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TEACHER'S
GUIDE
Time: 8 days,
30-45 minutes/day
Overview: Students
explore the importance of mountains, how mountains are made, and graphical
representations of mountains on maps.
Objectives:
To spark student interest in the investigation of mountains and to increase
familiarity with mountain characteristics and formation.
National
Standards Addressed
Related
Resources
Related Activities:
Materials:
Module Outline:
Day One: Students read page
1; Class reads Discovering the Inca Ice Maiden and/or experiences
Johan Reinhard's expedition online;
Guided class discussion on the Ice Maiden.
Day Two: Students
read page 2: Mountains
of the World; Conduct Mountain Fact Sheet activity.
Day Three:
Conduct What is a Mountain? activity.
Day Four: Students
read page 3: How
are Mountains Made?; Conduct Jigsaw World activity; Students
read page
4; Plate movement simulation.
Day Five: Mountains
on Maps, Part I: Conduct Classroom Activity: Clay
Topography.
Day Six & Seven:
Mountains on Maps, Part II: Conduct Schoolyard Activity: Schoolyard
Map.
Content Background:
Day One:
When Johan Reinhard discovered the Ice Maiden on the summit of Mount Ampato
in the Peruvian Andes in 1995, people around the world were fascinated.
In addition to being one of the greatest anthropological discoveries of
the century, the Ice Maiden provides a tale that is a compelling hook
for studying mountains with your students. Begin by asking students to
read page
1 of Module 1 in their Student Materials. Then, as a class, read the
story of the Ice Maiden.
To further spark student
interest, have a class discussion about the Ice Maiden. Below are some
questions to help you guide the discussion. Students also have these questions
in their Student Materials. You can begin the discussion by asking students
to answer some or all of the questions in their journals.
Why is the Ice
Maiden worth saving?
The Ice Maiden provides a link to Incan religious customs and beliefs.
By studying the Ice Maiden we can begin to understand the history of and
preserve the cultural heritage of her people. In addition, a well-preserved
500-year-old mummy provides a wealth of opportunities for scientific study.
Why would looters
be interested in the Ice Maiden?
Ceremonial sacrifices were often buried with treasures. The Ice Maiden
was surrounded by artifacts, including pottery, gold and silver objects,
ceremonial statuettes with elaborate headdresses, and various wooden objects.
Looters could raid a ceremonial site and collect these artifacts to sell
as souvenirs.
Do you think Johan
Reinhard's decision to remove the Ice Maiden from Mount Ampato was the
right one?
If you have the time to expand on this portion of the module, stage a
debate among your students. Divide the class into two groups. Assign one
group the position of agreeing with the decision and the other group the
position of disagreeing. Provide students with enough time and resources
to research the issue. End the activity with a debate between the two
groups.
If you were a scientist
studying the Ice Maiden, what questions would you have? How would you
go about finding answers to these questions?
For example, what did she eat before she died? What did she die from?
Why was she so well preserved? How old was she? What was her blood type?
Who are her closest relatives? Was she healthy? Student-posed questions
provide an opportunity to discuss modern scientific technology. For more
information on how scientists have found answers to these questions, read
Mummies of Peru, listed in the Resources.
Why is everything
so well preserved on top of Mount Ampato?
Human bodies and artifacts are preserved by the cold and dry air of high
mountains.
The Ice Maiden
was 14 years old-close to your age. How was her life similar to or different
from yours? Can you make a list of these similarities and differences?
Is there any evidence
for how the Ice Maiden depended on the mountain to live? If so, what is
it?
The Ice Maiden's clothing was made of alpaca wool. The Incas grazed alpacas
at high altitudes in the cold, dry highlands. It is also likely that the
food she ate was cultivated in the mountains. At the time of her death,
she was surrounded by wooden objects-cups, bowls, spoons, and boxes. These
objects were created with wood harvested from mountain forests.
