shackleton's journey writing ideas

Shackleton’s Journey – Planning Overview

Written by Dan

Last updated March 8, 2024

The story of Ernest Shackleton’s incredible journey has captivated audiences for over a century. An endurance feat like no other, the famous Antarctic explorer faced impossible odds and unfathomable perils to survive his remarkable voyage – but with strong leadership, carefully crafted plans, and an unwavering determination, he ultimately gave future generations a heroic tale of resilience that still resonates today.

For teachers looking to introduce this extraordinary story in their classrooms, it can seem overwhelming to cover such an expansive topic effectively.

However, by breaking down the essential elements of Shackleton’s journey into manageable planning points, you, too, can traverse the icy terrain and deliver an inspiring lesson your students will never forget!

Related : For more, check out our article on  Harry The Poisonous Centipede  here.

Table of Contents

Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill

Shackleton’s journey is a beautiful and inspiring children’s book written and illustrated by William Grill. The book tells the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew as they set out on a dangerous expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914.

The journey began when Shackleton and his men sailed from England on the ship Endurance. They encountered many challenges, including treacherous weather conditions, thick ice, and hungry polar bears. Despite these obstacles, they persevered and continued on their journey.

However, disaster struck when the Endurance became trapped in ice for months. The crew was forced to abandon the ship and camp on an ice floe. They had limited supplies and were far from any civilization.

Despite these dire circumstances, Shackleton remained optimistic and determined to save his men. He led rescue missions over several months, braving freezing temperatures and dangerous terrain to reach safety.

All of Shackleton’s men survived thanks to his leadership and determination. The story of Shackleton’s Journey is a testament to the human spirit, showing that even in the face of extreme adversity, we can find hope and strength within ourselves.

Critical Themes In Shackleton’s Journey

Perseverance:.

This theme is evident throughout the story as Shackleton, and his crew face numerous challenges on their journey, including treacherous weather conditions, thick ice, and hunger. Despite these obstacles, they continue their mission, showing remarkable perseverance and determination.

Leadership:

Shackleton’s leadership skills are on full display in this story. He remains calm and focused even in the most challenging situations, inspiring his men to follow him and trust his decision-making abilities. His leadership ultimately leads to the successful rescue of his crew members.

The Endurance crew must work together to survive in harsh conditions with limited resources. They rely on each other for support and encouragement, demonstrating the importance of teamwork in achieving a common goal.

Even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, Shackleton never loses hope that he will be able to save his men. His unwavering optimism inspires those around him to keep going despite the odds.

Resilience:

The crew demonstrates incredible resilience as they endure months of living on an ice floe with limited supplies and uncertain prospects for rescue. They find ways to adapt to their circumstances and persevere through difficult times.

Main Characters in Shackleton’s Journey

Here are the main characters in Shackleton’s Journey:

• Sir Ernest Shackleton – The expedition’s leader and the story’s protagonist.
• Frank Hurley – The photographer who documents the journey through photographs.
• Tom Crean – A skilled seaman who becomes one of Shackleton’s most trusted men.
• Frank Worsley – The captain of the Endurance, responsible for navigating the ship through treacherous waters.
• The crew of the Endurance – A group of 27 men from various countries who join Shackleton on his journey to cross Antarctica.

Teaching Opportunities

The story of Shackleton’s Journey can be an excellent tool for improving children’s writing skills in several ways:

• Vocabulary: The story is rich with descriptive language and technical terms related to sailing and exploration, which can help expand children’s vocabulary. Please encourage students to identify unfamiliar words and look up their meanings.
• Character development: The characters in the story are well-developed and complex, allowing students to analyze their motivations, actions, and relationships. Students can practice describing character traits and using evidence from the text to support their claims.
• Narrative structure: The story follows a clear narrative arc with a beginning, middle, and end. Students can study how the author builds tension and suspense throughout the story, using foreshadowing, imagery, and pacing techniques.
• Persuasive writing: Shackleton was known for his ability to inspire his crew members even in the most challenging circumstances. Students can analyze his leadership style and practice writing persuasive essays or speeches to motivate others toward a common goal.
• Research skills: The story of Shackleton’s Journey is based on actual events, providing an opportunity for students to conduct research on topics such as Antarctic exploration, sailing technology, or the history of polar expeditions. They can use this research to enhance their understanding of the story and incorporate factual information into their writing.

Key Vocabulary

Here are some key vocabulary words that children may encounter when reading Shackleton’s Journey, along with their definitions:

• Expedition – A journey or voyage taken for a specific purpose, often involving exploration or research.
• Antarctica – The southernmost continent on Earth, known for its extreme cold and ice-covered landscapes.
• Endurance – The name of the ship that Shackleton and his crew sailed on their expedition to Antarctica.
• Iceberg – A large piece of ice floating in the ocean, often dangerous to ships because it can be challenging to see.
• Navigation – The process of planning and directing the course of a ship or other vehicle.
• Arctic – The region around the North Pole, characterized by extreme cold and frozen landscapes.
• Sledging – Traveling over snow and ice using a sled pulled by dogs or humans.
• Blubber – A layer of fat beneath the skin of marine mammals, such as whales, used as a fuel source by Arctic explorers.
• Aurora Australis – Also known as the Southern Lights, a natural phenomenon where colourful lights appear in the sky over Antarctica due to solar activity.

