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PERU |
Bienvenidos a Peru
The fifth grade journey to Peru began with a slide show presentation by Mr. John Rogers on September 20th. Mr. Rogers visited Peru this summer and had many wonderful slides and much exciting information to share with us.
The fifth grade then prepared either a brochure on Peru or a diary of a Peruvian vacation. Those who chose the brochure were asked to research two places in Peru from our many resources around the school. These resources included computer software, encyclopedias, magazine articles, and books on Peru from our library. Each brochure had a map, information on the sights of Peru, and some general statistics on Peru. The students created beautiful brochures and many would like to visit Peru one day.
The following are some of the highlights of our projects. The students are learning of Peru’s rich history in social studies class. The Incan culture is mysterious and interesting. Peru has a population of 24.5 million people. Peru has rain forests, high mountain ranges, and dry deserts. Machu Picchu and the Andes Mountains are two of Peru’s famous sites. Spanish and Quechua are the official languages. Most of the population is Roman Catholic. The currency is
the Nuevo Sol.
One of the fifth grade students wrote the following about Lima in his brochure. "Lima is the capitol of Peru. If you are used to living in a place with a lot to see, then come to Lima. It’s a place that you will like! Come to the market and see it all! Come to the beach and see the calm waves of the Pacific Ocean! Come to see the Cathedrals. So if you come to Peru, the first and last thing you’d want to see in Peru is Lima!"
Another student told us about Machu Picchu. "Incas lived on Machu Picchu and since there was no flat land to farm on they had to cut steps into the earth. If you try to climb Machu Picchu you have to be very careful that you don’t fall because it is very steep. Machu Picchu lies hidden among the mountains of the Andes and was found in 1911. Machu Picchu means old mountain."
Craft-Quipus (KEE PU)
In our studies of Peru, 5th grade discovered that the Incas used a quipu to keep records. This device consisted of a piece of rope or twine, which was knotted in particular places. A knot at the top represented 100, while knots in the middle stood for 10’s, and knots at the bottom represented 1’s. Much of our place value system, based on ten, the Incas recorded quantities in this systematic way.
To get a feel for how this quipu was used, 5th grade students made their own out of yellow cord and recorded one of their test scores. All strands were then knotted onto a ring similar to the way the Inca stored theirs.
