Journey to Mayan Country...

Annotation:
This is an inquiry based lesson in which students in groups of two will take a virtual field trip to Mayan web sites to gather information pertaining to the Mayan civilization. They will visit The Mayan Adventure web site to look at pictures of the ruins. They will visit the Mayan Kids web site to learn about the culture and beliefs. They will visit the Gods of Ancient Mexico web site to discover the Mayan gods. They will take a video tour of Nova's Lost King of the Maya web site to learn about the hieroglyphic inscriptions. They will visit the Rabbit in the Moon web site to learn how the common Mayans lived. The students will complete a learning journal and report orally to the class on their findings. The students will also complete a visual arts poster with facts and pictures pertaining to the Mayans.

Primary Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to report their facts and findings about the Mayan Civilization to the class. They will also explain the contents of their visual arts poster.

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.

    Grade 4
    Language Arts
    Strand: Writing
    44
    Topic: Writing
    Standard: Uses available technology to assist in writing.

Total Duration:
60 Minutes/5Days

Materials and Equipment:
1. Computers with Internet access
2. Color printer
3. Poster board, pencils, markers, glue
4. Graphic organizer

Procedures:
Step One
Students will begin by collecting information from the various sites and documenting the facts in their learning journals. They will maneuver around the sites and look for pictures or drawings for their visual arts posters.

Step Two
Teacher will circulate among the groups to check for understanding and to help with navigation of the web sites. Students will work independently in their small groups researching their topics.

Step Three
Students will work to complete their visual arts poster and graphic organizer. They will present their findings orally to the class in the form of an oral report. Students will be allowed to ask questions of the presenters. The students will explain the items on their posters.

Web Links:
The students will visit the following sites:
Title: The Mayan Adventure
URL: http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/ma/sites.html

Title: Mayan Kids
URL: http://www.mayankids.com/mkintro.htm

Title: Nova's Lost King of the Maya
URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/maya/copan.html

Title: Gods of Ancient Mexico
URL: http://www.ancientmexico.com/gods/gods.html

Title: Rabbit in the Moon
URL: http://www.halfmoon.org/average.html

Title: Mystery of the Maya
URL: http://www.civilization.ca/civil/maya/mminteng.html
 

Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their abilities to generate at least three paragraphs about the Mayan civilization. The students will not be graded on their artistic abilities but will be accessed on their participation and inclusion of facts and pictures.
 

Extensions:
For students who may finish early, have them complete a more detailed analysis of the Mayan civilization. Allow students to use other forms of visual or artistic representations to accompany their oral reports.

Accommodations:
For students with limited computer skills, they can be paired with students with better computer abilities.
For EIP students, allow them to spend more time collecting facts.

Modifications:
Teacher may need to spend additional time with students before allowing them to start their research. Basic skills about how to research should be retaught. Student can be paired with a higher ability student.

Pre-Post Test Questions


1. Identify two of the Mayan gods and describe them briefly.

Answer: Students may identify any one of the many gods that are talked about on this web site. 
One example would be the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess was the female goddess
 associated with the moon. She holds in her arms a rabbit. The rabbit is a symbol of fertility. Her profile can be seen on the face of the moon. She was an ancient god who was worshipped by most mesoamericans. She was the wife of  the sun, but her true name has not passed down to us.
Chac was the ancient Maya god of rain and lightning. He was one of the earliest and     most worshipped gods among the all the people of mesoamerica. Chac was often depicted with a serpentine ax in his hand. The ax stood for lightning, and his body was
like a reptile. He was worshipped at sacred wells or cenotes, and was associated with        the life giving rain needed for agriculture. At the dawn of time Chac split apart a sacred stone with his ax, from which sprung the first ear of maize. When he was not among the clouds the god could be found near falling waters
2. True or False : The Mayans did not recognize zero as a number.

Answer: False, the Mayans were one of the first mathematicians to use the concept of zero.

Rubric for Lesson


Content
5
3
0
Provided facts learned.
Student provided the at least 5 facts about the Mayans and had supporting details.
Student provided at least 3 facts and about the Mayans and had supporting details.
No Attempt
Ability to work with a group.
Student was on task and worked with the group to complete the assignment.
Student  participated, but not as much as others. 
No Attempt
Visual Arts Project
Student completed art project and could explain the meaning of the visual.
Student partially completed art project.
No Attempt
Total Points

 

Rubric for Question 1


Content
5
3
0
Provided facts learned.
Student provided the names of two Gods. 
Student provided the name of one God.
No Attempt.
Total Points