By becoming familiar with these key vocabulary words, children will be better equipped to understand and appreciate Shackleton’s Journey story while expanding their language skills.

Lesson Plans

Lesson plan 1:.

Vocabulary Development Objective:  Students can identify and define key vocabulary words from Shackleton’s Journey.

Materials Needed:

• Copies of Shackleton’s Journey or access to the text online
• Whiteboard or chart paper
• Introduce students to the concept of key vocabulary words, explaining that these are important words that they may frequently encounter in a particular text.
• Provide students with a list of key vocabulary words from Shackleton’s Journey (or have them create their own list as they read).
• Have students work in pairs or small groups to research the definitions of each word using dictionaries or online resources.
• As a class, discuss each word and its purpose, recording them on the whiteboard or chart paper.
• Please encourage students to use these words in writing and discussing the text.

Assessment:

Have students write short paragraphs using several key vocabulary words from Shackleton’s Journey, demonstrating their understanding of their meanings.

Lesson Plan 2:

Character Analysis Objective:  Students will be able to analyze and describe characters from Shackleton’s Journey.

• Graphic organizers for character analysis (such as a character web or Venn diagram)
• Introduce students to character analysis, explaining that this involves studying a character’s traits, motivations, and relationships with other characters in a story.
• Please choose one or more characters from Shackleton’s Journey for students to analyze (such as Shackleton himself, Frank Worsley, or Tom Crean).
• Provide students with graphic organizers for character analysis and have them fill in details about each character based on evidence from the text.
• As a class, discuss each character and compare/contrast their traits and actions with those of other characters.
• Please encourage students to use what they’ve learned about these characters when writing about leadership, teamwork, or perseverance themes.

Have students write short essays describing one character from Shackleton’s Journey and how he contributed to the expedition’s success (or failure).

Lesson Plan 3:

Research Skills Objective:  Students can research topics related to Antarctica exploration and incorporate this information into their writing.

• Computers with internet access
• Research prompts/questions related to Antarctica exploration
• Introduce students to some basic facts about Antarctica (location, climate, wildlife) and explain why it is an important area for scientific research.
• Provide students with research prompts/questions related to Antarctic explorers (Shackleton, Amundsen), sailing technology used during polar expeditions, or modern-day scientific research conducted in Antarctica.
• Have students work independently or in pairs/small groups using computers and online resources (such as National Geographic Kids) to research their chosen topic(s).
• Please encourage students to take notes on essential facts/details they discover during their investigation.
• Have students incorporate this information into their writing about Shackleton’s Journey – for example, by including historical context/background information at the beginning of an essay or incorporating scientific findings into a persuasive speech advocating for further exploration of Antarctica.

Have students present summaries of their research findings along with examples of how they incorporated this information into their writing about Shackleton’s Journey

Website Resources

Literacy Shed Plus: “Shackleton’s Journey” by William Grill This website offers a comprehensive set of resources for teaching Shackleton’s Journey, including lesson plans, activities, and worksheets. The resources are organized by key themes such as exploration, survival, and leadership. There are also links to relevant videos and websites for further research.

Link:  https://www.literacyshedplus.com/en-us/resource/shackleton-s-journey-by-william-grill-en-gb

TES: 22-Lesson English Unit – Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill (Year 4/5/6) This resource provides a detailed unit plan for teaching Shackleton’s Journey throughout 22 lessons. The lessons are designed to cover a range of skills, including reading comprehension, writing, and speaking/listening. Each class includes learning objectives, activities, and assessment opportunities.

Link:  https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/22-lesson-english-unit-shackleton-s-journey-by-william-grill-year-4-5-6-english-planning-12691208

Teachwire: KS2 Book Topic – Shackleton’s Journey This website offers a brief overview of Shackleton’s journey and some ideas for related activities and discussion topics. It includes suggestions for incorporating the book into cross-curricular studies such as history and geography.

Link:  https://www.teachwire.net/news/ks2-book-topic-shackletons-journey/

Q: What age group is Shackleton’s Journey suitable for?

A: The book is generally recommended for children in grades 4-6 but can also be adapted for younger or older students.

Q: What critical themes in the book can be explored in the classroom?

A: Some key themes include exploration, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, and survival.

Q: Are there any films or videos that can supplement the book?

A: Yes! There are several documentaries about Shackleton’s expedition that can provide additional context and visuals. “Endurance” and “Shackleton” are two popular options.

Q: How can I incorporate writing into my lessons on Shackleton’s Journey?

