1) In ancient times, Greeks believed that the Earth needed to be balanced and there must be land in the Southern Hemisphere to counterbalance the Northern Hemisphere. 2) During the Age of Exploration, many sailors tried to find the southern landmass but icebergs and sea ice prevented them from discovering Antarctica. 3) In the early 1800s, sealers and whalers who were hunting for seals and whales in the Southern Ocean began finding and killing thousands of fur seals, elephant seals, and southern right whales for their oil, skins, and meat.

1. E. Kissner 2015 For classroom use only
Antarctica has always been cold and isolated. In ancient
times, the Greeks thought that a huge southern land mass must
exist. They believed in symmetry and thought that the Earth
needed something in the south to balance all of the land in the
north. In the Age of Exploration, many sailors tried to find a
southern land mass. They found islands off the coast of
Antarctica, but icebergs and sea ice kept them from finding the
continent.
Visualize: How did people try to find a southern land mass?
Underline words from the text that you included in your picture.
Making Inferences:
Antarctic History

2. E. Kissner 2015 For classroom use only
Hunters looking for seals and whales sailed in the Southern
Ocean in the early 1800s. They found—and killed—thousands of
fur seals, elephant seals and southern right whales. People used
the whale oil for lamps, soap, and margarine. People used
sealskins for coats and jackets.
On February 7, 1821, men from an American sealing ship
landed on Antarctica. They were the first people to ever set foot on
the continent. They stayed for only an hour before they sailed
away.
Think: What were the men from the ship probably looking for?
Why did they probably leave so quickly?
The men who hunted seals often kept careful notes. Some of
them were scientists. Nathaniel Palmer, the captain of a sealing
ship, explored the area around the Antarctic Peninsula. Today,
one of the three research stations operated by the United States is
named for him.
Circle the word “him” in the sentence above. Draw an
area to show the antecedent to this pronoun. (The
antecedent is the person to whom this word refers).
Think: What is the name of one of the three research stations?

3. E. Kissner 2015 For classroom use only
James Weddell was another famous sailor and scientist. In
1823, his ship sailed farther south than any other up to that time.
Weddell brought back six samples of skins from a kind of seal that
no one had ever seen before. Although they searched for land—
and more of the new seals—they had to return north before they
could succeed. Weddell’s name is still given to the Antarctic seal
he discovered.
The sealers and whalers explored the Southern Ocean and
found many new islands. However, they also caused great harm to
the animals of the area. By 1825, seal populations had crashed.
Think: The seals that James Weddell found are now called
seals.
Why did the seal populations crash?
For several decades, many sealers and whalers found their
prey in other places. Not as many ships made the trip to the
waters around Antarctica. A few expeditions tried to find the
magnetic South Pole. However, the magnetic South Pole is far
inland. Sailors abandoned the search.
Why did sealers and whalers stop visiting Antarctica?
Why did sailors stop looking for the magnetic South Pole?

4. E. Kissner 2015 For classroom use only
Teacher Notes
For more on how I used this resource in the classroom, visit the
post on my blog.
More on Making Inferences
Making Inferences with Transitional Readers: Teaching resources
for helping readers in grades 2-3 make inferences.
Text-Based Inferences and More: Resources for helping readers to
make text-based inferences. Texts and assessments ready to go!
Character Traits and Emotions: Making Inferences: Resources to
help readers make inferences about character traits and
inferences. Stories and lesson plans included.
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