Lesson Plans
Lesson One: Aztec Civilization
This first lesson is one that should follow the lesson by the title “Explorers of the Past”. This lesson can be found in the Language Academy curriculum “Sharing Our Culture Through Language”.
Lesson Summary
Children will be introduced to the important aspects of Aztec civilization. They will compare what they learned in this lesson to the information they hypothesized from the introductory lesson “Explorers of the Past”. They will write a comparative essay.
Student Objectives
To identify at least four slides and describe their meaning. To write a comparative essay that compares their hypothesis of the life led by the Aztecs to that of the actual facts.
Time: Two lessons
Before You Start
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l. Read background section “The Aztecs” and the slide information.
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2. Preview slide packet “Aztec Civilization”.
Materials
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l. Slide set “Aztec Civilization”
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2. Children’s archaeology charts from the lesson: Explorers of the past.
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3. Writing paper.
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Aztec Indian
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Indio Azteca
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Lifestyle
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Estilo de vida
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Pyramid
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Pirámide
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Lake
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Lago
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Warlike
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Guerrero
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Civilization
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Civilización
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Religious
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Religioso
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Input/Procedure
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1. Display group charts from the lesson Explorers of the Past.
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2. Explain that today they will get a chance to see how the Aztec Indians of Mexico truly lived. Afterwards they will be writing an essay that compares what their group predicted Aztec life was like to that of the true facts.
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3. Present the slide show “The Aztec Civilization” and explain.
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4. Allow for questions throughout presentation.
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5. Afterwards, refer back to the information charts done by the children and question them on how their original predictions. Ask them what new information they learned that proved their predictions wrong.
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6. Have children write their comparative essays.
Evaluation
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l. What did the Aztec Indians look like?
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2. Where did they live?
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3. How did they live?
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4. What did they eat?5. Which people in the community were leaders?
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6. Name two kinds of food eaten by the Aztec Indians.
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7. Evaluate students comparative essay.
Additional Activities
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l. Have children write an experience story entitled: My Day with the Aztec Indians.
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2. Have children learn the contributions of the Aztec Indian to present day Mexican culture.
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3. Read about the first encounters of the Aztecs with the Spanish in 1519. Have them discuss their opinions on whether they thought the Spaniards actions were justified.
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4. Make a diorama of a scene in Aztec life.
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5. Learn about the lifestyle of other Indians from the United States.
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6. Read about Indians from remote areas of the world (the Amazon) who still live as they did hundreds of years ago. Have a debate. Role play a courtroom situation where some children role-play modern anthropologists who argue that the Indians lifestyle must be preserved. Have other students take on the role of Educators or Missionaries who want to intervene in the Indians life to modernize them.