A: There are many opportunities for writing throughout the book. For example, students could write journal entries from the perspective of one of the crew members, create persuasive speeches advocating for different courses of action during the journey, or write reflective essays on what they learned from reading about this historic expedition.

Q: Can Shackleton’s Journey be used to teach other subjects besides English/Language Arts?

A: Absolutely! The book relates to many other subjects, such as history (exploration and polar expeditions), geography (mapping and climate), science (biology and ecology), and even math (calculating distances and supplies needed).

Q: How long does teaching a unit on Shackleton’s Journey typically take?

A: This will depend on how much time you have available in your curriculum. Some teachers may focus only on certain aspects of the book over a few days or weeks, while others may plan a more extended unit lasting several months.

Q: Are any online resources available to help me plan my lessons on Shackleton’s Journey?

A: Yes! Several websites offer lesson plans, activities, videos, and other resources related to teaching this book. Examples include Literacy Shed Plus, TES, and Teachwire (links provided in this article).

Related Posts

About The Author

I'm Dan Higgins, one of the faces behind The Teaching Couple. With 15 years in the education sector and a decade as a teacher, I've witnessed the highs and lows of school life. Over the years, my passion for supporting fellow teachers and making school more bearable has grown. The Teaching Couple is my platform to share strategies, tips, and insights from my journey. Together, we can shape a better school experience for all.

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Shackleton’s Journey – KS2 book topic planning

Worksheets, activity ideas and extracts

Art & Design , Design & Technology , English , Geography , History , Science

Shackleton’s Journey is a mesmerising non-fiction picture book by William Grill that focuses on themes of courage and endurance, as well as going into detail about the lives of Shackleton’s crew and the thrilling elements of the expedition.

This download pack contains a three-page PDF featuring cross-curricular classroom activity ideas, including writing persuasive letters , model building, science experiments and learning about the rigours of Shackleton’s mission and the perils of the freezing climate.

This Shackleton’s Journey download contains:

• Three-page PDF featuring classroom activities
• Five worksheets to use in class
• PDF book extracts
• PDF of Ernest Shackleton facts

Ernest Shackleton facts

• Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was born on the 15th February 1874 in Kilkea, Ireland.
• His children were called Raymond, Cecily and Edward.
• He served in the Royal Navy and the British Army.
• His first Antarctic expedition took place in 1901, led by Robert Falcon Scott. Shackleton become ill and had to return home without reaching the South Pole.
• He married Emily Dorman in 1904.
• In 1906 Shackleton returned to the Antarctic on the ship Nimrod.
• In 1914 Shackleton made his third trip to the Antarctic on the ship Endurance. The ship got stuck in the ice and Shackleton, along with five crew members, rowed 1,300km to South Georgia to seek help.
• Shackleton died on the 5th January 1922, aged 47, in South Georgia.

Clare Pearson is deputy headteacher at Summerbank Primary School in Stoke. Previously, Clare was the Primary Advisory English Teacher for Stoke-on-Trent.

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Writing Root Back to List

Resource written by

Alex chapman.

Associate Consultant

Resource Preview

A writing root for shackleton's journey.

£5.00 (inc. VAT)

KS: Lower KS2

Year Group: Year 4

Literary Theme: Unearthing Civilisations

Author(s): William Grill

• Description
• Spelling Seed
• Home Learning Branch

Packing lists (justifications), letters (formal and informal), setting descriptions, interviews, diaries, dialogue

Main Outcome:

Newspaper report

15 sessions, 3 weeks

Overview and Outcomes:

This is a three-week Writing Root for  Shackleton’s Journey  by William Grill in which children begin by discovering an advert asking for volunteers to join a ‘hazardous journey’. They then apply for one of the many roles on Shackleton’s expedition.  Children then go on to use William Grill’s text to find out about the perilous adventure whilst creating interviews in role, writing both formal and informal letters and finally creating their own newspaper report about the events of Shackleton’s famous journey.

Synopsis of Text:

Shackleton's Journey is a unique visual re-telling Ernest Shackleton's landmark expedition crossing the Antarctic from one pole to the other. William Grill's impeccably researched and informative illustrations celebrate the 100th anniversary since the historic exploration by Shackleton and his crew on Endurance. Children will love exploring Grill's exploded diagrams and the fascinating details of this landmark voyage.

Text Rationale:

Shackleton’s Journey is a uniquely visual non-fiction re-telling of Ernest Shackleton’s epic expedition across the Antarctic.  The text has a clear factual style as well as sparse but thought-provoking illustrations by William Grill which are highly engaging. This gives children an understanding of the period after the Victorians and the start of WW1 and about what life was like in Britain.

Links and themes:

Explorers, adventure, expeditions, famous people, friendship, resilience, determination and exploration

Date written: June 2017

A Spelling Seed is available for Shackleton's Journey.

Spelling Seed Overview:

This is a three-session spelling seed for the book  Shackleton's Journey by William Grill.  Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014.

Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning.

There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root.

