World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
Day One
Students will describe physical layout of Mesoamerica and the locations of Aztec, Mayan, and Incan
Empires, as well as Spanish trade routes
Students will understand the importance of the Caribbean
Academic Language
Yucatan Peninsula
Mesoamerica
Map Activity
1) Physical layout of Mesoamerica. Students will be given a blank outline of South America and will use
colored pencils to mark in major landforms and expansion limits to the empires
a) Landforms
b) Major Political centers
c) Major religious sites
2) Student will identify the main trade routes of Spain in the renaissance, and mark them on the map.
3) Students will hypothesize the importance of the Caribbean
Day Two
Students will understand the emergence and expansion of the Aztec Culture
Academic Language used:
Textiles
Monarchy
Mesoamerica
Bureaucracy
Glyphs
1. What do you know about the Aztecs ---5 minutes
2. Reading and crossword activity----15 minutes
a. This is a crossword that can be handed out to the students to work on as they are
reading the chapter.
b. The crosswords are able to be kept to be of assistance for the end of the week writing
activity. (A newspaper article, one page, describing the reporter's views and findings of
Mesoamerican culture.) This will be briefly introduced in the class to get the students to
start thinking of ideas for their article.
3. Academic challenge
a. Interactive slide presentation and questions –30 minutes
b. The groups are the same that their desks arrangements.
4. Physical challenge
a. This is the Aztec game of Ullama ( u laa maa)
i. Rules
1. If the ball leaves the court, no points
2. Cannot be touched with anything but hips.
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
3. Points awarded by the area it lands in.
4. One chance per question right
b. Everything can be done with tape on the ground. The players should stand 8 feet from
the point zone. The boundaries are 5 feet across. To ensure that there is a fighting
chance, take a piece of string and put it underneath the tape, raising the edges of the
boxes.
5. After lesson discussion about 5 things newly learned. – Time left till dismissal.
Day Three
Students will understand the emergence of the Aztec Alliance
Students will document the expansion and colonization of the Aztecs in central México
Academic Language:
Triple Alliance
Tribute
Calpulli
1. The motivation behind the Triple Alliance.
a. Military
b. Economic
c. Even distribution of resources and wealth
2. Map Activity
a. Students will add the triple alliance to their personal maps
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
Day Four
Students will understand the emergence and expansion of the Mayan Culture
Students will compare and contrast the Mayan and Aztec cultures.
Academic Language
Venn Diagram
City State
Causeway
1. The interactive slide presentation—15 minutes
a. For this interactive slide presentation the students will be encouraged to focus on what
made the Mayan culture different from the Aztec culture. As it will play into importance
for the Venn diagram.
b. For the videos, the first one is a quick video so the students are able to visualize the
game. Explain the rules as well
i. No hands, fight to the death, the game can be played for hours if not days. It
ends when the ball, weighing nine pounds roughly, goes through the hole.
2. Map Activity
i. A focus on Mayan causeways and trading routes will be added to their maps
from day one.
3. JigSaw learning--15 minutes
a. Students will break into groups and read varied texts pertaining to the different aspects
of Mayan Society. Students will than do a jigsaw where they will teach the other groups
their information.
4. Venn Diagram---15 minutes
a. Have students complete the Venn diagram with the Aztec culture and the Mayan based
upon what they know from yesterday and today's lesson.
5. Share out--5 minutes
a. Students will be given the opportunity to share their Venn diagrams with the class. Since
the students are able to come up with original answers it should be encouraged to have
multiple perspectives shared.
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
Day Five
Students will understand the emergence and expansion of the Incan Culture
Academic Language:
Mnemonics
Record Keeping
1. Who were the Inca?
a. Ask students about prior knowledge of the Inca, and explain what they did not have,
wheel, the horse or written word.
b. Words to know
i. courier—a messenger
ii. quipu—a cord with other (knotted) cords attached, used to keep records
iii. empire—a territory inhabited by different people that is ruled over by a
single sovereign, or monarch
iv. Andes—the mountain range in South America
v. terrain—the physical features of a tract of land
vi. Peru—the modern-day country in South America that was the heart of the
Inca Empire
c. Society
i. Royalty
ii. Nobility
iii. General people
1. Girls were given a name by most important uncle at age 15
2. Boys were expected to work at age 13
iv. Conquered races
d. Writing activity, 3-4 sentences about who were the Inca
2. Where were the Inca?
a. Guatemala to Chile
b. Andes mountains
i. Writing activity
1. 2-3 sentences on where were the Inca?
