for the audience.

Antarctic Weather - what is the weather like in the Antarctic? How does the
ice pack form and thaw? How does the Antarctic affect the weather of the
rest of the world? What are the record temperatures? How does this compare
to the weather that Shakleton and the crew experienced? Make a display that
shows this information.

Animals of the Antarctic - the Antarctic is an incredibly rich area for
wildlife of all sorts. Why? What animals live there? How are they
dependent on each other? What are the major predators? (Why are leopard
seals so dangerous?) What are the migration patterns of the animals?

Glaciation in the Antarctic - Shakleton and his men described watching
glaciers calve and the danger from the resultant icebergs. What causes this?
What is the life cycle of an iceberg? Where do the currents take them? How
often do they last long enough to be a danger (no Titanic theme music,
please!) to ships. What can we learn from glaciers?

Armstrong mentions some of the many types of ice and snow in the book. What
do they look like? How are they formed? If the Antarctic is basically a
frozen desert, where does all the ice and snow come from?

Salt Water and Freezing - Shakleton and his crew drank water obtained from
melting the ice on top of seawater. In the book, Armstrong explains why this
is possible. Arrange a display that shows why this is possible. Design a
demonstration using frozen salt water that results in drinkable water.

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