Word List Words

arrive, caught, imagine, island, medicine, accident(ally), calendar, earth, extreme, famous, sentence, mention

Spelling Rules and Patterns

More Prefixes: inter–, auto–, sub–

The suffix -ous

Home Learning Branch Overview:

This is a Home Learning Branch for Shackleton's Journey .  These branches are designed to support home learners to access literature-based learning using a selection of books we love from Writing Roots.  They include purposeful writing suggestions, links to the wider curriculum so that texts can be used across other subjects, key questions as well as spelling or phonics investigations.

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Membership only.

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A Literary Leaf for Viking Voyagers

A Writing Root for Cloud Tea Monkeys

Year Group: Year 3

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KS: Lower KS2, R & KS1

Year Group: Year 2

Ernest Shackleton Teaching Ideas and Resources

A guide to the resources on this website for use in planning lessons about sir ernest shackleton, the discovery, nimrod, endurance and quest expeditions and the crews involved. geography, history, english.

Sir Ernest Shackleton went to Antarctica no less than four times between 1901 and 1922 on voyages of adventure and exploration. The most famous of these was what was officially called the "Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition" of 1914-1917, better known by the name of the ship involved, this was the Endurance Expedition.

Who was Ernest Shackleton? - PowerPoint Presentation

click to open or download as .pptx, PowerPoint 2.21Mb - 9 slides Alternate file types, open or download:   .pdf     .mp4

A Quick Illustrated overview of the Endurance Expedition

Click to start at the first slide 35 slides with a short one sentence description, original pictures from the expedition.

This lends itself in particular to younger students and for students to look through themselves. The webpages are simple with few links mainly being within the series of 35 slides.

Click here to link to these slides, individually, or the slide-show using QR codes that can be printed on worksheets or wherever you want to use them.

Endurance Expedition - PowerPoint Presentation Ernest Shackleton and the voyage of the Endurance - click to open or download 10.5Mb - 27 slides - Suitable for ages from 11 upwards Alternate file types, open or download:   as a .pdf     as an .mp4

Pictures only: as a Word file   |  as a pdf text of the presentation.

Endurance Expedition time line

Open or download - as a Word file   |  as a pdf page with full text.

A time line of the Endurance expedition from August 1st 1914 when the ship set sail from London to September the 3rd 1916 when the rescue ship Yelcho reached Punta Arenas, Chile with all of the crew recovered from Elephant Island.

Ernest Shackleton time line

Open or download - as a Word file   |  as a .pdf webpage

A biographical time line of the life of Ernest Shackleton from birth on the 15th of February 1874 to the 5th of January 1922 when he died aboard the ship Quest at South Georgia.

The Crew of the Endurance Expedition

The links below lead to biography pages with pictures of each of the members of the Endurance crew. Some could be chosen and presented to a class as options so that individual students follow the links to identify with the men (there were no women) while on the expedition and then later in life. They could use what they find as the basis for a piece of writing, a condensed biography, a letter home (the only communication, though the letter wouldn't be received until after the men were rescued) a poem, thoughts about what they were missing, FaceBook page updates, Tweets etc.

Some biographies have more information than others, those with a # are suggested as being more suitable.

Bakewell , William - Able Seaman Blackborow , Percy # - Steward - the youngest on board and a stowaway Cheetham , Alfred - Third Officer Clark , Robert S. - Biologist Crean , Thomas # - Second Officer - 3 Antarctic expeditions, one of 3 men who reached the whaling station Green , Charles J. - Cook Greenstreet , Lionel - First Officer Holness , Ernest - Fireman/stoker How , Walter E. - Able Seaman Hudson , Hubert T. - Navigator Hurley , James Francis (Frank) # - Official Photographer - Australian, had just returned from Mawson's expedition Hussey, Leonard D. A. # - Meteorologist - banjo player, "vital mental medicine" James, Reginald W. - Physicist Kerr , A. J. - Second Engineer

Macklin , Dr. Alexander H. - Surgeon Marston , George E. # - Official Artist - his 2nd Antarctic trip McCarthy , Timothy - Able Seaman McIlroy , Dr. James A. - Surgeon McLeod , Thomas - Able Seaman McNish , Henry # - Carpenter - owner of Mrs. Chippy the ships cat Orde-Lees , Thomas   - Motor Expert and Storekeeper Rickinson , Lewis - First Engineer Shackleton , Ernest H. - Expedition Leader Stephenson , William - Fireman/stoker Vincent , John - Able Seaman Wild , Frank # - Second in Command - 5 Antarctic expeditions, a "giant" of Antarctic exploration Wordie , James M. - Geologist Worsley , Frank # - Captain - New Zealander, one of 3 men who reached the whaling station

The Story of the Endurance over 4 Illustrated Pages

Page 1 - departure

Page 2 - trapped and crushed

Page 3 - journey to South Georgia

Page 4 - rescue

Tweets From the Endurance

I originally sent these on Twitter as a series of Tweets exactly 100 years after the actual events took place from the 1st of December 1914 (2014) when the Endurance left South Georgia to enter the Weddell Sea to the 3rd of September 1916 (2016) when the rescued crew arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile.

