Curated OER
Natural Resources and Ancient Cities
Students explain how the availability of natural resources has affected human settlement patterns. They recognize the interactions of human populations on environments and compare the growth of two ancient cities in relation to natural...
Curated OER
Be That As It Maya
Creative projects are a great way to engage your class and can be a fun way to assess mastery! Learners create brochures and postcards that might have been created by and for travelers to ancient Mayan cities. They read and discuss the...
Curated OER
Lesson: The Gift of Giving
Giving gifts has been a part of the human experience since modern man walked the earth. Upper graders explore the culture of gift giving in Mayan times through an artistic analysis. They analyze gift giving and palace life as seen on an...
Curated OER
Mystic Lands: Maya: Messages in Stone
Students explore an ancient Mayan city. In this world history lesson, students watch a video about the ancient Mayan civilization, discussing information prior to and after watching the video. Students then come to understand more about...
Curated OER
The Ancient Maya
Young scholars explore the culture of the Mayans through a variety of activities. In this lesson about Maya, students analyze pictures in books and on websites, produce scale models of Maya architecture, and create Maya mosaics. Young...
Curated OER
Lesson: Bringing Back the Sun: The Story of Jaguar Inspiring Student Stories
What on earth is that jar for? It was an ancient incense burner used by the Maya, that was inspired by the myth of the sun god. Young analysts hear the story of the Mayan sun god, analyze the story through the artistry in the jar, and...
Curated OER
The Mayan Empire
Students study vocabulary associated with the Mayan Empire; its art, daily life, inventions, and religious beliefs. They examine why the Mayan culture is considered to be one of the most advanced of the ancient civilizations by...
Curated OER
Old Mayan Mural
Students read a story called Scientists Discover Oldest Mayan Mural and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current events Mayan mural lesson plan, students respond to literature by answering questions,...
Curated OER
Come On Over To Maya Place
Fifth graders analyze the Mayan culture. In this Mayan culture lesson, 5th graders study the Mayan culture noting similarities and differences between the Mayan culture and their own. Students examine hieroglyphic writing and the Mayan...
Curated OER
Aztec and Mayan Mythology
Sixth graders write myths to show tolerance in creation. They read from both the Aztec and Mayan eras and develop an understanding of the similarities and differences of these two closely related cultures. They track the travels of...
Curated OER
Sport as Social Ritual
Learners become familiar with the sport that became a social ritual in ancient American cultures, examining its importance. They gain an understanding of how contemporary sports have acquired importance within modern American culture.
Curated OER
Hanal Pixan
Students research the culture of Mexico. In this Mexican culture lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation about the culture of Mexico and the students take notes. Students write an essay about what they have learned.
Curated OER
Chapter 9: A Surprising Day and A Little Bit About China
Fifth graders complete activities with Chapter 9 of the book The Fastest Pig in the West by Randi Hacker. For this literature lesson, 5th graders discuss the concept of saving face and how it affects the main character's decisions....
Curated OER
Me Oh Maya
Students compare basketball to Mayan ring-ball. They write a newspaper article that may have been published during Mayan times.
Curated OER
Central And South America And Their Ancient Civilizations
Fifth graders listen to lectures on the ancient civilizations of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans. They construct a mask base and then decorate it in thirds with symbols meaningful to each of the three cultures being studied.
Curated OER
Let's Go Maya!
Students make an ancient Maya travel guide. For this ancient Maya lesson, students use knowledge from previous lessons to design a travel guide. They include important information for a traveler who wants to visit an ancient Maya city....
Curated OER
Weavers Tell Their Stories
Pupils examine the practice of weaving by Mayan women. They read personal accounts and write a sentence stating the main idea. They also write a short report on weaving as a cultural and economic way of life for the Mayan women.
Curated OER
Horse Character: Ceramics Lesson
Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...
Curated OER
Teaching the Hindu-Buddhist Tradition in East Asian Culture Through Asian Literature and Film
Learners explore various intellectual traditions which dominate human history through a variety of contemporary pieces of literature which exemplify the traditions. Biblical monotheism, Greek rationalism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism...
Curated OER
Anasazi/Mesoamerican/Andean: Time and Cultural Passages
Seventh graders role play the position of someone in one of six different civilization groups. They research the group's development, advancement and fall of their civilization. They create a presentation to share the information with...
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Understanding the Ancient Americas
A collection of lesson plans with background information on ancient civilizations in the Americas. Includes topics such as Aztec and Mayan mythology, Hispanic influence, religious practices, artwork, and artifacts. The materials were...