Homework Packet Social Studies

Homework Assignment

Day
(suggested)
Monday
1/5

Read Article about the Mountain people of the Andes and

answer questions (page 1-2)

Tuesday
1/6

Read Article The Mighty Spud and answer questions

(page 3-4)

Wednesday Compare pottery from the Greek, Moche, and Maya;

1/7
underline where you found your information (page 5-6)
Thursday
1/8

Design your own narrative story on a blank vessel (page 7-8)

Name: _______________
Advisory: _____________
THIS PACKET WILL BE COLLECTED
Friday 1/9 DURING ADVISORY
Contact Ms. Safirstein if you need anything until 9p.m. at night!
*Call OR text for help: (401)-871-1306
*Email for help: rsafirstein@blackstonevalleyprep.org

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Mountain People

Life for mountain people, as a rule, has always

been a challenge. For this reason, it might
appear that if given a choice, humans would
perhaps tap the wealth of the mountains such
as their minerals, forests, their possibilities for
tourism, etc. but not live there permanently.
However, human association with the mountains
is almost as old as their relationship with the sea.
The terms of life are usually much harder for
humans at high altitudes and are controlled by
three important factors: the terrain, the climate
(including the thin atmosphere), and the isolation
from the rest of mankind.
Yet despite all of this, higher elevations in the tropics may be the best habitat for humans in these
areas. They are free from malaria, sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis), and other diseases
of the hot lowlands.
1. What is one disadvantage of living in the mountains?
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2. What is one advantage of living in these higher elevations?
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In many highland areas near the equator there is no such thing as changes of seasons, as most of
us are used to. In these areas the climate is springtime all year, and fields yield several crops
annually. In fact, it is this type of environment in the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes that led to the only
great civilization to be found at high altitudes the Incas.
In the last 4,000 years millions of people have lived in the high valleys of the
central Andes, and many of them established some of the highest permanent
habitations on Earth. However, most of these are below 13,000 feet (3,962 m.),
as even near the equator it just gets too cold and the air too thin above this
altitude to be very suitable for most people as a permanent home.
Well, humans were designed to adapt to a wide variety of habitats, and not
only do the mountain people of the high Andes survive but they live their whole
lives there and do quite well. The folks that live in these areas (some even
above 15,000 feet or 4,572 m.) have about 20 percent more blood than a
lowlander. They have 60 percent more, by weight, of hemoglobin (which
absorbs oxygen), and their red blood cells are larger, meaning a greater
surface area for oxygen absorption.
Well, as you may have guessed, all this extra means that the blood of high mountain people is
thicker than a lowlanders, which means they need a larger, stronger heart as well, and indeed it is

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about a fifth larger. Their lungs are larger as well. Also their hands and feet are so well supplied with
small arteries and veins that they are almost immune to frostbite!
3. In what ways have the bodies of mountain people adapted to survive at high altitudes?
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So, what do the people of high altitude eat? Besides corn, which takes nine to ten months to mature
at the high altitudes, the mountain people of the high Andes also grow many types of potatoes, with
which they make their chief food called chuno (potatoes that are preserved basically by being
freeze-dried). They spread the potatoes out in the intense sun and very dry air to dry out, and then
leave them to freeze overnight. The potatoes are then left to this process of drying and freezing for
many days before they are ready.
The Andes people make a hot cereal, as well as other dishes, from the seeds of the quinoa plant
which are very high in protein. Some even raise guinea pigs as a source of meat.
To help cope with the hardships of living at high altitudes, most native peoples of the Andes chew on
the leaves of the coca plant. This plant contains chemicals that dull the nerves, making the people
feel warmer and stronger. These are the same chemicals with which the powerful drug cocaine is
made.
Within the past century humans have climbed most of the worlds highest mountains. But the misty,
formidable high peaks looming in the distance still fill humans with a sense of awe, mystery, and the
promise of great adventure!

