Grade 8 Assignment Week of 6-1-20 Directions: Go to studentintranet.bpsma.org Log onto Clever using your BPS username and password. Click on Newsela. Copy and paste this link into your browser: https://newsela.com/subject/other/2000273428 Instructions: Before Reading Image Analysis: Look at the topographical map of South America. Use the map to reflect on the following questions: • Notice the country of Peru. Based on its physical features, what could be an advantage of starting an empire in this region? • Based on its physical features, what could be challenges that an empire in this region would face? • How do you think an empire started in Peru might adapt to its surroundings, and why? Choose one of the following two articles about the Inca Empire: • What endures from the ancient civilizations that ruled the Andes? • How the Inca Engineered a Road Across Extreme Terrain As you read, highlight in BLUE any details about the Inca Empire’s geography. Highlight in YELLOW any ways that the Inca Empire adapted to their geography. Use the Annotation tool to reflect on how adapting to their surroundings helped the Inca Empire become successful. Then read the following article about Brazil’s sugar and mining industries: • Brazil's Quilombos: Where Slaves Ruled As you read, highlight in YELLOW information that helps you understand what quilombos are. Highlight in GREEN information that shows ways that humans transformed the environment of Brazil throughout its history. Highlight in BLUE information that shows you how people today are still dealing with the impacts of these transformations. After Reading Pro/Con Analysis: Using the Pro/Con Analysis Graphic organizer, describe ways that human- environment interaction in this region was both a positive force (on the left) and a negative force (on the right). You should also complete the reflection on the bottom by arguing whether human- environment interaction in the region has tended to be more positive or negative, and why. Writing Prompt: Using the information from the articles you read, Respond to the following writing prompt in 1-2 paragraphs: • How can humans interact with the environment in positive ways? What lessons can we learn from the examples of Central and South American history to apply to our own interactions with the environment? Topographical map of South America By Newsela staff on 03.12.20 Word Count 54 Level MAX This map shows major landforms, cities and waters of the continent of South America. South American countries are Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. French Guiana is on the South American continent but is part of France. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. What endures from the ancient civilizations that ruled the Andes? By Smithsonian Institution, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.20.17 Word Count 920 Level 780L Image 1. Archaeological site in Moray, Peru, where the ancient Incas lived. Photo from Wikimedia. Huayna Capac was the ruler of the ancient Inca Empire in South America. The empire had control of many lands and peoples. Its capital, which was its most important city, was Cusco in the Andes mountains. Today, Cusco is in the country of Peru. Huayna did not like this city because it was very cold. He ordered his people to build him a second capital in a warmer place. The chosen place was Quito, in today's country of Ecuador. The new palace was bigger and nicer than the one in Cusco, and the weather was nearly perfect. Still, Cusco and Quito were more than a thousand miles apart, with steep mountains between them. Huayna Capac ordered his subjects to build a highway that connected Cusco and Quito. He was happy with the result, and ordered a second highway along the coast. The Great Inca Highway The Inca highway system was one of the biggest construction projects ever made. It ran for thousands of miles, and connected the countries of Chile and Ecuador. It was as long as the This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. distance between New York and Paris. It also went through just about every type of environment. It ran from icy mountains to hot jungles, from dry deserts to wet forests. These roads surprised Spanish explorers. One explorer, Pedro de Cieza de León, wrote in the 1540s that no one had seen highways like this. He described a road called the Qhapaq Ñan, which means "Road of the Lord." Parts of this road still remain today. Huayna Capac died around 1527. Spanish explorers arrived in 1532, searching for new riches. They brought diseases that the Incas had never faced before. More than half of the Incas died from these European diseases. For the next 300 years, Spain tried to wipe out the native culture. Yet, the native peoples held on to their culture and beliefs. Ancient Cultures From Around The World Today, most people learn about four ancient cultures. They learn about Mesopotamia in the Middle East and Egypt in Africa. They also learn about the Indus Valley in India and the Yellow River in China. Recently, experts have added the Andean people to this list. The Andes area includes parts of Ecuador, Bolivia and most of Peru. The ancient people who lived here built pyramids and temples that are as old as the ones in Egypt. They had irrigation systems that were as good as those in Mesopotamia. These systems allowed them to water the fields and grow crops. People in the Andes also made art that lasted hundreds of years. Andean People Thrived Despite Tough Conditions It is strange that the Andean people were able to have such a rich culture. The area they lived in did not have stable weather. The coast of Peru and Chile is very dry. The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest place on Earth. In some places, it never rains at all. The area can have dangerous rain and floods that last for years. Floods destroy crops and wash away fields. There are also many volcanoes and earthquakes in the area. Still, people were able to settle and survive. North of the Atacama is Lima, the capital of today's Peru. Further north, there are 30 or more ancient cities. One of these is Sechín Bajo, which is 5,500 years years old. A Peaceful Way Of Life The early people in the Andes, who came before the Inca, were quite peaceful. Early cities in Peru did not have to defend themselves often. They did not have This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. strong walls to keep out invaders. One of the most famous cities is named Caral, where the Andean people built large pyramids. The buildings in Caral are about 5,000 years old. People lived in this city for 1,200 years in total peace. People in cities like Caral ate fish. In the mountains, the main food was tubers and roots, such as potatoes. Textiles were very important in the central Andes. Andean peoples grew cotton to make tools for fishing. They also built their temples from stones stuffed into bags, to make enormous building blocks. Wrote Messages Using Rope In Caral, Ruth Shady Solis studies old objects to understand how ancient people lived. She came across a strange invention. It is called the quipu, and is a long rope with strings dangling from it. Incas tied knots into the strings, and the way they tied these knots had a certain meaning. People could read the messages by running their hands along the knots. The quipu were confusing for Spanish explorers, who ordered that they all be destroyed. About 750 survived, but no one has learned how to read them yet. The culture of the Andes is ancient, and very different from the rest of the world. If history had been different, maybe we would be reading and writing with quipu strings today. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. How the Inca Engineered a Road Across Extreme Terrain By Smithsonian.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.20.17 Word Count 994 Level 880L The Inca engineered a way to build and rebuild bridges along the massive Inca Road, a tradition that some Quechua villagers continue today. Photo by: Wikimedia/Public Domain Every June, people from four small villages in Peru gather for a three-day festival. The villages are located high in the mountains, near the town of Huinchiri. Before the festival begins, men, women and children spend days preparing. First, they collect piles of long grasses, which are soaked, pounded and dried in the sun. The tough fibers are then twisted and braided into narrow cords. In turn, these cords are woven together to form six heavy cables. Each cable is as thick as a man's leg and more than 100 feet long. Once the festival begins, dozens of men lift the long cables over their shoulders. They carry them single file to the edge of a deep, rocky canyon. About 100 feet below, the Apurímac River flows past. Village elders murmur blessings to Mother Earth and Mother Water, then make offerings to the spirits. Shortly after, the villagers set to work link ing one side of the canyon to the other. Relying on a bridge they built the same way a year earlier, they stretch out four new cables. The ends of these This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.