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A film lecture produced by Rich Kern to be presented at your school on ____________

Benchmarks for “Empires of the Sun” movie presentation and post program discussion

Grades 4 & 5 (Rich Kern’s Miami-Dade County Elementary Series):

SCIENCE

SC.4.E.6.3 Recognize that humans need resources found on Earth and that these are either

renewable or nonrenewable. SC.4.L.16.2 Explain that all characteristics of plants and animals are inherited, some characteristics

can be affected by the environment.

SC. 4.L.17.3 Trace the flow of energy from the sun as it is transferred along the food chain through

the producers to the consumers.

SC.4.L.17.4 Recognize ways plants and animals, including humans, can impact the environment.

SC.5.L.15.1 Describe how when the environment changes, differences between individuals allow

some plants and animals to survive and reproduce while others die or move to new

locations.

SC.5.L.17.1 Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycle variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics. SOCIAL SCIENCE

SS.5.A.2.1 Compare cultural aspects of ancient American civilizations (Aztecs/Mayas/ Mound Builders/Anasazi/Inuit)

Grades 6-12 (Richard Kern, Jr.’s Miami-Dade County Middle & Senior High Series):

SCIENCE

SC.912.L.17.6 Compare and contrast the relationships among organisms, including predation, parasitism, competition, commensalism and mutualism. SC.912.L.17.8 Recognize the consequences of the losses of biodiversity due to catastrophic events, climate changes, human activity and the introduction of invasive, non-native species. SC.912.L.17.18 Describe how human population size and resource use relate to environmental quality. SOCIAL SCIENCE

SS.6.G.3.2 Analyze the impact of human populations on the ancient world’s ecosystems. SS.912.G.5.2 Analyze case studies of how changes in the physical environment of a place can increase or diminish its capacity to support human activity. SS.912.G.5.4 Analyze case studies of how humans impact the diversity and productivity of ecosystems.

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Empires of the Sun (37 minutes) – an overview

The Maya of the YucatanThe Maya of the YucatanThe Maya of the YucatanThe Maya of the Yucatan (8 minutes) – the ruins at Tikal, Caracol and Xunantunich;

pyramids and stelae; hieroglyphic language; ball court game; human bloodletting and sacrifice; Mayan

kings dressed in jaguar skins and quetzal-feathered headdresses, etc.

Life in the RainforestLife in the RainforestLife in the RainforestLife in the Rainforest (12 minutes) – rainforests vs. cloud forests; how rainforests

recycle nutrients; rainforest animals: jaguar, quetzal, howler and spider monkeys, tapir, margay, three-

toed sloth, toucan, hummingbirds, red-eyed tree frogs, leaf cutter ants, etc. ; the incredible Ridley sea

turtle arribada on the Pacific coast where the Costa Rican rainforest meets the ocean.

The Inca of the AndesThe Inca of the AndesThe Inca of the AndesThe Inca of the Andes (8 minutes) – the capital at Cuzco, Peru; the rise and fall of the empire;

conquest by the Spanish; Machu Picchu; llamas; excavation of an Inca cemetery

near Lima; mummies with feathered headdresses; the Ice Maiden, etc.

Life in the Peruvian AmazonLife in the Peruvian AmazonLife in the Peruvian AmazonLife in the Peruvian Amazon (8 minutes) – the search for macaws and parrots at clay licks

along the Urubamba River, Ashaninka “Indians,” anaconda, squirrel and owl monkeys, etc.

Humans Arrive in the New World

According to present theory, the first humans to colonize the New World were Asians who migrated

from Siberia across the Bering Strait by means of a land bridge approximately 13,000 years ago. The

exposed land resulted from lower sea levels during a time when colder climates bound up massive

amounts of water as polar ice. The hunter

gatherers that arrived spread across North

America. Some tribes continued south

through the isthmus that is now Central

America and on into South America. They

became the various tribes of American

“Indians,” and, further south, the Maya,

Aztec, Inca and others. A transition from

hunting and gathering to primitive

agriculture began as early as 7000 BC in the

Yucatan. Most important was the

development of varieties of maize (corn).

Agriculture made possible the first

permanent villages and finally cities and

empires.