3. Messages?
a. Very important to be able to communicate across the mountains.
i. How, with no written language?
ii. Llamas but they don’t like to be ridden
iii. Travel on foot
1. Couriers
a. Strong minds
b. Strong legs
2. Inca trail 10,000 miles long, sometimes 24 feet wide
3. Messages carried 150 miles in a day
a. Sometimes the emperor’s fresh fish!
b. Writing activity “how did the Inca get their messages across the mountain?
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4. Telephone
a. A class wide game 2-3x with random sentences
b. Demonstrate mnemonics and how it helps
i. Have them write the word INCA down the left side of a page. Ask them to write
out a message using the letters of INCA to spell a message. For example:
I haven't heard from you in a long time.
N ot much going on here.
C an you send me a message by courier?
A ll I need to know is that you're OK.
This demonstrates how the Inca got messages across their vast empire.
5. Writing activity, students answer in 1-2 sentences how the Inca got their messages across
the empire.
Day Six
Students will recognize the impact of the Spanish on Mesoamerican cultures
Students will compare the effects of different outside influences on Mesoamerican culture
Students will analyze the impact of the Mesoamerican cultures on the Spanish
Academic Language:
Not applicable
1. Begin with recap on Spanish trade routes
2. Class discussion on the importance of expansion
a. Review Importance of the Caribbean
3. Writing and reading
a. Students will do a worksheet on the influences of the Spanish on the Mesoamerican
cultures.
Day Seven
Students will analyze the downfall of the Mesoamerican cultures.
Students will understand the influence that the Spanish had on these cultures
Academic Language:
Not applicable
1. Students will split into groups representing the cultures of Mesoamerica for a debate
a. Students will have 15 minutes in two groups to come up with an argument for if they
will embrace or resist the Spanish.
b. Students will then be given time to attempt to persuade their plans to the class, who
will than collectively vote on their preferred option.
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
2. Research and readings
a. Students will then be given an assortment of article to read from different historians
perspectives on the collapse of the Mesoamerican cultures. Students will than share
out to the rest of class.
3. Students will than take part in an interactive slide presentation on the impact of the Spanish on
the Mesoamerican cultures.
Day Eight
Students will actively participate in a presentation from a local archaeologist
1. Students will listen to a presentation on Mesoamerican culture and society from a local
university professor. This will also focus on the ways that societies today are aware of their
culture.
Day Nine
Students will formally demonstrate their knowledge through a written comparison of the Incan, Aztec
and Mayan cultures.
Academic Language:
Professional Objectivity
1. A reflective guided discussion on yesterdays presentation
2. Students will write a thank you to the professor.
3. Discussion on Journalism--10 minutes
a. What makes a good article
b. Professional objectivity
c. What type of language is used
Project
4. Students will write one journal article for a Spanish newspaper detailing their observations as a
newly arrived journalist in Mesoamerica. -40min
Article should include:
a. Comparison between three cultures of their choice including two Mesoamerican (Aztec,
Incan, Mayan and Spanish)
b. A brief description of how the city appeared when first found
c. The intentions of the Spanish empire on these new civilizations
5. Students will draw one editorial cartoon to illustrate their article
a. Cartoon may be drawn by either the point of the Spanish or a Mesoamerican tribe.
b. The cartoon should also have an explanation for the reader detailing the main point of
the cartoon
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
Day Ten
Students will complete their projects
Students will present their projects
1. Students will be given time to complete their projects
2. Students will give a brief presentation of their editorial cartoon
3. Review
a. Students will be given time to ask question on the study guide and time to prepare for
the unit exam on the next day. The study guide will be collected at the beginning of the
exam to ensure that students have completed it.