How did her people
interact, as a culture, with the mountain? Can you think of any other
mountains that have special meaning to people?
The Incas believed the mountains to be sacred. They held sacred ceremonies
on their peaks and made offerings to the mountain gods asking for, among
other things, water and healthy, productive crops. Have students research
local mountains to learn whether they have religious, spiritual, or cultural
significance.
Do you think life
in the Andes is the same today as it was 500 years ago when the Ice Maiden
was sacrificed? If not, how do you think it has changed?
Life has changed much in the Andes. Modern technology, improved road systems,
and population increases have contributed to these changes. We will explore
this topic in great detail throughout the remainder of this unit. So the
best answer to this question is… Let's find out!
Day Two: Mountains
of the World
With any luck, the tale of the Ice Maiden has captured your students'
attention. Now we're going to broaden the focus and take a look at other
mountains. Have students read page
2 of Module 1 in their Student Materials. Here they will find a map
locating mountains on different continents. Next, have individual students
read the descriptions on the Mountain
Fact Sheet to the rest of the class. By reading these excerpts, students
will discover the importance of mountains in terms of biodiversity, religion,
hydrology, culture, recreation, geography, and weather.
Students will explore
these topics in great detail throughout the rest of Mountain Adentures.
If you plan to incorporate the remaining modules into your curriculum,
go on to Day Three: What is a Mountain?
If you plan to
use Module 1: Why Mountains? in isolation, following are some suggestions
for expanding on these topics. You can either choose one topic for
the entire class to explore or divide the class into groups and explore
several.
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Mountains
as…
1. …sources of water. Almost every place on earth is
linked by water to its surrounding mountains. Ask students, Where
does your water come from? Can you think of any local mountains
that might be the source of your water? Have students trace
the path of their water from source to tap. They can use the Internet,
library, or water resource department for your state. Finally, have
them trace the entire watershed for the mountain(s) that supply
their water.
2. …play
areas. Tourism benefits the economy of mountain areas. Unfortunately,
these benefits are often outweighed by the negative impacts on the
environment and culture of these regions. Ask students, Have
you ever been to a mountain that is visited by tourists? What effects,
if any, did you notice? Have students identify and research
a local mountain that is used for recreational purposes. How
has this mountain been affected by the recreation that takes place
there? Are any of these impacts negative? Which? Can you think of
any solutions?
The World Conservation
Union (1996) defines ecotourism as "environmentally responsible
travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas-in
order to enjoy and appreciate nature-that promote conservation,
have low negative visitor impact, and provide for beneficially active
socioeconomic involvement of local populations." Have students
research ecotourism and develop a plan for their local recreational
mountain.
3. …sacred
sites. Mountains are also sacred places for some Native American
people. Have students research a local mountain to determine whether
it has or once had any sacred, spiritual, or cultural significance.
What did the mountain represent to these people? Why was it considered
sacred? How was the mountain involved in traditional life? Are any
of these customs still practiced today?
4. …homelands.
Have students investigate whether people inhabit any of your local
mountains. If they are not doing so currently, did people inhabit
or use these mountains in the past? What evidence is there that
these people have adapted their lifestyle to their rugged surroundings?
How do their lives compare to the lives of the people living in
the lowlands surrounding the mountain? How are their lives the same
as or different from yours?
5. …weather
barriers. A classic North American example of how mountains
affect local weather is the relationship between the Olympic Mountains
and Seattle, Washington. These mountains serve as a weather barrier,
dropping a steady, drizzling rain over the city for much of the
year. This moisture, in turn, enhances the local vegetation, giving
Seattle the nickname "Emerald City." Have students research:
How does your local mountain affect the weather patterns in your
region?
6. …"islands"
of biodiversity. What is biodiversity? Rich assemblages of species
are often sheltered in the mountains. These species are unique because
they have adapted to their environment over time. Some are rare
because they have been protected from landscape transformations
that have eliminated many, if not all, of their lowland relatives.
