Lesson Summary
The students working in groups and independently will
pretend to be an alien coming down to Earth during the time of either the
Mayan, Aztec or Inca civilizations. The
students will complete a report for their home planet on the geographic,
political, economic, religious and social structures of the civilization they
choose and a summary to analyze how the civilization can benefit their home planet.
California Academic Standard(s)
California Academic Standard(s)
7.7 – Students compare and contrast the geographic,
political, economic, religious and social structures of the Meso-American and
Andean civilizations.
Time Frame
Class Time (6) 50 Minute Classes
Total Time – Two Weeks
Goal
The students will develop critical thinking, research and
writing skills while comparing and contrasting the geographic, political,
economic, religious and social structures of the Meso-American and Andean
civilizations.
Learning Styles
- Visual
- Auditory
- Linguistic
- Social
- Logical
- Intrapersonal
Lesson Plan
Anticipatory Set (15
min)
The instructor will write a question on the board that
states “If you had to describe your home town to an alien coming from another
planet, what items would you consider discussing?” The instructor will give the students two
minutes to think about their answer. The
instructor will then call on random students to provide an answer and the
instructor will write the answers on the board.
Direct Instruction
(20 min)
The instructor will briefly discuss the Aztec, Mayan and
Inca civilizations and tell the students that they will pretend to be an alien
that needs to present a report to their home planet about one of the
civilizations. The instructor will tell
the students that prior to the report, the students will work in teams to
compare each of the three civilizations.
The instructor will provide the following handout:
Meso-American and
Andean Civilizations Comparison Chart
Working in teams, you
will write a comparison chart for the Mayan, Aztec and Inca civilizations. The comparison chart will include the following subjects:
- Geography – Compare the location, landform and climate for each civilization.
- Political – Compare the government structure for each civilization.
- Economic – Compare what jobs the citizens did and what items they traded.
- Religious – Compare the religious beliefs of each civilization.
- Social Structures – Compare the class structure and family life of each civilization.
- Art and Science - Compare the artistic and oral traditions as well as the scientific achievements of each civilization.
Even though you will
work together to obtain the information, each person in the group will be
responsible to compare two of the subjects.
Modeling (10 min)
Using the computer and overhead, the instructor will
demonstrate the proper procedure to complete a comparison chart.
Guided Practice (30
min)
The instructor will place students in groups of three. The instructor will ask the students to assign two of the subjects to each member of the team. The students will complete a chart to compare
the Aztec, Mayan and Inca civilizations.
Checks for Understanding
(30 min)
The instructor will call on random teams to provide
comparisons of the three civilizations and the instructor will complete a
comparison chart on the board or overhead.
Direct Instruction
(15 min)
The instructor will provide the following handout and discuss
with the class:
The Alien Reporter
Choosing the Mayan,
Inca or Aztec civilization, you will complete a report to send back to your
home planet. The following items must be
completed for the report:
- Report Outline – The report outline will be a detailed list of key facts you obtain from your research. The outline needs to be much more thorough than the comparison chart summary. The subjects that need to be researched are the following:
- Geography
- Politics and Government
- Economy
- Religion
- Social Structures
- Artistic and Oral Traditions
- Science
- First Draft – Once the report outline is complete and approved, you will write the first draft of your report. The first draft must consider each subject area from your outline as well as a report summary. The report summary will be your analysis to the leaders back on your home planet on why this civilization can be beneficial or not beneficial to your world. The report summary will be the last item completed as part of the first draft.
- Final Draft – Once the first draft is complete and approved, you will complete the final draft of the report. The final draft needs to be typed double spaced. The final draft will also have a cover that needs to include a drawing of your home planet and a drawing of what your alien persona looks like.
Modeling (10 min)
Using the computer and overhead, the instructor will provide
the students an example of what an outline looks like and how a report is
organized and completed.
Guided Practice (80
min)
The students working independently will complete the report
outline.
Checks for
Understanding (Ongoing)
The instructor will review and approve the report outline.
Guided Practice (60
min)
The students working independently will complete the first
draft of the report.
Checks for
Understanding (Ongoing)
The instructor will review and approve the first draft of the report.
Independent Study
The students will complete the final draft of the report.
Checks for
Understanding
The students will submit their final report to the
instructor.
Direct Instruction
(30 min)
The instructor will read to the class some of the better report summaries
and discuss how each of the three civilizations compares to each other.