Prying Into the Past

Annotation:
This is a fourth grade inquiry lesson into the Mayan Civilization. Students will research the Mayan Kids web site and dig up information concerning the people and culture of the Maya. They will then present an oral report for their fellow students. They will also generate their own questions for a class quiz with the aide of the teacher. The students will be allowed to use the web site for the quiz. This will be a two-part lesson.

Primary Learning Outcome:
Students will navigate the Mayan Kids web site and research information on the Mayan culture to be presented to the class. The students will then answer the student generated questions about their findings.

Assessed QCC:
  Grade 4
    Social Studies
    Strand: Core Social Studies Skills
    29
    Topic: Information Processing
    Standard: Gathers information through a variety of sources

    Grade 4
    Social Studies
    Strand: History
    28
    Topic: Culture
    Standard: Describes and illustrates how periods in history were reflected through music, art,
         and literature.

    Grade 4
    Technology Integration Research
    Strand: Research
    13
    Topic: Research
    Standard: Uses basic research techniques with teacher guidance.

Total Duration: 1 hour

Materials and Equipment:
    1. Computers with Internet access
    2. Paper & pencil
    3. Student generated study guide

Technology Connection:
Web Links:
Title: Welcome to Mayan Kids
URL: http://www.mayankids.com/
Use of technology: Students will work in groups of three to navigate the site and find out facts about the culture of the ancient Mayans. Teacher will provide assistance as needed.

Procedures:
Step One:
The teacher will assign three students to work in groups. There will be five groups. Each group will have a computer with Internet access. The teacher will tell the students that they are now investigators of the Mayan culture. Their job is to locate specific information and report orally to the class. The groups will each be assigned two of the following topics to research on this site. The topics are: foods, math, ball game, beauty, stone trees, calendars, textiles, writing, month, and chewing gum. Each group will compose three questions to ask the class after they have reported on their topic. The teacher will provide feedback concerning the questions. The students must provide the teacher with the correct answer to the questions. (Estimated time: 20 minutes)

Step Two:
The teacher will guide each group in finding the correct site on the computer. The teacher will also monitor each group and discuss the questions the groups are generating.

Step Three:
Each group will present their report orally to the class. They should allow time to answer any question the class may have about their presentations. Each group will write their three questions on the board. (Estimated time: 30 minutes)

Step Four:
After all the groups have presented, the groups will return to the computers and find the answers to the class questions by investigating the Mayan Kids web site. (Estimated time: 25 minutes)

Step Five
After everyone has completed the questions from the web site, the class will hold a grand conversation about what we discovered about the Mayan Civilization.

Assessment:
Students will answer the class generated questions individually using the Mayan Kids web site and the answers will be assessed for accuracy.

Accommodations:
Students who lack competent computer skills will be paired with skilled users.
Students who may need more teacher assistance will be seated close to the front of the class.

Modifications:
EIP students may be given longer time to complete the assignment. Some students may require fewer questions. Teacher may offer assistance in locating the pages for the questions.

Extensions:
Students can use the site to go on a scavenger hunt to locate the information from the Mayan Scavenger hunt. They can also go to the Annenberg/CPB Learner.org site called Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fall to find further information about the Mayans.
 
 
 

  1. What drink is referred to as the "Drink of the Gods" and what is made from?
      Answer: Chocolate drinks and they were made from the seeds of the cacao tree

  2. What type of agriculture did the Mayans practice?
      Answer: The Mayans practiced the slash and burn agriculture. The Mayans would
            cut down a patch of forest, burn the felled trees and plants for fertilizer, and then
            cultivate the plot. This was a hard job because they were planting maize in the tropical rain
            forests.

    3. How much land did it take to support a family of five?
      Answer: Each five people probably needed at least 70 acres to grow their food. Because
            they did not use fertilization techniques, their soil would be poor in 2 to 4 years.