The messages are sent from an unspecified "anyman" observer amongst the crew and follow events as they happen being more frequent when more when more is happening. The diaries of some of the crew members were used as source material. e.g.

21 Nov 1915 She has gone. Lying in our tents, the Boss called "She's going!" 1.5 miles away we saw the bows down, stern in the air..

21 Nov 1915 ...one quick dive and ice closed over the Endurance for ever. She was a link with the outer world our isolation is complete "She's gone boys".

• 1 - 1st Dec 1914 - 22nd June 1915 - South Georgia to Midwinter 1915
• 2 - 2nd July 1915 - 21st Nov 1915 - Midwinter to the sinking of the Endurance
• 3 - 23rd Nov 1915 - 8th Apr 1916 - Life on the ice
• 4 - 9th Apr 1916 - 17th Apr 1916 - Lifeboats to Elephant Island
• 5 - 18th Apr 1916 - 23rd May 1916 - Rescue mission to South Georgia
• 6 - 25th May 1916 - 30th Aug 1916 - Rescue from Elephant Island

Notable dates:

• Depart Grytviken whaling station, South Georgia - December 5th 1914
• Entered pack ice - December 7th 1914
• Endurance trapped - January 18th 1915
• Endurance crushed, ship abandoned - October 27th 1915
• Endurance sinks - November 21st 1915
• Launch boats for Elephant Island - April 9th 1916
• Boat journey to South Georgia - April 24th - May 10th 1916
• Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean reach Stromness whaling station - May 20th 1916
• Three crew members rescued from a beach on South Georgia - May 21st 1916
• Remainder of the crew rescued from Elephant Island - August 30th 1916

This is the entire story in condensed form, it is still quite a lot of reading but makes it easier to find specific events. A proportional time line could be constructed to show how much time the "events" took, compared to how much time was spent mainly waiting around with little happening.

Shackleton's Other Expeditions

Discovery - with Robert Scott - 1901-1904

Shackleton First went to Antarctica on the prestigious and establishment backed "British Antarctic Expedition" on the ship Discovery, it had ambitious exploratory and scientific plans. He was "Third lieutenant in charge of holds, stores, provisions and deep sea water analysis.". He took part in an attempt to reach the South Pole with Scott and Edward Wilson in 1902 the party of three reached a point 480 miles from the South Pole before turning back while they still could. In 1912 Scott and Wilson were part of a party of five who succeeded in reaching the South Pole, though they would all perish on the return journey.

On the pole attempt, Shackleton suffered from scurvy and had a very difficult return journey, after return to the expedition hut on Ross Island, he was sent back home on the next available ship to recover.

The Discovery Expedition

Nimrod - Shackleton - 1907-1909

Upon returning to England, Shackleton began to plan for his next voyage south which he would lead himself, this would be the "British Imperial Antarctic Expedition" on the ship Nimrod. Another attempt was made on the South Pole, this time there were four men in the party led by Shackleton, they came to within 97 miles of the South Pole but again had to turn back while they were still able, Shackleton was never to actually make it to the South Pole.

The NImrod Expedition

Quest - Shackleton - 1921-1922

The Shackleton - Rowett Expedition 1921 - 1922 was to be Shackleton's last trip to Antarctica, named for himself as the leader and John Quiller Rowett the main financial sponsor. Initially it was intended to go to the Arctic, but the original sponsors pulled out. The Quest was a small and really quite unsuitable ship for the purpose, though following the fame of the Endurance expedition, Shackleton was overwhelmed by volunteers to accompany him, the eventual crew included eight old Endurance shipmates.

After a difficult journey south from England and some time-consuming unscheduled repairs in Rio de Janeiro, the original plans had to be changed due to shortness of time and so the Quest arrived at South Georgia on the 4th of January 1922. Tragically and following declining health that he had tried to conceal, Shackleton had a fatal heart attack on board the ship at harbour on the 5th of January 1922 at the age of 47, so ending the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration.

The Quest Expedition

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• Exploration
• Historiography

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Shackleton’s Ad – Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey

Many of you have probably seen the famous advertisement which, as the story goes, Ernest Shackleton ran in the newspaper to try to recruit men for his Endurance expedition:

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success. 1

This advertisement is one of the most famous in history. It is frequently quoted as one of the best examples of copy writing, and has been quoted many times, in books covering topics all the way from Introduction to Evangelism to Web Application Defender’s Cookbook, and even printing on tee shirts.

However, the origins of the ad are very obscure. No one has actually seen the ad printed in a newspaper, though the Antarctic Circle has a $100 reward out for anyone who can find it, a reward which has not yet been claimed. They have also gathered a lot of information about the ad, the basis for much of this post.

