Rivers have been a major water, food, and transportation source for civilizations throughout history. The Amazon River basin is no exception. It is a vital resource for the people and ecosystems of South America. Our exclusive material on the Amazon River Basin attempt to offer a different approach to the part of the world. Learners will learn to appreciate the geographical features of South America through the lens of eight countries, starting from its source in Peru to its end in the Atlantic Ocean. Our Research Cards and Task Cards complimented the Amazon River Basin puzzle. When used together, learners can work independently and begin to develop a clear understanding of the importance that the Amazon River basin and the rainforest play in regulating the climate. In this post, you will find a description of the materials and related materials to offer a complete experience to your learners!
Materials
- Amazon River Basin Puzzle Complete Set
- Amazon River Basin Research Cards
- Amazon River Basin Task Cards
Related materials:
- Parts of a River Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (6-9)
- Parts of a River Puzzle
- Tropical Rainforest Biome – Complete Set
- Layers of the Rainforest
- Layers of the Rainforest (Complete Set)
How to Introduce the Materials
Introduce the topic of the Amazon River basin by showing your learners a map of South America (or use a globe with raised relief). Point out the Amazon River and its basin. Show your learners the Amazon River Basin wooden puzzle and have them observe and take turns naming all the countries. Disassemble the puzzle as they name the countries and place the piece in a working space next to the puzzle frame. Let your learners work on assembling the puzzle back.
Ask them questions about the Amazon River Basin: Do you know how long the Amazon River is? Through how many countries is the Amazon River flowing? When does the Amazon River begin? Where does it end? Is the Amazon River water freshwater or saltwater? Where is the river’s water from?
Give each learner some labeled wooden arrows. As you read the Research Cards, have them label the different parts of the river, such as the source, mouth, tributaries, and floodplain. As you read the Research Cards, your learners will label the puzzle. This will keep them active and engaged in the learning process. Our Research cards are designed to provide essential information and interesting, fun facts. The information will be reinforced using the Amazon River Basin Task Cards.
You may start asking a few questions from the Amazon River Basin Task Cards to initiate the work. You may place the puzzle or control chart in front of your learners and hand out an equal amount of task cards to each learner. Have them take turns asking a question aloud while covering the answer on the back! They may read the answer to the group to provide instant feedback, essential to retention.
Additional Materials
You may also find helpful our materials on the Layers of a Rainforest that represent each of the four layers, as well as some of the animals that live there. The same material is available as a large chart with cutouts. This material can serve as a follow-up activity.
You may want to introduce Parts of a River before representing The Amazon River Basin puzzle. The reason is, Parts of a River presents only one concept and provides preparation for a concrete example such as the Amazon River Basin. The material is large, the concepts are clear and isolated, and the nomenclature cards contain black and white graphics with red markings to emphasize the part in question.
In conclusion, we highly recommend adding our exclusive Amazon River Basin materials to your geography area. This multiage set can be used with children ages 6 to 12. The puzzle is made of high-quality materials and can withstand extensive classroom usage. Our printed materials are professionally designed by expert Montessorians and produced in our New Jersey facility! For more Montessori materials, we recommend you visit our website regularly, as we are constantly working at improving and enriching Montessori materials!
