Sir Edmund Hillary – Conqueror of Mt. Everest

1. Sir Edmund Hillary – Conqueror of Mt. Everest Lesson : Obj. (6.10) (G) paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas. Grade 6

2. Introduction • Today’s lesson is about two famous personalities – a mountaineer and a Red Indian Chief. • The lesson will teach you to paraphrase and summarize text, to recall, inform, or organize ideas. • A good summary usually tells what the whole story is about but focuses only on the supporting details included in the story. 2

3. Sir Edmund Hillary - Conqueror of Mt. Everest • Edmund Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand and grew up in a small town south of Auckland. His father was a newspaper publisher and a beekeeper. His parents were strict with their children and instilled in them a sense of right and wrong. He learned from them to care for other people. He was brought up to "think about the starving millions in Asia", and in later life he found a way to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. • When he was young he helped the family with the beekeeping business. He didn't get any money for helping, but he found ways to save a little money. At that time they lived five miles from the school. When his dad gave him money for the bus, he saved the money and ran to school and back. • His mother was a teacher and advanced him through his lessons to the extent that he was able to go on to high school at age eleven. Of course, at that age he was smaller than all the rest of the students who were a couple of years older. 3

4. Sir Edmund Hillary – Conqueror of Mt. Everest • He found it hard to make friends. Books, however, proved to be good companions. He rode the train four hours a day to and from school, so he had a lot of time to read and he read voraciously, mostly adventure books. These stories and a trip south of Auckland where he first experienced the snowy mountains whetted his appetite to learn about mountain climbing. • After a couple of years in high school he began to grow taller, adding six inches in height one year and five inches the next, until he had caught up with and surpassed many of his peers. He describes himself as having "modest abilities"; just an ordinary student, but physically he became very strong and rugged. • He created goals for himself, set his sights high, and developed a strong motivation to complete any tasks he started. This probably explains why he succeeded where others had failed when it came to conquering mountains. In 1944 he joined the New Zealand air force. 4

5. Sir Edmund Hillary - Conqueror of Mt. Everest • He was discharged after an accident and used the money he got from the air force to fund his mountaineering expeditions for the next few years. • By the time the Mt. Everest expedition became available to him he had already climbed eleven different mountain peaks which were over 20,000 feet high in New Zealand, the Alps and the Himalayas. He joined some early expeditions to Mt. Everest in 1951 and 1952; then John Hunt invited him to join the British expedition to scale Mt. Everest which is the tallest mountain on earth, located in the Himalaya range border between Nepal and Tibet, and China. • They started out with 14 climbers and 350 porters to carry food and supplies. They had to take everything with them. There would be nothing to eat on the mountain except the food which would be transported by the Sherpas, the native men. Edmund would later say they were not really hungry while they were on the mountain, but they had to make themselves eat to keep up their strength. 5

6. Sir Edmund Hillary - Conqueror of Mt. Everest 10. They walked 170 miles before they reached the monastery at the foot of the mountain. They made camps at different altitudes and climbed for two months before reaching the summit of Mt. Everest. 11. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a veteran Sherpa climber from Nepal, were the only two on the expedition who made it all the way to the top; 29,028 feet above sea level, which is the tallest spot on earth. On May 29, 1953 the two men stood side by side for 15 minutes looking out over the mountain peaks, then they started their long descent. Two other men on the expedition had made it to an elevation of 28,750 feet, but were unable to go on to the top. 12. Hillary was a humble man. For many years he refused to acknowledge that he was the first man to reach the top of Mt. Everest. He maintained that he and Tenzing were a team and it was only after Norgay's death in 1986 that he would claim the title of being the first man to conquer Everest. 6

7. Sir Edmund Hillary - Conqueror of Mt. Everest 13. He credited Tenzing with saving his life because once during the climb Hillary fell into a crevasse and his climbing partner was able to rescue him. The death of the two British climbers, Mallory and Irvine during previous attempts had proven the conquest of Everest was not only extremely difficult but life threatening. 14. When they returned from the climb they were welcomed as heroes. Four days after their return Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England. One of her first acts was to knight Edmund Hillary and John Hunt. Instead of just Edmund Hillary he became Sir Edmund Hillary. Such a distinction was uncomfortable for him at first. 15. In 1995 Queen Elizabeth awarded to Sir Edmund Hillary Britain's Order of the Garter for his service and chivalry. It is a prestigious award given to only 24 knights and ladies living worldwide during any given time. He was the only non-political person outside of Britain to ever be so honored. 7

8. Sir Edmund Hillary - Conqueror of Mt. Everest 16. Sir Edmund Hillary died on January 11, 2008 at the age of eighty-eight. His death is mourned by people all over the world. His life’s philosophy was simple." Adventuring can be for the ordinary person with ordinary qualities, such as I regard myself", he said in a 1975 interview. 17. He was known to the Nepalese people as "burra sahib", or "big man" because of his 6 foot 2 inch height. In fact, he was big in more ways than just height. He had a big and generous heart. He made more than 120 trips to Nepal to help the people there. 18. Hillary believed in conservation and in taking care of our planet. He demanded that people who climbed the mountains clean up the trash which had been left behind. Litter, food containers, and oxygen bottles had been left where people had discarded them. As a result thousands of tons of debris was removed from Mt. Everest.Since their successful attempt to climb Mt. Everest more than 2000 people have attempted to climb the mountain. 8

9. Check Your Understanding • Who is the story about? • a. Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa, who first climbed Mt. Everest • b. Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, who was knighted for • his achievement of first climbing Mt. Everest • c. John Hunt, leader of the British Expedition, who invited • Hillary to join the team to scale Mt. Everest • d. two British climbers, Mallory and Irvine, who had died while • climbing Mt. Everest 9