One of the first books for this ad to appear in was The 100 Greatest Advertisements: 1852-1958 written by Julian Watkins in 1949. The brief accompanying text says the ad was run in London newspapers in 1900, but does not give a footnote. A brief review of Shackleton’s life will reveal that he did not sign on with Robert Scott for his first expedition until 1901, and he did not lead his own “hazardous journey” for several years. The date is clearly wrong, making far from an auspicious beginning for the truthfulness of the ad. Other biographies of Shackleton give the date as December 29, 1913, and the paper as the London Times . However, the ad does not appear in this paper. The date seems to have been confused with when Shackleton announced his Nimrod expedition in a letter to the editor:

Sir,–It has been an open secret for some time past that I have been desirous of leading another expedition to the South Polar regions. I am glad now to be able to state that, through the generosity of a friend, I can announce that an expedition will start next year with the object of crossing the South Polar continent from sea to sea. I have taken the liberty of calling the expedition “The Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition,” because I feel that not only the people of these islands, but our kinsmen in all the lands under the Union Jack will be willing to assist towards the carrying out of the full programme of exploration to which my comrades and myself are pledged. Yours faithfully, ERNEST H. SHACKLETON 2

Although The 100 Greatest Advertisements is the book most commonly referenced in biographies of Shackleton, the ad had appeared in print before. It can be found in Quit You like Men by Carl Hopkins Elmore in 1944, five years before The 100 Greatest Advertisements was published. Elmore says:

Sir Ernest Shackleton when he was about to set out on one of his expeditions, printed a statement in the papers, to this effect: ‘Men wanted for hazardous journey to the South Pole. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.’ In speaking of it afterward he said that so overwhelming was the response to his appeal that it seemed as though all the men of Great Britain were determined to accompany him. 3

This book provides no footnote for the ad. One thing should be noted – honor is not spelled in the American style, rather in the English, as “honour.” Not only was this the normal English spelling, Shackleton himself used it in his books. 4 This evidence seems to show that either the quote was fabricated by Carl Elmore or one of his sources, or that it was copied in a very sloppy fashion.

Not only can no references be found to an original source, searching the Times itself leads to nothing. The months covering Shackleton’s preparations for his expeditions have been read, and the rest of the paper programmatically searched, but both methods have come up empty. It would not have even made sense for Shackleton to place an ad in the paper. There was plenty of free press coverage of his expedition, and he would already have had plenty of men to choose from. Some of the descendents of his men remember being told their ancestors responded to an ad Shackleton placed in the paper, but this was likely a recollection based on reading the ad rather than something they were actually told. Frank Worsley, one of the crew members, wrote his memoirs and did not record seeing an ad, instead he just happened upon the expedition’s offices and decided to apply. Inspiring though it may be, it seems that Shackleton’s famous ad is mostly likely a myth.

1. The 100 Greatest Advertisements 1852-1958: Who Wrote Them and What They Did by Julian Lewis Watkins (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1949) p. 1. 2. Shackleton: An Irishman in Antarctica by Jonathan Shackleton (Madison, Wisconsin: Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2002) p. 137-138. 3 . Quit You like Men by Carl Hopkins Elmore (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944) p. 53. 4 . South: The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition, 1914-1917 by Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (Toronto, Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1920) p. xii, 144.

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Shackleton’s Journey: A Lovely Illustrated Chronicle of History’s Most Heroic Polar Expedition

By maria popova.

In August of 1914, legendary British explorer Ernest Shackleton led his brave crew of men and dogs on a journey to the end of the world — the enigmatic continent of Antarctica. That voyage — monumental both historically and scientifically — would become the last expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, which stretched from 1888 to 1914. From Flying Eye Books — the children’s book imprint of British indie press Nobrow, which gave us Freud’s comic biography , Blexbolex’s brilliant No Man’s Land and some gorgeous illustrated histories of aviation and the Space Race — comes Shackleton’s Journey ( public library ), a magnificent chronicle by emerging illustrator William Grill , whose affectionate and enchanting colored-pencil drawings bring to life the legendary explorer and his historic expedition.

As Grill tells us in the introduction, Shackleton was a rather extraordinary character:

Shackleton was the second of ten children. From a young age, Shackleton complained about teachers, but he had a keen interest in books, especially poetry — years later, on expeditions, he would read to his crew to lift their spirits. Always restless, the young Ernest left school at 16 to go to sea. After working his way up the ranks, he told his friends, “I think I can do something better, I want to make a name for myself.”

And make it he did. Reflecting on the inescapable allure of exploration, which carried him through his life of adventurous purpose, Shackleton once remarked:

I felt strangely drawn to the mysterious south. I vowed to myself that some day I would go to the region of ice and snow, and go on and on ’til I came to one of the poles of the Earth, the end of the axis on which this great round ball turns.

From the funding and recruitment of the famed expedition, to the pioneering engineering of the Endurance ship, to the taxonomy of crew members, dogs, and supplies, Grill traces Shackleton’s tumultuous journey from the moment the crew set sail to their misfortune-induced change of plans and soul-wrenching isolation “500 miles away from the nearest civilization” to their eventual escape from their icy prison and salvation ashore Elephant Island.