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Man and Nature

Early “Americans” such as the Maya relied on nature and at times deified

it. The Maya believed in the gods of the sun, moon, rain, corn and others;

and they hunted the animals of the forest for food. They believed the

quetzal bird to be sacred. Mayan kings wore the spotted skins of jaguars

and headdresses made of quetzal feathers found in the rainforests of the

Yucatan Peninsula. It was a capital offense to kill a quetzal, but the two-

ft. tail feathers of male quetzals when pulled from a caught bird were as

good as money. So were cacao beans.

In Peru, the Inca had similar gods. They too worshipped the sun. Miniature gold

llamas were common in their graves. They domesticated wild llamas as pack animals

and as a source of wool for weaving. They often buried their dead wearing

headdresses of colorful macaw and parrot feathers. These birds were not found in the

Andes where the Inca lived. They were obtained from the tropical Amazon region

spreading east from the base of the mountains, possibly by trading with the indigenous

Amazonian tribes to whom they were distantly related.

Tropical Rainforests Intense sunlight, high temperatures, and high rainfall characterize tropical rainforests found in the

tropical belt within 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator. Here life flourishes in its most

productive and diverse forms. More than half of the world’s 1.6 million known species exist in tropical

rainforests, and countless more species have not yet been identified.

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Rainforest trees generally make high, flat-topped

“canopies” in the jungle where 90% of all the

photosynthesis goes on. Beneath the canopy is a

fairly open but dark and humid understory where

fallen leaves decay rapidly and give back their

nutrients to the many shallow roots in the poor soil.

In this way the nutrients recycle quickly before they

can be leached out by the high rainfall of 60 or more

inches per year.

The year round sun energy and rain pouring down on

tropical forests produces vast diversity and biomass.

Consider this: The number of tree species in the

eastern USA = 253. The number of tree species in Panama = 2,870. One hectare (100m x 100m) of

forest in the Amazon produces 75 tons of sugar per year

through photosynthesis. In Massachusetts the same area

produces 28 tons.

A hectare of tropical forest produces 6-8 hectares of leaf area.

The highest hectare of leaves absorbs 50% of the light falling

upon it. Each successive layer of leaves removes another

50% such that by the time the sunlight passes through all 6-8

hectares, only 1% reaches the floor. Very little plant life can

survive in the dim light of the forest floor, consequently most

herbivores are high up where we can’t see them.

In the rainforest, trees of various species are flowering,

fruiting and leafing out throughout the year rather than all

at the same time. This makes continuous foraging

possible for fruit and seed eaters (spider monkey, toucan,

macaw, agouti) and leaf eaters (howler monkey, tapir,

sloth, leaf-cutter ant) and the predators that hunt these

herbivores (harpy eagle, boa constrictor, jaguar, margay).

In the northern USA the trees are barren of leaves six

months per year, greatly reducing the diversity of

herbivores and therefore carnivores. Consider the

following comparative chart on bat species:

Barro Colorado Is., Panama Indiana Germany

fruit eating bats 25 0 0

insect eating bats 43 12 17

Part of the diversity in tropical forests is brought about by the tendency of herbivores to specialize in

certain plant food species and for the same plants to devise ways (toxins in the leaves, etc) to foil them.

“Specialization is the engine driving tropical diversity…… It appears that natural tropical forests have

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so many kinds of trees because each is kept rare by the pests that are specialized to it…… In sum, plant

diversity enhances pest diversity, which enhances the diversity of the animals that eat the pests, which

further enhances pest diversity, which further enhances plant diversity – a wonderful example of circular

causal process in ecology.” (A magic Web, Oxford University Press, 2002)

The loss of tropical rainforests through logging and agriculture is an environmental crisis. If lost, the

cooling effect on earth’s climate that rainforests provide will increase global warming, and the many

medicines that may some day come from rainforest plants will no longer be available. In short, the

earth’s biodiversity will be greatly reduced.

The Quetzal The resplendent quetzal of Central America is a member of the

trogon family of birds. With its cherry red breast and iridescent green back and tail,

the male is a spectacular sight in the forest. The female lacks the bright colors and 2

ft. long tail feathers of her mate. Quetzals are tree cavity nesters. They lay 2-3 blue

eggs in the spring. Both male and female feed the young. The Maya held the

quetzal to be sacred. It was illegal to kill one, but it was permissible to catch the

males and remove their streamer tail feathers to make headdresses for Mayan kings.

Today the quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and the unit of its currency.

