World Cultures 11

Unit Latin America

Name: Davon Burrell

Block: 4
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 word to describe this is beautiful because the trees and the land is a beautiful sight to look at.
2. Click on Overview and review the information, including the visuals. List the 8 nations that the
Amazon rainforest is located in.
- Brazil
- Chile
-

Bolivia

Colombia

Peru

- Ecuador
- Venezuela
- Guyana

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?
- Latitude
- Rainfall
-

Local Soil

- Temperature

4. What makes rainforests special?

What makes a rainforests special is that is supplies oxygen
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
b. Amazon
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. Without trees we wont have oxygen
b. Animals will die
c. Will have animals roaming our city
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
jaguar
Strong swimmers and climbers
Posion dart frog
Uses it brightly colored skin to warn predators skin secrets a dangerous poison,

Animal

Description
the poison paralyzes or kill
Tiger
Distinguished by heavy black stripes on their orange coats predators
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?
1 million Indians, divided into 400 tribes
9. To what extent have they had contact with outsiders? Explain your response.
Feel threatened, and dying from outsiders
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.
The similarities we have are we grow food, we hunt and fish, use shotguns to hunt or any guns.

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.
Because without land they cant live so they defend the land so they can live off of nature and when they die
they can keep the land for their children.
12. Do you think most Americans agree with the viewpoint expressed by the woman in the video clip? Explain.
No, because most americans dont treat women with respect.

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
Deforestation of the amazon has accelerated Move to a better area, or try to grow in a
Mining/Drilling

rapidly, farmers cant grow anything there

better area

Mining and drilling are killing the world,

Stop mining and drilling, or do it

people are struggling.

somewhere else.

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?
Have the amazon as its backyard so it can bring people, and it can be a way to host it.

15. How did the regions emphasis on environmental protection influence the stadium project?
The stadium will look like it can be seen all over the city, and from the sides of city buses to billboards
above the busy streets.