History · Year 2 · Explorers and Great Achievements · Spring Term

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay: Everest

Discovering the first successful ascent of Mount Everest and the challenges of high-altitude climbing.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Significant individuals in the past
• KS1: History - Events beyond living memory

About This Topic

Year 2 students meet Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand beekeeper turned mountaineer, and Tenzing Norgay, an experienced Sherpa guide, who together made history on 29 May 1953 by reaching the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain at 8,849 metres. This topic covers their achievement as significant individuals beyond living memory, focusing on challenges like freezing temperatures below -30°C, thin air causing exhaustion, sheer ice faces, and avalanche risks. Children examine preparation stages, equipment such as oxygen tanks and crampons, and the expedition's eight-week journey from base camp.

Aligned with KS1 History standards, this fits the Explorers and Great Achievements unit, building skills in sequencing events, understanding motivation, and recognising teamwork's role. It connects to geography by locating the Himalayas and encourages empathy for climbers' fears and triumphs through primary sources like summit photos and diaries.

Active learning excels with this topic because simulations let children feel the physical demands. Role-playing ascents or creating team obstacle courses turns distant history into personal experience, strengthens collaboration skills, and deepens emotional connection to perseverance and partnership.

Key Questions

1. Who were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay and what did they achieve?
2. What challenges did Hillary and Norgay face when climbing Mount Everest?
3. Why do you think it was important for them to work together as a team?

Learning Objectives

• Identify the key individuals, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, and explain their historical achievement.
• Describe at least three specific challenges faced by climbers on Mount Everest, such as extreme cold, thin air, and dangerous terrain.
• Compare the roles of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay within their expedition team.
• Sequence the main stages of the Everest expedition, from preparation to reaching the summit.

Before You Start

Understanding of Different Jobs and Roles

Why: Students need to understand that people have different jobs and skills to appreciate the distinct roles of Hillary and Norgay.

Basic Concepts of Weather and Climate

Why: Familiarity with concepts like cold temperatures and wind will help students grasp the environmental challenges of climbing Everest.

Key Vocabulary

Summit	The highest point of a mountain. Reaching the summit of Mount Everest was the goal of Hillary and Norgay's expedition.
Sherpa	An ethnic group from the mountainous regions of Nepal, known for their mountaineering skills and often employed as guides on expeditions.
Altitude Sickness	A condition caused by the body's inability to adjust to lower oxygen levels at high elevations, leading to symptoms like headaches and exhaustion.
Crampons	Metal frames with spikes worn on boots to help climbers walk on ice and snow without slipping.
Oxygen Tank	A portable container of compressed oxygen used by climbers at very high altitudes to help them breathe more easily.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Hillary and Norgay climbed Everest alone.

What to Teach Instead

They relied on a large British expedition team, including many Sherpas for carrying loads and route-finding. Role-play activities where children depend on partners for 'gear' reveal how interdependence succeeds, correcting solo-hero myths through shared experience.

Common Misconception

Mount Everest is now easy to climb because they did it first.

What to Teach Instead

Dangers like storms and crevasses persist; over 300 have died attempting it. Simulations of weather stations prompt discussions on ongoing risks, helping students grasp historical context versus modern realities via hands-on trials.

Common Misconception

They reached the summit quickly without preparation.

What to Teach Instead

The ascent took months of acclimatisation and multiple camps. Sequencing timelines physically shows the gradual build-up, allowing peer teaching to dispel ideas of instant success and highlight planning's role.

Active Learning Ideas

Stations Rotation: Everest Challenges

Prepare four stations: ice grip (hold iced objects with gloves), low oxygen (short breath-holding while counting), steep climb (step up and down on benches), and avalanche dodge (roll balls to avoid). Groups rotate every 7 minutes, draw what they feel at each. Debrief on links to real climb.

45 min·Small Groups

Timeline Sequencing: Expedition Path

Provide jumbled image cards of key events from base camp to summit. In pairs, children sequence them on a long paper 'mountain trail,' add labels, and share one challenge per stage with the class.

30 min·Pairs

Team Relay: Summit Climb

Set up a classroom course with hurdles, tunnels, and paired rope sections to mimic the climb. Teams of four relay while calling encouragements, then discuss how working together helped, relating to Hillary and Norgay.

35 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Final Ascent

Divide class into Hillary, Norgay, and support roles. Narrate the last push with props like scarves for wind; act out planting the flag. Reflect in circle on emotions and teamwork value.

40 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Mountaineering guides today, like those working in the Alps or the Andes, use specialized equipment and extensive training to lead groups safely through challenging terrain, similar to how Tenzing Norgay guided Edmund Hillary.
• Search and rescue teams operating in remote, high-altitude environments, such as the Himalayas or the Rocky Mountains, must understand the dangers of extreme weather and thin air to save lives.
• Scientists studying the effects of extreme environments on the human body, for example, researchers at space agencies preparing astronauts for missions, draw lessons from the physiological challenges faced by early Everest climbers.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a picture of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the summit. Ask them to write two sentences: one explaining who they are and what they did, and another sentence describing one difficulty they might have faced on their journey.

Discussion Prompt

Ask students: 'Imagine you are preparing for a long, difficult journey. What three things would you pack and why?' Guide the discussion to connect their answers to the equipment used by Hillary and Norgay, and the importance of preparation for extreme conditions.

Quick Check

Show students images of different climbing challenges (e.g., a steep ice wall, a crevasse, a blizzard). Ask them to point to the image that best represents a challenge faced by Hillary and Norgay and explain their choice in one sentence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay?

Edmund Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer; Tenzing Norgay was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa with vast Himalayan experience. On 29 May 1953, as part of a British expedition, they became the first to confirm reaching Everest's summit. Their partnership symbolised human determination, celebrated worldwide and inspiring future climbers.

What challenges did Hillary and Norgay face on Everest?

They endured extreme cold dropping to -30°C, altitude sickness from thin air, vertical ice walls requiring ice axes, and crevasse dangers. Carrying heavy loads, battling fatigue over weeks, and navigating storms tested their limits. Teamwork with Sherpas provided crucial support for food, ropes, and morale.

How can I teach teamwork using the Everest story?

Use paired challenges like shared 'backpacks' in relays or group decisions on 'routes.' Link to how Hillary credited Norgay's expertise. Debriefs asking 'How did helping each other feel?' build emotional insight, making abstract collaboration concrete and memorable for Year 2 learners.

How does active learning help teach the first Everest ascent?

Activities like obstacle courses or role-plays let children mimic physical strains, such as 'low oxygen' breath holds, fostering empathy for climbers' perseverance. Team tasks mirror Hillary and Norgay's partnership, revealing cooperation's power through direct trial. This hands-on approach boosts retention over passive listening, as Year 2 pupils connect personally to history's drama.