Las Montañas

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…………………………………LAS MONTAÑAS……………….…………………

El objetivo:            Today I will learn about the geology of the Andes and the Sierra Madre mountains,                           and the lifestyle of people in the mountains.

                        I will accurately build the Andes and the Sierra Madre  mountains on my map.

- - - The Geology of the Mountains - - -

Though the human eye cannot easily tell, the Andes Mountains are constantly moving. Because two ‘plates’ under the earth’s surface are pushing against each others, the Andes mountains are still rising! For this reason, there are still many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the Andes. The tiny country of Ecuador has dozens of volcanoes. The same is true for every country with Andes mountains. The Andes are the second highest mountain range in the entire world. The highest mountain in the Andes is called Aconcagua, and it is 22,835 feet high.

         

The Sierra Madre mountains are generally smaller than the Andes. The average height of the mountains is about 2000 meters, and the highest peaks reach about 5000 meters. This means that the average mountain is about 6500 feet high, and the tallest mountains reach about 16500 feet. The Sierra Madre mountains are volcanic. The terrain ranges from permanently snow-covered peaks to hot, tropical valleys; and from the humid, thickly vegetated seaward slopes to the dry, largely barren interior-facing slopes.

- - -  Life in the Mountains - - - 

Long before European explorers arrived in South America, there were many groups of people – civilizations – living in the Andes. The largest group of people was called Los Incas.  Today the largest groups of people who live in the Andes are called Quechua and Aymara. Today there are cities and rural areas in the Andes. The people of the rural Andes usually make their living by growing crops. Because of a scarcity of water, however, agriculture is difficult. Many of the mountains on which food is grown are so steep that farm machines cannot be driven on them. In these places, farm work must be entirely done by hand. It is hard work to climb the hills and even harder work to harvest the food and carry it to where it will be sold or eaten. The major crop grown in the Andes is potatoes. A lot of Andean people eat potatoes with every single meal. Copper, silver, tin, iron, and gold are mined, and petroleum has been found. Some people also make their money off of tourism.

There are not many people who live in the Sierra Madre mountains. The only people to live in these mountains do so in order to take advantage of the mining and agriculture of the mountains.

The human body has to make several adjustments when living at altitudes higher than 10,000 feet because the higher you climb, the less oxygen there is in the air. Travelers to the Andes, might experience headaches, lethargy, shortness of breath with exertion, poor appetite and/or nausea as they get use to high altitudes. For the first several days, travelers will notice that they have trouble climbing stairs, running, and might not be hungry. People who are born in the Andes do not have these symptoms because their bodies are used to the altitudes from the time they are born.

Assignment:

- - -  Constructing Mountains - - -

            Trabajo Uno:  Create the mountains, apply glitter.          

            Trabajo Dos:  Glue the mountains to map, paint the mountains.

Paso Uno:  Glue your map to a piece of cardboard. Make sure that your map lies flat on

                   the cardboard.

Paso Dos:  Build mountain chains. The Andes should have at least 30 peaks. The Sierra Madres should have at least 15 peaks. The mountains should be no higher than the nail on your little finger.

Paso Tres:  Glue your mountains to the appropriate place on your map. The mountains should cover all of the arrows.            Make sure that you glue the entire bottom surface of the mountains to your map.

Paso Cuatro:  Paint the mountains brown. Make sure that you do not paint the countries on your map. If you have to leave some of the play dough showing that is okay. Let the paint dry.

Paso Cinco:  Choose about 1/2 of the mountain tops to cover with snow. Paint just the tops of these mountains again, with brown paint. Then sprinkle glitter on the painted part of the mountain. Let it dry.

Make sure your name is showing on your map.

Group Work Guidelines

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