As a lover of dogs and visual lists , especially illustrated lists and dog-themed illustrations , I was especially taken with Grill’s visual inventories of equipment and dogs:

Despite the gargantuan challenges and life-threatening curveballs, Shackleton’s expedition drew to a heroic close without the loss of a single life. It is a story of unrelenting ambition to change the course of history, unflinching courage in the face of formidable setbacks, and above all optimism against all odds — the same optimism that emanates with incredible warmth from Grill’s tender illustrations.

Years later, Shackleton himself captured the spirit that carried them:

I chose life over death for myself and my friends… I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all.

Shackleton’s Journey is an absolute treasure. Complement it with Rachel Sussman’s journey in Shackleton’s footsteps .

Images courtesy of Nobrow

— Published February 26, 2014 — https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/02/26/shackletons-journey-william-grill-nobrow/ —

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Shackleton's Journey Letter Writing

Are your children ready for adventure? Are they prepared to journey through hazardous conditions and to face constant danger? Are they driven by honour and duty? Great, then this Shackleton's Journey KS2 Planning Pack based on the breath-takingly beautiful book by William Grill is for you! Please be aware that, for copyright purposes, we are unable to provide the full text for this scheme of work.

#TheCompleteSeries6lessons

In this series of six lessons, children will read the introduction to Shackleton's Journey and imagine themselves as pioneering crew members of the Endurance, bound for their historic mission to Antarctica. To begin the unit, children will use high-quality model texts to identify the key features of effective letter writing and carry out their own research into given crew members. They will become fully immersed in their character as they imagine themselves in a series of challenging scenarios in the uncharted seascape and landscape of Antarctica. Through games, oral rehearsal, sentence exploration and well-structured, differentiated resources, children will become confident with using the subjunctive form and creating cohesion within and across paragraphs. In the final part of the unit, your Year 6 class will plan, draft and edit an effective letter of application to join Shackleton's crew.

Looking for cool, polar-themed resources? You might be interested in our free polar writing frames - perfect for your children to write their own stories full of adventure and adversity, design ships for the most challenging Antarctic expeditions and much more.

#Lesson1Keyfeaturesofformalletters

This first lesson, inspired by 'Shackleton's Journey', encourages children to reflect on the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration and the world of 1914 before asking them to consider whether they have what it takes to be a polar explorer and how they might apply for a position onboard Shackleton's Endurance.

Your Year 6 class will look in detail at the key features of an effective letter of application and formal language choices. They will analyse a good quality application letter from expedition artist, George Marston, and identify the key features within the text. By the end of the lesson, your Year 6 class will have a solid understanding of the key features of effective letter writing which they can use as an anchor when they come to write their own letter of application.

This letter-writing Year 6 Lesson Pack is ready to teach, with a detailed lesson plan, engaging slides for input and differentiated activities.

What's included:

• Lesson Plan
• Activity ideas
• Differentiated worksheets

#Lesson2Researchingandnotetaking

Children are invited to dive right into the unit by choosing and researching the trail-blazing crew member they would like to write as.

After exploring the roles needed to successfully undertake such an ambitious, historic mission, children will use the Biography Cards provided to research a given crew member (e.g. Frank Worsley, Captain). Your class will select key information about the qualities and experience that make them the perfect fit for this Antarctic expedition and record summary notes which outline ideas for their application letter.

Everything you need to teach this absorbing lesson is included in the pack including: a detailed lesson plan, engaging slideshow and all the printable resources you need.

• Biography cards
• Differentiated note sheets

#Lesson3Thesubjunctiveform

In this highly-interactive session, children will get to grips with the different variants of the subjunctive form - from describing imaginary or hypothetical situations to expressing urgent and compulsory requests.

Children will imagine themselves in different roles and hypothetical situations and decide what they would do in each scenario. Trouble at sea? Engine failure? No problem! If I were your crew member, you could rely on me. After plenty of oral rehearsal, children will experiment with using the subjunctive form, creating a variety of sentences to suit their proposed hypotheticals. Alternatively, you might like to invite children to play the entertaining yet unpredictable game, Kaboom! Who knew learning the finer points of grammar could be this much fun?

This Year 6 Lesson Pack contains everything you need to identify and use the subjunctive form including: a detailed lesson plan, engaging slideshow and printable, differentiated worksheets.

• Kaboom! cards

#Lesson4Buildingcohesion

In this lesson, children will learn about the importance of cohesive devices when writing a clearly structured and engaging letter.

Here, children will focus on paragraphing, adverbials and conjunctions to link ideas, pronouns, synonyms and punctuation. They will use their understanding of these devices to recreate letters from two keen expedition applicants which have been scrambled together.

Everything you need to teach this exciting lesson is included in the pack including: a detailed lesson plan, engaging slideshow and all the printable resources you need.

