Jaguar

Jake, Doc and Taw live here in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Think about the differences in Poughkeepsie and Manaus.  Using the theme of PLACE, we would consider how each city looked, including buildings, landscape, and rivers.  PLACE also includes the people - their  races and ethic orgins, their language, religion, and customs.

How would the climate differ?

Doc plans to set up a jaguar preserve.  Learn a little about the Jaguar on this page.

This is the only jaguar preserve in the world.  The chances of seeing a jaguar here, however, because they are nocturnal, are about 17,000 to 1!  However, you can see other wildlife here.

Taw was a member of the Hopi Indian tribe.  Their name comes from the word that means "peaceful ones", which is what they called themselves.  Check out  paragraphs 1, 2 6, and 8.
You might like to listen to the music of the Hopi, also.

Doc is flying into Manaus, Brazil.  Click on the map to zoom in, or use the -/+ scale.  Find Poughkeepsie, NY and then Manaus, Brazil.  Estimate the distance using the scale (zoom out so you can see both continents).

Even on such a small map, the Amazon River Basin is huge.  Manaus is located above the small a in Amazon.  Scroll down to see what South America looks like from outer space!

What looks like the beach in this video clip is really water.  This meeting takes place near Manaus, so Doc and Jake would definitely see it.

Pictures two and three clearly indicate why the Amazon is called "the ocean river".

How many rivers have you seen that are four different colors?

According to this article, the Amazon rainforest is about the same size as the US, minus Hawaii and Alaska!  Click on the map so see the types of vegetation that grows there.

Most of Jaguar takes place in the rainforest.  Read this article to understand how important the rainforest is to us, why it is disappearing, and what can be done to protect it.

Here we are, in the rainforest!

Play this game to learn about the animals in the rainforest.  After you have answered the questions, you might like to do it again, as the questions change.

Read about a teenager who actually worked in Brazil's rainforest as a field biologist.
Note the things of which she was most afraid.

This is similar to the ultralight Buzz shows Jake.  Would you feel safe piloting it?

Which blue do you think is the closest to the Morpho's color?  Experiment by coloring in each section according to the directions.

The jaguar and the macaw are two main characters in Jaguar.    There is a scene in the book that is very similar to this picture of the macaws.

Complete this scavenger hunt on the rainforest.  See how many you can answer without looking up the answers!

What did Charles Darwin mean by this quote?

Indigenous tribes exposed to modern civilization still exist in South America.  Their homes are threatened because of logging and their health is endangered due to modern illnesses for which they have no immunity.  What can we do to ensure they do not become extinct?