Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Exploring the Explorers”

In this activity, students will research the lives of one of the explorers mentioned in Chapters 8 and 9 of Into the Wild.

In Chapters 8 and 9, Krakauer introduces his audience to three renowned explorers: John Waterman, Carl McCunn, and Everett Ruess. In the following activity, you will conduct further research about one of these men and create a PowerPoint presentation with the following information:

• Name, place of birth, date of birth, date of death
• Their motivation for going into the wild
• How long they survived
• Ways in which they are similar and different from Chris McCandless

Your information should be cited following MLA guidelines. Please include pictures or graphics in your presentation.

Present your PowerPoint to your class.

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to have a model presentation prepared to show to students. If you would like to prepare an exemplar, you could use Jon Krakauer’s attempt to summit Devils Thumb or his bid to summit Mount Everest.

Differentiation Suggestion: English-language learners may struggle with the demands of conducting research in English, and students with dyslexia or those with attentional or executive function differences might benefit from additional scaffolding from the teacher.