Article
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Short Read,

Did the World’s Tallest Mountain Shrink?

This short nonfiction text explores the measures scientists are taking to find out if an earthquake knocked an inch off Mount Everest.

By Mackenzie Carro
From the April 2018 Issue

Learning Objective: to support a claim with text evidence

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    The article explores how and why scientists plan to remeasure the height of Mount Everest.
  • Structure
    The text is informational and uses cause-and-effect structures.
  • Language Conventionality and Clarity
    Vocabulary: challenging academic and domain-specific vocabulary (e.g., altitude, hubris, summit) Figurative language: rhetorical questions
  • Knowledge Demands
    The text refers to Nepal, China, and the Himalaya mountain range. Geological terms including earthquakes, crust, and tectonic plates are also used.
Featured Skill: Argument Writing, Text Evidence,
Other Key Skills: central ideas and details, text evidence
Topics: Natural Disasters,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, R.2, R.4, R.6, W.1, W.4, W.5, L.4, L.6
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.4, RI.6.6, RI.6.8, W.6.1, W.6.4, W.6.5, L.6.4, L.6.6
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.4, RI.7.6, RI.7.8, W.7.1, W.7.4, W.7.5, L.7.4, L.7.6
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.4, RI.8.6, RI.8.8, W.8.1, W.8.4, W.8.5, L.8.4, L.8.6
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    6.1, 6.2b,e; 6.10a,c; 6.17c; 6.19
  • Grade 7
    7.1, 7.2b,e; 7.10a,b,c; 7.17c; 7.19
  • Grade 8
    8.1, 8.2b,e; 8.10a,c; 8.17c; 8.19

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Dig Deeper!
Photo Gallery

As a class, explore National Geographic’s photo gallery of Mount Everest. Ask students: What did you see in the photos or read in the captions that supported information in “Did the World’s Tallest Mountain Shrink?” What new information did you discover?

Video

As a class, watch this TED-ed video (4:52), which explains how Mount Everest formed.

Testimonials

As a class, read these reflections from Everest luminaries. Discuss how Freddie Wilkinson’s reflection relates to the section “Worth the Risk?” in “Did the World’s Tallest Mountain Shrink?” 

Video

As a class, watch MinuteEarth’s video (2:36) explaining plate tectonics.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Lesson Plan

Step 1: Preparing to Read

Project the Vocabulary Words and Definitions handout and preview the vocabulary. 

Step 2: Reading and Discussing

Read the article as a class. Alternatively, you can play the audio version while students follow along in their printed issues.

Step 3: Doing the Activity

Have students work in small groups to complete the activity at the end of the article. They will write a claim, find a piece of text evidence, and explain why that evidence supports their claim.

Step 4: Writing

Text-to-Speech