Day Eleven
Unit exam day
1. Collect the study guides
2. Students will take the unit exam-45 minutes
3. Brief introduction on the next unit-5 minutes
Instructional Approach Breakdown
Instructional approach
Maps
Day
One, Four
Physical Activity
Debate/ Role play
Two
Seven
Guest Speaker
Eight
Independent Project
Nine
Activity
Creating maps to keep visual
representation of the areas we
are talking about. Maps will be
referenced throughout the unit
An Aztec game.
A hypothesized approach to the
Spanish arriving in Mesoamerica.
Students will role play the roles
of the Aztec and Mayans.
Participate in an archeologists
presentation on Mesoamerican
cultures
A project focusing on a facet of
Mesoamerican cultures.
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Differentiated Learning
Objective
Content
Process
Product
Understanding of the
structures of Mayan
civilization
Students will
understand the
structures of Mayan
civilization.
Students will do a
Jigsaw, where they will
teach the other groups
in the classroom, all
completing a fill in the
blank worksheet.
Demonstrate
knowledge in
Mesoamerican culture.
Students will be able
to describe aspects of
Mesoamerican culture
and society.
This will be through
the students interest.
The students will be
grouped and provided
with varied texts on
the different facets of
the Mayan society.
Students will conduct
an independent study
Students will complete
a journal article where
they will have studied
one area of interest to
them.
Spiral Curriculum
A spiral curriculum is a form of giving the students the instruction of the unit in a ever
deepening manner. It is a method of teaching to where the student will learn a topic in an a
step by step manner. These steps are increasing in difficulty in a way much similar to
scaffolding. This manner of teaching allows the teacher to closely monitor the progress of the
student and adjust the teaching to ensure that the student is learning the desired outcomes.
The unit begins with a brief introduction on the three societies and their physical
location. Since the unit and the standard focuses on the three main societies and they existed
at times, it is easy to incorporate a multi-faceted approach to the unit.
There is a overlying theme, of the time continuing on Mesoamerica and the societies
that inhabit it. With the spiral curriculum it allows for the specific study on a culture and a more
in depth study into the society to follow. This is a spiral unit as when there is a focus on a
culture it must also be reminded that there are other events going on. For example in the unit,
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
day three has a Venn Diagram activity that is comparing the Mayan and Aztec cultures. The
students will become aware of the two cultures that are interacting in the same manner and
developments. The students will be going in depth in a culture while coming up for air to
examine the other cultures similarities, drawing conclusions and ties to their own previous
knowledge.
The students will also be relating the cultures to the actions that are going on in areas of
a previous focus, the empires of Europe, the concept of drawing connections from what is
studied in a previous unit will bolster the understandings of the Mesoamerican cultures. When I
was in Puerto Rico, I was blindsided by the realization on my second day that the culture and
the buildings I was looking at were built in the same period of the renaissance. There was not a
connection in my schooling to have this idea originate from my prior knowledge. In this unit
there is sufficient time built in to bring these connections to the forefront and incorporate the
students.
This is advantageous as there is more than one development that is taking place in the
world at a given time and the connection of tying this together allows the student to put more
understanding on the topic. This is a use of a multi-spiraled approached as it routinely gets
detailed in the unit and then pulls out and allows for a broad comprehension before cycling
back into depth.
One of the techniques that is going to be used in this unit is a journal. The students will
be not be writing daily journals, rather they will be writing as journalists. This will be ongoing
throughout the unit and a way for the teacher to monitor the students progress. These journal
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World Hist. 9th grade Cricket
articles would be allowing the students to connect the overarching themes that tie in the
Mesoamerican civilizations. These journal articles would allow for the students to tie in their
knowledge of what they are learning from Mesoamerica and what they are recalling from
Europe.
This is a spiral unit with the ties and connections that the students are examining
throughout the unit. There are multiple spirals that will take place through the unit and the
spirals are easily monitored by the teacher to ensure that the students are learning the desired
outcome.
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