Disaster in the Mountains – What Would You Do? A True Event Writing Challenge.
A climbing expedition gone very wrong and almost impossible decisions to make: we look at the situations and write short pieces to support our choices. Join us as we explore the real-life dilemmas, as told in Touching The Void.
Tracy Lambert
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(235)
Star Educator
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hoursAssessment
Informal assessment during classClass Experience
US Grade 4 - 6
Imagine the situation: you and your friend are experienced mountain climbers. You’ve undertaken an ambitious aim to conquer the as yet unreached summit of a mountain. There’s only the two of you but that should be fine – you both know what you’re doing. It’s not as if anything is likely to go wrong. Is it? What if it did? What would you do? In this one- time class, we’ll be looking at a real- life mountain expedition that went horribly wrong- and some of the choices that had to be made along the way. At the start of class, we’ll look at features of persuasive writing and learners will use the techniques at various points in the class. Join us as we trace the steps of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates as they set out to be the first to reach the summit of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. We’ll stop at key points of their story and talk about decisions that were made at those times. Students will discuss the different options and reasons for the decisions that could be made and ask themselves ‘What would I do?’ Learners will produce a paragraph or two to say why they would have made that choice, before we continue with the next part of the account of Simpson and Yates’ adventure and find out what decisions they actually made. Some of the decisions mean that the journey is made easier or more difficult, but some carry far more serious consequences; including a horrifying moment when death is moments away and Yates must make an unthinkable choice. Will he carry out an action to save himself, but which means sending Simpson to his doom? What would you do? How will you convince us that your choice is the right one? IS there a ‘right’ choice to be made? Can you use the persuasive writing strategies that we explored to put forward your argument? When we reach the story’s end, students will discuss the consequences of what happened on the mountain and write their final piece to sum up how they would feel and behave- and tell us why they’d be justified. Students may have previously read the account of the expedition in ‘Touching The Void’- the first hand account of the climb - but no previous knowledge of the events or of the book or film of the same title is needed for this class. See Parental Guidance for notes on the book.
Learning Goals
Students will:
identify features of persuasive writing
evaluate and make decisions based on the information given
form opinions and write persuasive pieces based on those opinions
participate in discussions and consider different sides of an argument.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Content is age-appropriate but note the disclaimer below. Students will discuss the key dilemma of the book- whether Yates should take an action that he knows will lead to Simpson’s death or risk condemning them both. Students will discuss the harsh realities and hazards of the expedition.
Both climbers are alive and well today. However, this will not be made obvious to students until later in the class, so that they can understand the dilemma facing Yates.
Disclaimer: While class content will be suitable for students in this age range, parents are advised to exercise a little caution if their learners would like to read or watch Touching The Void.
The film has incidents of strong language.
The full-length book also contains strong language.
I advise securing a copy of an abridged age-appropriate version (such as that by Scholastic) which contains the key parts of the book and no swearing (the version which we used in class for 9+ year old students and which also contains interesting information and questions)
Supply List
A notebook or paper and something to write with, or a device to use for writing.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined September, 2020
4.9
235reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Writing is my passion and as well as majoring in English at university, along with Theatre Arts, I've almost 20 years of experience in teaching English in primary schools. Over those years, I have worked regularly with groups of children specifically on English writing skills and teaching creative writing online.
Touching The Void has been used with many classes that I have worked with over a few years and used to encourage critical thinking, debate, persuasive writing and looking at events from others’ viewpoints and experiences. It is a true story that I’ve found captures the interest and imagination of students, which is why I have always enjoyed using it in an educational setting with many groups of learners.
Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$13
per classMeets once
55 min
Completed by 5 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-12
1-6 learners per class
