C-3 Arc of Inquiry Michigan GLCE’s and HSCEs Developing questions and planning inquiries Applying disciplinary concepts and tools Geographic Representations: Spatial View of the World Human-Environment Interaction: Place, Regions, and Culture Human Populations Spatial Patterns and movements Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns. Evaluating sources and using evidence Communicating conclusions and taking informed action.

C-3 and MDE Know (D-2) Understand (D-2) Use (D-2) Reason (D-1) Spatial Reasoning as the basis for Teacher Questions

What We Think We Know (or act as if we know) All this boils down to: Scaffold first, apply second (when teaching new content) Have students use stuff (maps, pictures, data) Translate to remember (see it, say it, do it, use it) Ask questions to encourage spatial thinking (about the stuff) Provide formative feedback (people’s backgrounds, and brains, are different)

Elevation is a big idea that can help us understand many geographic patterns in South America including the patterns of rivers, rainforests, ancient empires, food production, mining, tourism, deforestation, and the locations of capital cities. Skip to question section.

A satellite image shows the major regions. The green Amazon rainforest The high Andes Mountains The dry Patagonian grasslands

Here is a simple basemap.

Here is a simple basemap. The equator crosses the mouth of the Amazon River That fact is pure luck. It’s a happy accident, however, because it makes it very easy for us to remember the location of the biggest river on the planet (and also to find the equator if a mapmaker forgets to put it on a map).

The high Andes Mountains form a wall near the west coast.

In the east are low hills, worn-down “stumps” of older crustal collisions.

Big Idea: The elevation of the land in different places has great influence on many other features of South America.

For example, the Amazon River starts in the high Andes Mountains and then flows all the way across the continent. While the Paraguay drains the southern part It’s also called the Parana and Rio de la Plata.

Elevation is a big idea that can help us understand many geographic patterns in South America including the patterns of rivers, rainforests, ancient empires, food production, mining, tourism, deforestation, and the locations of capital cities. Skip to question section.

How does the arrangement of high mountains help us understand why the Amazon is the largest river on earth?

Why does the Amazon rainforest have very few people?

What ancient empire started in the high mountains of modern Peru?

By 1525, the Inca Empire covered most of the mountains. What happened then?

All these towns are named after saints (San, Sao, Santa). What does that tell us about their history?

Review – what kind of vegetation grows in the low lands close to the equator?

Much of the land in the Amazon watershed is rainforest.

Why are cattle ranches found mainly on the low hills in eastern Brazil?

It’s hard to raise cattle on high mountains or in hot lowlands, even if you clear the forest. It’s hard to raise cattle on high mountains or in hot lowlands, even if you clear the forest.

How has elevation influenced the choice of locations for capital cities?

Why do many countries put their capitals right next to the ocean shore?

Why do three of the countries near the equator put their capitals high in the mountains?

What is important about the locations of these three capitals?

What is the story about this capital city?

For comparison, here is the United States at the same size and proper latitude. It’s “upside-down” because this part of South America is south of the Equator.

If we flip it, we can see how the climates line up.

Paraguay is like coastal Texas – hot and humid.

Coastal Brazil is like Florida (think Rio!)

Uruguay is like Mississippi and Arkansas

Argentina’s “heartland” is like Kansas corn in the rainier east, wheat in the drier west

Patagonia is like eastern Montana – cool and dry.

Patagonia is like eastern Montana – cool and dry. The central coastal area of Chile is like California.

Finally, Cape Horn is like Alaska.

But no place in the U.S. is like the equatorial rainforest.

When you open the World Regions folder this is what you see- A folder for major world regions and a big idea which could be taught in that region.

Teacher Information contains the Fireworks Diagram and Teacher Notes

The Big Idea Presentation is the PowerPoint for the region

The Activities Folder is self-explanatory The Activities Folder includes a list of activities listed approximately by grade level, but which can also be used a scaffolding.

The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn. Match maps with short text (Reading)

Analyze data and graphs (Math) The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

Make and analyze map (Writing) The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

Use simulation software on CD (Economics) The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

Compare places by using maps The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

Interpret photograph (writing) The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

Do whole-class or small-group simulations The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn.

The activities feature a variety of “engines” – things students do in order to learn. Trace origins of products in their lives

The Atlas folder contains maps and clickable pdfs used for the ppt. and activities

The core item for each region is a clickable mini-Atlas and supporting files. The Atlas folder contains maps and clickable pdfs used for the ppt. and activities

The mini-Atlas is a set of maps designed to illustrate one big idea in each world region. The big idea in Africa is latitude. The maps in the mini-Atlas are all designed to show important consequences of latitude (distance from the Equator). Rainy days Growing season Ecoregions Fires Malaria Animals Crops Languages Empires Colonies River floods Note, for example, how many ancient empires were located in a narrow range of latitude:

The mini-Atlas is a clickable pdf file. Click on this “stack of paper” icon to see available layers. Click on an empty box to make that layer visible on screen (and printable). Click on an “eyeball” sign to make that layer in visible on screen (not printable).

That’s it – nine major components 1.scaffold diagram 2. teacher notes 3. big idea presentation 4. clickable mini-Atlas 5. printable mini-Atlas index 6. mini-Atlas orientation activity 7. student activities, some with teacher notes 8. explanatory presentations, alternative versions, extra maps 9. work map for taking notes, doing posters, making presentations