Ecuadorian highlands lesson

Overview:

This lesson will introduce students to the Ecuadorian people. Students will explore pictures of various aspects of Ecuadorian life. They will work in pairs present it to the class, sharing what it reveals about the culture.

Connections to the Curriculum:

Geography, world history, art, Spanish

Connections to the Foreign Language:

Standard 4.2 "The students will demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.”

Time:

Two hours

Materials Required:

• Books and Web sites with pictures of Ecuador

• Materials to create an introduction (paper, crayons, pens, paint)

• 4 X 6 note cards (one for each pair of students)

Objectives:

Students will

• review important information about the pre- Inca civilization and find Ecuador on a map of South America;

• look at pictures of various aspects of Ecuadorian life;

• work in pairs to learn about one aspect and recreate it in an image or model; and

• present it to the class, sharing any important information about the life.

Geographic Skills:

Acquiring Spanish Geographic Information 

Answering Geographic Questions in Spanish

P r o c e d u r e

Opening:

Remind the class that civilizations thrived in North and South America for thousands of years before Christopher Columbus or any European explorers arrived on the shores of the New World. Just as Native Americans lived in North America, different civilizations lived in Central and South America

Development:

Explain to the class that people lived in the Andes mountains of South America as far back as 5000 B.C. (To put that into historical perspective, you could tell them that the Egyptians built the famous pyramids around 2500 B.C.—2,500 years later.) For thousands of years, these people lived in separate tribes. Then, around A.D. 1200, a powerful tribe began to conquer the weaker tribes and united them into the Inca Empire.

The Inca Empire was large and successful, stretching along the western part of South America, down the Andes Mountains, from what is now Colombia to Chile. Point out this area on a map of South America.

Share some important facts about the Inca with the class:

• The Inca Empire was ruled by a succession of kings.

• The Inca built huge stone monuments and cities in the mountains like Ingapirca.

• Most families farmed, cutting terraces or "steps" into the mountainside where they grew corn and potatoes (see work photos).

• Higher up in the mountains, the Inca herded llamas and alpacas (animals similar to sheep). These animals provided wool and food.

• The Inca temples and fortresses were made of huge stones. Their houses were made of stone and mud, with grass roofs (see Ingaprica).

• The Inca were very religious and believed that gods or goddesses were responsible for everything in nature. They believed the sun god was the father of man. The condor was the messenger of the gods.

Next, explain that the Inca people were skilled craftsmen. They made pottery, jewelry, tapestries, masks, musical instruments, baskets, and other crafts. Artifacts such as these have been discovered by archaeologists and tell us much of what we know about the Inca way of life. Many of these crafts exist today.

Have students work with a partner to explore images of Ecuador.

Ask each pair to choose one area. On a note card, have them write what it is, its purpose, and interesting facts. Then have students recreate the aspect, either in a drawing or a model.

Wrap-up:

Have partners present their aspect to the class, using facts from their note cards. Also encourage them to share what it tells us about Ecuadorian life. Finally, have each pair display the image, with its note card, in the classroom.

Assessment:

Using their new knowledge, ask each student to write one paragraph in Spanish about what a day in the life of an indigenous, town- or city-dweller person may have been like. What were the most important aspects of life? What may have been some of the challenges?

Extension:

Have students think of one item from their own daily lives and ask them to imagine an archaeologist finding that item 500 years from now. What might he or she learn about our civilization through that artifact? Do you think he or she would be able to determine its purpose? Write a journal entry in the voice of the archaeologist and include a sketch of your artifact.