10. Check Your Understanding • How did Hillary’s parents bring him up? • a. to think about conquering higher peaks / new challenges • b. to think about the education and upliftment of the aborigines • in New Zealand • c. to think about the starving millions in Asia • d. to think about preserving the environment 10

11. Check Your Understanding • Who was Hilary’s father? • a. an environmentalist • b. a mountaineer and a sportsman • c. a teacher and a member of the clergy • d. a newspaper publisher and a beekeeper 11

12. Check Your Understanding • What experience did Hillary have, when he joined John Hunt’s • team to scale Mt. Everest? • a. no experience at all – he was a novice • b. he had many many attempts before – but was unsucessful • c. he was a successful and professional mountaineer • d. he had already climbed eleven different mountain peaks which • were over 20,000 feet high in New Zealand, the Alps and the • Himalayas 12

13. Check Your Understanding • Who accompanied Hillary when he stood atop Mt. Everest? • a. no one – he was all alone • b. two other members of the team • c. a Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay • d. John Hunt, the leader of the expedition 13

14. Check Your Understanding • How was Hillary rewarded by Queen Elizabeth? • a. he was given British citizenship and invited to reside in Britain • in a palatial building • b. he was knighted by the Queen and became Sir Edmund Hillary • c. he was honored by the Queen with a gold medal and presented • with a huge amount of money • d. a mountaineering institute was set up by the Queen and named • after him 14

15. Check Your Understanding • What were the reasons Hillary was always called a “burra sahib” which means "big man" in Nepalese language? • a. because of his 6 foot 2 inch height • b. because he always boasted of his deeds • c. because he was always modest and humble • d. because he was very generous and big hearted 15

16. Check Your Understanding • What was Hillary’s demand of the people? • a. more people should try to climb Mt. Everest • b. people who climbed the mountains should clean up the trash • which had been left behind • c. people should not eat too much while climbing mountains – just • enough for the stamina to keep going • d. people should read voraciously about mountains before • attempting to climb them 16

17. Check Your Understanding 9. Why did Hillary refuse to acknowledge that he was the first man to reach the top of Mt. Everest? a. because he did not want to share the credit with the Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay b. because the leader John Hunt couldn’t reach the peak c. because the two other team members who just missed reaching the top were upset and threatened him d. because he believed he and Tenzing were a team 17

18. Check Your Understanding 10. Which of these show that Hillary was a very caring and modest man? a. he credited Tenzing for saving his life when he once fell into a crevice b. he made 120 trips to Nepal to help the people there c. he was the only non-political person outside of Britain to ever be so honored d. such a distinction was uncomfortable for him at first 18

19. Sitting Bull • Sitting Bull, whose Indian name was Tatanka Iyotake, was born in the Grand River region of present-day South Dakota in approximately 1831. His nickname was Hunkesi, meaning "Slow" because he never hurried and did everything with care. The Sioux fought against hostile tribes and white intruders. Soon, Sitting Bull became known for his fearlessness in battle. Sitting Bull, Lakota Medicine Man and Chief was considered the last Sioux to surrender to the US Government. • He had distinguished himself from an early age as a leader, killing his first buffalo at ten and "counting coup" (touching the enemy without their knowing) at fourteen. Because of his leadership during these times he was named principle chief of the Teton Sioux Nation in 1867. • Although the war with the whites ended with the treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills which was sacred to the tribe caused continued tensions. 19

20. Sitting Bull • After participating in the Sun Dance Ceremony, Sitting Bull had a vision in which he saw his people victorious over the white soldiers who had been sent to protect the gold prospectors. Just weeks later, General George Armstrong Custer and a regiment of the seventh cavalry attacked the seven bands of the Lakota Nation along with several families of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. The attack was clearly in violation of their treaty. • Precisely as Sitting Bull had seen in his vision, every white soldier was killed that day at Big Horn along with a few Native Americans. Following the success of the battle, Sitting Bull and his followers headed for Canada. • After the particularly harsh winter of 1881, Sitting Bull, and those of his group who were still with him, finally gave themselves up to the American army. Sitting Bull was held prisoner for two years before he was moved to the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. 20

21. Sitting Bull • In 1885, officials released him and he joined the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and toured throughout Europe. Sitting Bull remained a powerful force among his people, and upon his return to the US would counsel the tribal chiefs who greatly valued his wisdom. • Shortly after his return, the federal government again wanted to break up the tribal lands. They persuaded several "government appointed chiefs" to sign an agreement, whereby the reservation was to be divided up and subsequently distributed among the tribal members. Missing from the list of recipients was Sitting Bull's name. Jealousy and fighting among the Lakota eventually led to his death. It was reported that he was murdered by tribal police who had been sent to arrest him. • According to him, “God made me an Indian. I want to tell you that if the Great Spirit had chosen anyone to be the chief of this country, it is myself.” 21

22. Check Your Understanding 11. Whois the passage about? a. Buffalo Bill b. Sitting Bull c. Chief Sequoyah d. Chief Slow Bull 22

23. Check Your Understanding 12. How had Sitting Bull distinguished himself at an early age? a. by discovering gold b. by fighting a wild bear unarmed c. by fighting a group of whites single handed d. by killing his first buffalo at the age of ten 23

24. Check Your Understanding 13. What did Sitting Bull see in his vision? a. he saw his people being vanquished by the white tribes b. he saw his people victorious over the white soldiers who had been sent to protect the gold prospectors c. he saw all his brave deeds and achievements and saw himself being elected as the undisputed leader d. he saw all the Indian tribes unite as a common force against their enemy – the whites 24

25. Summary • Today’s lesson has taught you to paraphrase and summarize text to recall, inform, or organize ideas. 27

26. Great job today!