World Cultures 11

Unit Latin America

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Block:_______
The Amazon Rainforest Internet Assignment

Purpose: This assignments goal is to expose you to basic facts about the Amazon rainforest as well as
introduce you to some of the wildlife and people that live inside it. You will also understand how the rainforest
affects the nations and people of South America and how it is facing unique challenges in the modern world.
Part I (Overview): Use www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon and follow the directions carefully to
complete this assignment.
1. Review the photograph. Choose one descriptive word (adjective) that comes to mind and explain how it
relates to the image.
One descriptive word that comes to mind would be green. This relates to the image because it is full of trees.
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the 8 nations that the
Amazon rainforest is located in.
- Brazil
- Venezuela
-

Peru

Columbia

Ecuador

- Guyana
- Suriname
- Bolivia

3. Click on Forest Habitat and review the information there, including the visuals. A forest can vary based
on several factors. What are these four factors?
- Provide a habitat for plants and animals
- Supply oxygen we need
-

Protect our watershed

- Provide timber

4. What makes rainforests special?

Rainfall is abundant and temperatures are warm.
5. Worldwide, how quickly is deforestation occurring? How quickly is it occurring in the Amazon? Use
statistics from the reading to explain your answer.
a. Worldwide 46-58 million square miles
b. Amazon Lost 17%
6. Scroll down to the Why They Matter section. Scroll through the three images and review the captions.
List and explain why rainforests matter.
a. Forests are home to tons of animals and plants.
b. Deforestation can disrupt local communities because they rely on the resources around them.
c. Trees and other plants soak up carbon dioxide and give us oxygen to breathe.
7. Return to the main page (www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon) and scroll down to the Species section.
Choose three animals found in the Amazon and describe them in the chart.
Animal
Description
Macaw
Highly intelligent, mate for life, and can live up to 60 years old. A type of bird
Jaguar

with vibrant colors.

Strong swimmers and climbers. Requires large areas of tropical rain forest and

Animal
Sloth

Description
riverbanks to survive.
Move through canopy on an average of 40 yards per day. Spend 15-20 hours a

day sleeping.
Part II (Native Peoples): Use www.survivalinternational.org/about/amazontribes to learn about the native
peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
8. How many people live in the Amazon rainforest, and how are they organized?
One million people, organized into 400 tribes.
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
Many have had contact for 500 years and some have had no contact at all.
10. Create a t-chart that compares and contrasts your daily life with that of the people of the Amazon. Include
at least four points of comparison.
Amazon Daily Life: Hunt & fish, grow their food and gather it, revolve around the land, some go to school.
Our Daily Life: Go to school, get food from grocery store, pay for what we need, go to work.
11. Why are land rights so important to the Amazon tribes? Read the text and watch the video clip in the Land
= Life section to answer this question.
They dont have much land ownership to where they live but thats all they know so they protect what they
have.
12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip? Explain.
Probably not because things are different from where we live and where they live.
Part III (Current Challenges): Use www.theguardian.com/environment/amazon-rainforest to research
some of the current challenges facing the Amazon rainforest. Please be mature in handling photographs of
native people, as their dress is quite different from ours!
13. Choose articles that interest you about each of the topics in the chart. Read them and complete the chart.
Challenge
Impact (2 sentences)
Possible Solutions (2 sentences)
Deforestation
Mining/Drilling
Crime

14. Go to edition.cnn.com/2013/07/25/sport/football/football-brazil-world-cup-manaus/index.html and

review the article there. What challenges did the rainforest pose for Brazil in its efforts to prepare for the
2014 World Cup?

15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium project?