The Jaguar The jaguar is the world’s largest spotted cat – up to

350 lbs. It is similar to but somewhat heavier than Africa’s leopard.

About 10% of jaguars are melanistic (black). The male and female

live apart and are mostly nocturnal hunters, rarely seen by humans.

They prefer swamps where they prey on deer, tapir, peccaries,

monkeys and even fish. The Maya regarded the jaguar as a symbol of

power. Jaguar skins were worn by Mayan kings.

The Howler Monkey Six species of howler monkeys

are found in Central and South America. The black howler is

found in the Yucatan Peninsula and the red howler in the

Peruvian Amazon. Howlers weigh up to 25 lbs. and are the

largest of the New World monkeys. Males are almost twice as

heavy as females. Howlers have prehensile tails and travel in

troops feeding on leaves and some fruit. A troop consists of one

male and several females plus their young offspring. Howlers

have a hyoid bone in the throat that resonates when they howl.

Their ghastly sounds can be heard up to 3 miles away.

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Vocabulary

1. stela - upright stone monument with carved images, hieroglyphs, dates, etc. - made by

the Maya to commemorate battle victories and other important events

2. hieroglyph - picture-like symbol representing a word or group of words

3. prehensile - adapted for grasping (as in prehensile tail)

4. cloud forest - rainforest at high elevation, immersed in cloud cover, that

receives a near constant condensation of water

5. structural color - color caused by a physical surface rather than by chemical pigments

6. mummy - remains of a dead person or animal including not only bones but skin

7. llama - woolly-haired, camel-like mammal found in the Andes Mountains

8. clay lick - embankment, often along a river, where flocks of macaws and other parrots

come to eat clay in order to detoxify their diet of seeds and fruit

Web Sites for Extra Information

The Maya – www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/maya_civilization

Excellent Overall Site – www.kidskonnect.com click on “Alphabetized Index”

find “Rainforests” “Ancient Mayan” and “Ancient Inca”

Research Project: The decline of the Mayan civilization in the tenth century, well before the

arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, has long been a mystery. Theories include environmental causes,

both natural and man made. Using the Internet and other available sources, write a 500 word essay on

current theories as to why the Mayan city states collapsed.

Quiz Answers

1. Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras or El Salvador

2. quetzal

3. jaguar

4. F

5. T

6. T

7. F

8. T

9. clay

10. F

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Appendix 1 Appendix 1 Appendix 1 Appendix 1 –––– The MayaThe MayaThe MayaThe Maya The Maya lived in the Yucatan Peninsula of Central

America – in an area that includes southeast Mexico,

Guatemala, Belize and the western parts of Honduras and

El Salvador. Although the Mayan civilization began as

early as 2,000 BC, the classic period was from 250-900

AD. During this time the Yucatan was dominated by a

feudal system of Mayan city states ruled by powerful

kings and lacking a central government. The culture was

characterized by the cultivation of maize, 260 day calendar, hieroglyphic writing system, folding screen

books, a pantheon of deities, self-inflicted bloodletting, captive sacrifice, ballgame played on a special

court, and pyramidal architecture.

Because of the beauty of Mayan buildings and pottery and the existence of a calendar based on

astronomical observations as well as a writing system, archeologists at first assumed that the Maya were

a peaceful society. However, now that the hieroglyphs on stone stelae, altars, lintels and in books

(called codexes) have been deciphered and now that Mayan art has been examined in detail, we know

that the Maya were brutal and aggressive. City states formed alliances and warred against each other.

Captives were taken for bloodletting and often sacrificed to Mayan gods.

The Mayan civilization

was large and

spectacular. Cities like

Tikal in Guatemala may

have had more than

50,000 residents during

the classic period. The

Yucatan was probably

more densely populated

then than it is now. At

the heart of each city

was a ceremonial center.

Huge pyramidal structures were often built on top of older ones as new architectural styles came into

fashion and as kings replaced earlier ones. The pyramids were not filled with rooms but were solid,

except for one or more small burial chambers. The exteriors of the massive, limestone structures were

often stuccoed and painted or decorated with stucco friezes. Inside the dead were buried with jade

jewelry and pottery, proving that the Maya believed in an afterlife. Some Mayan beliefs and innovations

were adopted from an earlier culture called the Olmec.

