UKS2 Topic: Comparing People and Places Block D: Amazon Basin

Study the Amazon Basin in South America. Become environmental scientists as you explore this resource-rich environment, investigating the impact of human activity on the natural resources and communities of the region. Use mathematical measures and analysis to create a report on land use, cultural vulnerabilities, environmental impact and economic trade, for presentation at your own Earth summit.

Block D: Comparing People and Places
Amazon Basin
[3 sessions] / Main outcomes: Geography and Maths
Other outcomes: Computing
By the end of this block you will have achieved the following outcomes: / ·  Locate the Amazon Basin within South America, concentrating on its environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, and major cities.
·  Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography in the Amazon Basin.
·  Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography including climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes.
·  Describe and understand human geography including types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water.
·  Solve comparison, sum and difference problems.
·  Complete, construct, read and interpret information in tables, pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems.
·  Estimate the area of irregular shapes.
·  Use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation, including scaling.
·  Use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to three decimal places.
·  Select, use and combine a variety of software on a digital device to design and create content that collects, analyses, evaluates and presents data and information.
Session 1 Geography and Maths
The Amazon Basin in numbers
Journey along the great Amazon River into the Amazon Basin and use maps, satellite images and film to create a narrative about the region. Learn about the region through numbers and create a geographical infographic poster. / Children will:
·  Travel to the Amazon Basin and experience it as an environment from maps, satellite images and film.
·  Become environmental scientists and analyse physical and human geography statistics and present them in graphical form.
·  Create an ‘Amazon Basin in numbers’ poster.
Session 2 Geography and Maths
Economics and trade in the Amazon Basin
Start preparing for your own Earth Summit by analysing data about the land use, trade and economics of the Amazon Basin. Get to grips with contrasting arguments about the uses of local resources and develop your own informed opinion. / Children will:
·  Examine contrasting accounts of the Amazon Basin and its trade and economic uses.
·  Run a series of analysis meetings, looking at charts and graphs depicting the trade and economics of the Amazon Basin.
·  Use maps and area formulas to help calculate changes in Amazon Basin land use over a period of 30 years.
Session 3 Geography and Computing
Earth Summit: the Amazon Basin
Create your final Earth Summit report using data and information gleaned and analysed over the past two sessions. Have a go at creating computer generated graphic representations of data and put together a ‘report findings’ summary. / Children will:
·  Create a professional report in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, on the impact of economic and trade activities on the human and physical geography of the Amazon Basin.
·  Create online graphic representations of data to accompany an Earth Summit report.

Resources

Session 1

Provided: Information sheet on Exploring the Amazon, covering: Region clues, Map of the world, Maps, Editorial guidelines, Data tables (vegetation, animals, climate, O2 production), Examples of infographics.

You will need: Access to the Internet; Rainforest products (see list); Calculators.

Session 2

Provided: Information sheet on the Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, covering: Data and questions, Maps and data, Area formulas, Argument cards/compromise list.

You will need: Access to the Internet; Calculators.

Session 3

Provided: Information sheet on Report guidelines, covering: Sample report presentations & Sample graphic representations of data.

You will need: Access to the Internet; Calculators; Access to a computer or tablet with either Excel or another program/s for creating graphs/charts from data.

Useful websites for background information:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/tropical_rainforests_rev1.shtml

http://news.mongabay.com/list/rainforests

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