Mountains are not, by any means, immune to landscape transformation.
Tourism, logging, grazing, exploitation of non-timber resources,
additional land clearing, and invasive plants pose a threat to the
biodiversity of mountains. What are the problems that mountains
face in terms of biodiversity? Have students research whether
any native plants or animals have found refuge in a local mountain.
Does this species exist outside its mountain environment? How
is this species well-suited for life in the mountains?
7. …geographic
divides. Historically, the Appalachian Mountains on the East
Coast of North America have served as a barrier to population flow.
European settlers remained in the East for many years before they
forged their way westward beyond these mountains. Have students
investigate whether a local mountain range posed a similar obstacle
to settlers. What are some similarities and differences in culture,
community, tradition, and lifestyle between people who live on one
side of a mountain range and those who live on the other?
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Day Three: What
is a Mountain?
Print out and photocopy the reproducible What
is a Mountain?. Give a copy to each student. On this page, students
have space to write down the words they would use to describe a mountain.
After giving students time to come up with their own lists, compile a
master list of these words on a chalkboard or flipchart. While looking
at this list, ask the class to work collaboratively to come up with a
definition for the word "mountain." Encourage them to use information
from the Mountain Fact Sheet.
Although there isn't
a universally accepted definition, a mountain can generally be defined
as "an elevated landform of high relief with much of its surface
in steep slopes, and displaying distinct variations in climate and vegetation
from its base to its summit." Guide students in coming up with a
definition that includes some of the same components as this one. As they
learn more throughout Mountain Adventures they can modify their
definition. Have them record their definition in the space provided on
the What is a Mountain? reproducible.
Once they have composed
a definition, ask students to research whether there is a mountain located
near their school or home. There is a space for them to write the name
of this mountain on the What is a Mountain? reproducible.
Day Four: How are
mountains made?
To understand how mountains are formed, students will piece together a
jigsaw puzzle of Pangaea. Pangaea is the single continent that existed
approximately 200 million years ago before plate tectonics separated the
earth's crust into several continental and oceanic plates. The most obvious
clue that Pangaea existed is the snug fit of North and South America into
the shoreline of West Africa and Europe.
First, ask students
to read page
3 of Module 1. Next, visit the University
of North Dakota's Web site and follow instructions for completing
the activity, Jigsaw World, with your students. Have students share
their puzzles with one another and then compare them to the Map of Pangaea,
provided on the university's Web site.
After they have completed
the Jigsaw World activity, ask students to read page
4 of Module 1. Here, students learn how the plates have moved relative
to one another to create the mountains, the oceans, and the orientation
of the continents we know today. Challenge students to simulate these
processes using classroom materials. For example, when two continental
plates collide, the earth's crust compresses and buckles to create mountains.
This is similar to pushing two edges of a rug together. Although such
a demonstration is greatly simplified, it will help students visualize
mountain formation.
Day Five: Mountains
on Maps, Part I
Pose this question to students: Can you tell where the mountains are
located on each continent? Looking at the one-dimensional map in the
"Mountains of the World" section, they won't be able to locate
the mountainous areas. That's because this is a one-dimensional map. In
order to "see" mountains on a flat piece of paper, students
need to look at a topographic map. This provides an opportunity to introduce
students to contour lines and topographic maps. Conduct Classroom Activity:
Clay Topography.
Day Six & Seven:
Mountains on Maps, Part II
Next, students apply what they have learned about contour lines and topographic
maps by mapping the landscape of their schoolyard. Conduct Schoolyard
Activity: Schoolyard Map.
Assessment Opportunities:
- Journal entries:
Written responses to Ice Maiden questions.
- Other: Participation
in guided class discussions; Collaborative group work during activities;
Student products.
Extensions: Students
can conduct research on the Ice Maiden in the school library or online.
Consider asking the librarian to help students gather resources.
Teacher's
Guide, Module 1 2 3
4 5
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