  4. What type system did the Mayans use for their math and what did they use to help
        them with their calculations?
      Answer: We use a base 10 system and they used a base 20 system. Merchants used cocoa beans
            to help them with their calculations

  5. What did a bar represent in their number system?
      Answer: A bar represented five.

  6. What did a dot represent?
      Answer: A dot represented one.

  7. What was the name of the Mayan ball game?
      Answer: The name of the Mayan ball game was Pok-A-Tok.

  8. What was the function of the ball game?
      Answer: The ball game had a ritualistic function and the losing team was usually sacrificed.

    9. What was the object of the game?
      Answer: The object of the game was to move a hard rubber ball that weighed two pounds
           through the three rings which were several feet off the ground. What made it so difficult was
           you weren't allowed to use your hands, only your elbows, knees, and hips. You couldn't use
           your hands or feet.

  10. What was the most common form of jewelry the Mayans wore?
           Answer: Jade was the most common form of jewelry and they wore it in earrings, beads, and
            ear spools.

   11. What was a feature the Mayans found attractive?
      Answer: The Mayans thought eyes that were slightly crossed were attractive and they would
      hang an object between their eyes to help them cross.

  12. What was something the Mayans did to their newborn children?
      Answer: They shaped the skulls of their newborn children by tying boards to the newborns'
            foreheads. They admired a forehead that sloped back.

  13. What was the Mayan name for the "stone tree?"
       Answer: The name for the stone tree was a stela.

  14. What was the purpose of the "stone tree?"
       Answer: The stone tree was how they marked each twenty years.

  15. What would be carved on the stela?
       Answer: The stela would have a carving of Maya showed themselves in costumes
            with symbols that were associated with the World Tree.

  16. What is the basic unit of the Mayan year and what does it mean?
       Answer: The kin was the basic unit of the year. Kin means day or sun.

  17. What did the typical Mayan calendar contain?
       Answer: The typical calendar contained 18 months with 20 days, plus 5 unlucky days which
            made up the days in a year. The Mayas also had a religious calendar which had 260 days in it.
            Each  day was give a name and a number.

  18. How did the priests measure time?
       Answer: The priest measured time by studying the sun, moon, and Venus. They Mayans were
            one of the few peoples in history to worship time.

  19. Why were colors important to the Mayan weavings?
       Answer: The colors were important because they related to God, nature, and the sky.

  20. What were designs of toads associated with?
       Answer: The designs of toads were associated with rain and fertility. They were believed to be
           the guardians of the rain god's cave.

  21. Describe the diamond/universe/4 corners pattern.
       Answer: he diamond shaped design may be the most common. It is simple to weave and
            and embroider. The shape of the diamond represents the four corners of the Mayan world.
            Each corner represents one of the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.
            Inside the center is another smaller diamond or geometric shape that represents the sun.

  22. How did the Mayans write?
       Answer: The Mayans wrote using pictures or drawings called pictographs. Each picture
            had its own meaning. The Maya could write in full sentences and even wrote stories.
            A story was made by drawing several pictures together. The Maya covered their buildings
            and cities with hieroglyphs carved into the stone.

  23. What were Mayan books made from, what were they called, and how many remain today?
       Answer: The Mayan books were made from bark and were called codex or codices. There are
            only four books remaining today because the Spanish burned them.

  24. Describe how each codex was made.
       Answer: Each image was first outlined with black ink made of coal base. The first drawing
            was done with a tool made from the thorns of the maguey cactus or from chips and bones of
            small animals including birds. Brushes were made of animal hair. Color was important
            because of its special meaning. They related the colors with gods, nature and the sky.

  25. What month was thought to be the unlucky month and how many days did it contain?
        Answer: The unlucky month was called Uayeb and it had only five days.

  26. When did the Mayan celebrate their birthdays?
        Answer: The Mayans celebrated their birthdays every 19 months.

   27. What is one of the most common trees in Mesoamerica?
        Answer: The Chicozapote is one of the most common trees in the jungles of Mesoamerica, There
            are up to 30 species in some areas. Because of the location to the Mayan cities, it is believed
            that the Mayans planted them there.

  28. What is chicle?
        Answer: Chicle is known as the chewing gum resin. No one knows if the ancient Maya
            chewed gum or chicle.