Year 8 Lesson one: Information retrieval.

Name: Eshal
Read the information about Ada taken from a website article.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ada-blackjack-arctic-survivor
Fill in the table with notes to show what you have learned about Ada from the
website article. You can submit your work in class or on TEAMS.

Ada’s life before she went to
the Arctic.
What situation did she have to
survive?
Difficulties she faced
What did she do to survive.
What her life was like after she
was rescued.
At 16 she married a man named Jack Blackjack,
she had 3 children, but lost two of them, the
remaining child, Bennet, had tuberculosis.
Blackjack abandoned her and her son in 1921, so
she had to find a way to treat Bennet’s disease
and make a living. So, she decided to join the
expedition
She had to bear with the harsh weather in
winter. She had to take care of Knight, her
crewmate because he was seriously ill. She had
to hunt for food, clothes and drink. She worked
as a woodman, nurse, caretaker and hunter. She
had to do 4 men’s work altogether.
To survive, she taught herself how to set trap to
lure in foxes, shoot a bird, build platforms so she
could see danger (polar bears) from afar and
crafting a skin boat.
When she got rescued, she didn’t get as much
money as promised for the expedition, but with
the remaining money that she received, she
reunited with Bennet and treated his disease.
Though, most people loved, her there were some
who hated her. Her son Bennet died at the age of
58 from a stroke, and at the age of 85, Ada
passed away, and was buried next to Bennet.

Now look up the meanings of the words in bold print.

Word Meaning
Assured To be very confident about something
Gruelling Extremely exhausting
Gaunt To lean, especially if you are old or hungry
Remote A place far from population or life
Tuberculosis An infectious disease
Destitute Very poor