Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region

Timothy Symington
Glenbrook Middle School, Longmeadow, MA
Grade 7 Social Studies: World Geography

Mission Statement

Standards

Games/Activities

Resources on Climbing Everest

Five Themes

Web Sites

Lessons

Lessons To Try In the Classroom

Lesson 1

There is a great deal of art in the Himalayan region (make sure to check out the web site on Himalayan art). A great way to introduce the students to the region might be to get them to color a mandala (a very colorful image of the Buddhist universe):

Another art project might involve having the students research and then construct a Buddhist stupa. A stupa is a religious structure with a Buddhist relic contained within. Stupas are very common in the Himalayan area, including Everest Base Camp.

Other students may want to decorate the room by making prayer flags or prayer wheels. The purpose of these is for Buddhist writings to be sent from the flag or the wheel into the universe.

Lesson 2

Have the students research and define the following vocabulary words and identifications:

Himalaya, Sagarmatha, Chumolongma, stupa, mandala, Kathmandu, prayer flag, puja ceremony, Khumbu Icefall, avalanche, cerebral/pulmonary edema, frostbite, Western Cwm, South Summit, Everest Base Camp, acclimitization, prayer wheel, monastery, yak, Sherpa, sirdar, self-arrest, crampons, crevasse, "Death Zone"

Lesson 3

Journal writing is always a popular activity, for both teachers and students. Give the students a situation involving climbing some part of Everest. What would they encounter? What would they see? What would it be like climbing at high altitude? Why are they doing it in the first place?

Lesson 4

What would it take for the students to plan a climbing expedition to Mount Everest? Such a lesson would require a great deal of research. The students would have to find out what equipment is needed, first of all. A detailed list of the items would be necessary. Second, what kinds of costs would be entailed with such an expedition? How much will be spent on the equipment? How much for food, or yaks, or for the Sherpas themselves? Some expeditions start out at over sixty-five thousand dollars! Third, what would be involved in planning the route to take up the mountain? Also, when? Keeping a journal during the process might be a good way for the students to keep track of everything. Fourth, the students should research the effects of high-altitude climbing on the human body (brain cells start dying at 26,000 feet). What physical preparations are needed before the expedition, and what conditions would be dangerous on the mountain?

Obviously, planning an expedition would involve many factors. If students could find any first-hand accounts of a climb to the summit, it might help them get started.