• Differentiated scrambled sentences and letter templates

#Lesson5Planninganapplicationletter

It's time to bring all of the content that the children have been working on together in one fantastic plan! In this lesson, children will discuss the purpose, structure and content of effective paragraphs to give them all the skills they need to create a compelling plan for their letter of application. Shackleton will be left in no doubt that these applicants are the men for the job!

The slideshow will walk your children through the process of constructing clear, well-structured paragraphs organised around relevant themes and there are plenty of modelled paragraphs which offer children the opportunity to develop ideas for their own letter. Using their very own Paragraph Planner, children will create opening topic sentences before adding supporting details and explanatory ideas which link to a key theme.

This letter-writing Year 6 Lesson Pack is ready to teach, with a detailed lesson plan, engaging slides for input and differentiated activities, all at the click of a button.

• Differentiated planners
• Biography Cards

#Lesson6Writingandeditinganapplicationletter

Your Year 6 class are now ready to make their application! In this final lesson, children will put into practice everything they have learnt about effective letter writing.

After recapping the layout and structure of formal letters, children will use their plan to write in role as a potential crew member aboard the Endurance. At the end of the lesson, children will review each other's letters to decide who are the most suitable candidates to join the expedition team.

This letter-writing Year 6 Lesson Pack contains everything you need to produce an effective letter of application including: a detailed lesson plan, engaging slideshow, as well as printable, differentiated writing frames and checklists.

• Differentiated writing frames and checklists

Free Overview (Medium-Term Plan)

Download a free overview to support your teaching of this scheme of work.

Free Assessment Grid

Download a free, editable assessment grid to support your teaching of this scheme of work.

Curriculum Objectives covered

Reading - comprehension objectives:.

• continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
• reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
• increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
• checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context

Writing - Transcription Spelling Objectives:

• use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words
• use the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary
• use a thesaurus

Writing - Composition Objectives:

• identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own
• noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary
• selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning
• using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
• assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing
• ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing
• ensuring correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register
• proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors

Writing - Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Objectives:

• recognising vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms
• using expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely
• using semi-colons, colons or dashes to mark boundaries between independent clauses
• using a colon to introduce a list
• The difference between structures typical of informal speech and structures appropriate for formal speech and writing [for example, the use of question tags: He’s your friend, isn’t he?, or the use of subjunctive forms such as If I were or Were they to come in some very formal writing and speech]

Spoken Language Objectives:

• The difference between vocabulary typical of informal speech and vocabulary appropriate for formal speech and writing [for example, find out – discover; ask for – request; go in – enter]
• How words are related by meaning as synonyms and antonyms [for example, big, large, little].
• listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
• articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments

English Appendix Objectives:

• speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
• gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others
• select and use appropriate registers for effective communication

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The handout is clear with the words easily visible as a quick reference but also my son is able to learn the words by heart.

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As usual a thorough piece of work, with a good balance of planning, input and worksheets. Properly differentiated. it will become the core of my planning for my schools Y1/2 geography topic 'Cities, Towns and Villages'.

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Storybook cross-curricular planning example: Shackleton’s Journey

Added 03 Jul 2017 | Updated 24 Aug 17

This resource demonstrates how to plan a whole school immersion in a quality text to inspire and motivate reading and writing for real purpose and audience. The book chosen is the wonderful Shackleton’s Journey by William Gill, although the same principles could be applied to any text. 

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Year 6 English unit - Shackleton's Journey- planning and notebook files.

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

8 March 2024

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Last year, we did the book 'Shackleton’s Journey and the children loved it! It is a power of reading book and also linked with our whole school topic of Ice.

Here are my plans and lots of the notebook files I made- hopefully some people will find some of it useful.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 91%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Mega Value Back to school bundle 3 (RRP £52)

I have bundled together lots of my most popular resources ready for school return to help people out separately these cost over £40 but im doing a great deal to help people return to school any questions please ask x

Years 5 and 6 English Grammar and Writing Super Bundle

here I have included many of our year 5 and 6 resources in a great priced bundle any questions , please ask x

Year 6 mixed mega bundle worth £27 individually

a range of different resources at a bargain price to help others I have taught year 6 for 10 years

Year 6 Shackleton’s Journey Bundle Deal 2023

hope this helps save someone some time It includes planning, notebook files and a Knowledge Organiser.

Shackleton's Journey Bundle KS2

A great book to do in UKS2 the children love it!

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Great resource. I had no issues with the notepads.

Thank you so much - glad you found them useful ;-)

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

chloealcock

None of the notepad documents work. Do not pay to download this!

There are no notepad documents included with this anyway. Only word and notebook files which do all open as I have just tested them all.

stacieg2409

The plans are good but the days Friday 13th - Monday 17th are missing so you can't get a clear overall picture of what the lessons should look like.

lesson plans were great but I couldn't open the notebook so not able to use.

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