The chiseled designs on stone stelae, the painting on pottery and the magnificent painted murals from

the ruins at Bonampak show that during ceremonies Mayan kings dressed in splendor. They wore

breastplates of carved jade. They put on headdresses made of long, iridescent green tail feathers and

wore spotted hides. The feathers were from the resplendent quetzal and the hides were from jaguars.

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These animals were the most magnificent creatures that could be found in the surrounding rainforests.

The natural world was sacred to the Maya. They worshipped the gods of the sun, rain and maize. The

kings bore names like Bird Jaguar and Jaguar Paw.

No one is sure why the powerful Mayan culture declined in the 10th

century AD – well before the arrival

of the Spanish. Because the production of stucco requires the heat from massive fires of green wood, a

current theory is that the Maya deforested their land and precipitated an environmental collapse. As the

people lost confidence in their rulers, the ceremonial centers fell into ruins and were covered over by the

jungle. Although the Maya still populate the Yucatan, it has been up to modern archeologists to restore

the pyramids and decipher the hieroglyphic system which was forgotten over time.

Appendix 2 Appendix 2 Appendix 2 Appendix 2 –––– TTTThe Incahe Incahe Incahe Inca

Several hundred years after the decline of the Maya and

much further south, the Inca people began to build

another truly impressive empire. Originating as a small

group of sun worshippers centered in Cuzco, Peru, the

Inca started military conquest of their neighbors around

1438 AD and succeeded in expanding their kingdom as

far north as Ecuador and as far south as Chile - often

absorbing the technologies and beliefs of the cultures they

defeated.

At that time in history, to achieve a centralized government controlling so much territory was amazing.

The Inca did it without having iron, the wheel, a system of money, or a system of writing. What the

Inca did have was a well constructed system of 15,000 miles of roads radiating out from Cuzco. They

also kept official runners called “chaskis” along the roads and claimed that messages could travel by

chaskis 250 miles/day.

Although the Inca had no written language, a system of colored and knotted strings was used to keep

records. These “quipus” were kept and “read” by official “rememberers.” Unfortunately, knowledge of

how to read the quipus has been lost.

The Inca religion of sun worship was a unifying force in the empire largely because the Inca ruler was

considered to have descended from the sun and was, therefore, thought to be a god himself. Elaborate

stone temples were decorated with massive amounts of gold and silver. The famous Coricancha

(Temple of the Sun) in the Inca capital Cuzco had over 700 panels of gold on its walls plus life-sized

golden replicas of llamas, lizards, corn, and hummingbirds. Interestingly, gold and silver were never

used as money by the Inca but were valued only for their beauty. Gold was said to be “sweat of the

sun;” silver to be “tears of the moon.”

Unfortunately, rumors of gold reached the Spanish conquistadors recently arriving in the New World.

After only one century of empire, the Inca were invaded and subdued when Francisco Pizarro captured

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the Inca ruler Atahuallpa in 1532 AD. With the advantage of guns and horses and with the Inca already

decimated by diseases brought by the invaders, fewer than 200 Spanish soldiers massacred the

thousands of Incas with Atahualpa that day. In a bargain for his life, Atahuallpa allowed the total

looting of Coricancha and other sites. Months later the Inca king was executed by the Spanish anyway.

In recent years, fascinating remains of the once

glorious empire have been discovered. Along the

coast of Peru (which is dry and desert-like) and in the

high Andes Mountains (where things stay frozen)

mummies, some offered as sacrifices, have been

unearthed that are so well preserved that modern

science is able to reveal new details of the amazing

lives of the Inca.

Amazing Inca Stone Work massive carved and fitted stones held without the use of mortar

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QuizQuizQuizQuiz 1. Name one Central American country where the Maya lived. ___________________

2. The brilliantly-colored, streamer-tailed bird of the rainforest revered by the Maya was

the _________________.

3. The largest cat of the Americas (spotted like the leopard) is the _________________.

4. Rainforests are noted for their rich soils which are loaded with nutrients. T/F

5. Cloud forests tend to be higher in elevation than most other rainforests. T/F

6. The Maya lived in separate city states and had no central government. T/F

7. The capital of the Inca Empire was Machu Picchu. T/F

8. The Inca ruled the Andes Mountains region when the Spanish arrived in the 1500’s. T/F

9. In the Amazon, macaws and other parrots eat ________ to cleanse their systems of poisons from their

diet of seeds and fruit.

10. The Maya had no written language, but the Inca did. T/F