South America: Brazil

Our world reading travels continue on the continent of South America. This week we headed into the heart of the Amazon.

Uirapuru tells the story of a group of boys who set off into the forest to catch the bird with nets and bows and arrows. During their adventures they meet an old man with a flute who has spent his life trying to copy the Uirapurú’s song and a maiden of the moon surrounded by all the creatures of the night.

The story teaches that we cannot try to own nature, because when we do it will hurt it and it will disappear. The beautiful parts of nature should be respected.

Emily

Hunter

Rylan

South America: The Andes and Peru

We left the continent of North America and headed to South America. We looked up both continents in World Book Kids Online. We compared the two continents and found out that South America is about 1/3 smaller in area than North America and had less people. North America has approximately 572 million people while South America has about 418 million. There are 12 countries in South America compared to 24 countries in North America.

We read our first story set in South America. Necklace of Stars is story that whose setting could have been in a number of places along the Andes.  We briefly looked at what the Andes look like in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. This fictional story most likely takes place in Peru.

North America: Guatemala

Central America is part of the continent of North America. We read about Esperanza and her Abuela (grandmother).  They live in the countryside of Guatemala and they weave beautiful tapestries and clothing.  

The quetzal is a bird which is a symbol of Guatemala. It is even on the country's flag. This bird is often woven in the patterns of their weaving. 

This story reminds us that we should appreciate the skills and traditions that have been passed down to us. Each country has something unique to offer the world. It is diversity that makes the world such a wonderful and interesting place. This story also reminds us that we should never judge people by their appearance.

Gwen

Oliver