4. What do the people of the Andes mountains eat? Describe at least 3 different foods.
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The mighty spud

Can you identify the following? It is something that is often described as a vegetable, though
more accurately it is the tuber of a plant. It is the worlds fourth most important crop after rice, wheat and
maize, and is so popular that average consumption is about 30kg per year for every person on the planet.
It is inedible when raw but there are many different ways to cook it.
In fast food restaurants you will usually find it cut into quite small pieces and deep fried.
It is, of course, the potato.
Potatoes might not be the most glamorous food but they are loved by millions and have become
part of everyday life in many parts of the world, which is shown by the number of slang words for them
spuds and taters are a few examples from British English.
Potato consumption per person is highest in Europe and North America, which are parts of the
world where potatoes have not always grown. In fact, potatoes originally grew only in the Andes
mountains in what is now Peru and Chile. No European had seen or tasted them until the Spanish
conquistadores arrived in South America in the sixteenth century. The Spanish soon realized how
important potatoes were in the local culture the Inca people of Peru, for example, measured time by how
long it took to cook a pot of them. The Spanish took some potatoes back to the royal court for the King to
taste, and after that it wasnt long until they were being shipped to ports all over the world.
Part of the popularity of potatoes comes from the fact that they are very versatile. They can, for
example, be boiled in water, baked in an oven or fried. Most potato dishes are hot, but sometimes cooked
potatoes are eaten cold for example, in potato salad or as the popular but not very healthy snack, usually
sold in packets, that Americans call chips and British people call crisps.
Other advantages of the potato are that it can be grown in different climates and that for the same
amount of water it produces more energy than any other major crop, including rice, wheat and maize.
In fact, because of its great value as a food, the United Nations officially made 2008 the
International Year of the Potato and therefore perhaps helped the humble spud to become just a bit more
glamorous.

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The mighty spud

Exercise 1
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or if the text doesnt say (D).
1. Potatoes are only popular in a few parts of the world.
2. Potato plants do not need water to grow.
3. The continent with the highest total consumption of potatoes is Europe.
4. Fast food restaurants do not serve boiled potatoes.
5. The Inca people of Peru did not know how to cook potatoes before the Spanish conquistadores
arrived.
6. What a British person would call crisps are generally sold in packets.
7. Europeans began shipping potatoes around the world in the fifteenth century.
8. Potatoes can only be grown in very wet climates.
9. There are more than ten slang words for potatoes in English.
10. If you give the same amount of water to a field of rice plants and a field of potato plants, the
potato plants will produce more energy than the rice plants.
11. Potatoes have not always grown in North America.
12. Potato salad is a cold dish containing cooked potatoes.

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NARRATIVE ART TELLS A STORY

GREEK POTTERY
The Ancient Greeks were the first to paint on clay pots as a way of telling stories.
They painted action scenes featuring the human figure as early as the Bronze Age
(around 2900-2000 BC). Ceramic artists painted elegant pots with monsters, heroes,
and mythological figures.
The Greeks used red clay. They
covered their vessels with black
under glaze. Then they carved
through the layer of slip, exposing
the red clay underneath. This
process allowed them to brush
under glaze over any mistakes.
Then they fired the vessels.
Ancient Greeks were the master at
narrative vessels. Vessel decoration evolved from drawings of content to elaborated
depictions of the gods, myths, historical events and common events. Greek vessels are
broken into two categories: Black figure vessels and Red figure vessels.

MOCHE POTTERY
About 500 years after the Ancient Greeks first developed the
black figure technique, the Moche, a people on Perus North
coast, were chronicling their beliefs and history on intricately
painted pots.
The Moche, who flourished from 50 AD to 800AD, had no
writing system, but scholars compare their ceramics to a library,
because the Moche recorded so much on their pots.
Moche artists applied fine lines to the pot, a technique known as
slip painting.

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MAYAN CERAMICS
The Mayan classical period was marked by multicolored
painted ceramics that detailed religious themes, rituals,
and history.
Mayan artists used basic shapes and relied heavily on
lines as an expressive feature. Like the Moche and the
Greeks, the Mayan used Slip painting to create their
designs, which were fired at low temperature.
Artists personalized the pots with their names, the
names of their patrons (customers) and sometimes the
name of the town where the vessel was created.

RADIAL DESIGN 3D
Artists in all three cultures Greek, Moche, Mayan mastered the
difficult art of painting a narrative scene on the outside of a
round pot. Wrapping a composition around a pot requires
careful planning because you can only see and work on a small
portion of the pots surface at a time.
All three cultures also used the same composition or
arrangement. The narrative (story) is in the center and
decorative elements are above and below it.

List 3 ways that the Moche, Maya, and Greek all had similar art and
pottery. Underline where you got your information in the text.
1.
2.

3.

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Directions: Like the artists of the past you must design a narrative (story) for your
ceramic vessel. You can write your own story, or use a narrative (story) you like. Split
your story into 2 parts draw one scene on the front and one on the back.

FRONT

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BACK
Summary of my story:
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