Activity
2 Days
1. Prior to starting the lesson, contact the school library
to see if they can gather books addressing the Mayans
and Incas.
2.
On the board have the following ready for a daily warm
up for students as they come into the classroom:
How are homes, buildings and cities designed for our
particular climate and geography? (For example in Tucson
the thick walls of the adobe buildings help keep the
interiors of houses cool. Areas with a lot of snow
would benefit from sloped roofs.)
3.
Begin by explaining to students that all civilizations
make use of and alter
their environments. Ask them
for examples. Encourage students to share how people
in different
civilizations have used their natural resources to
build their cities and homes and provide their own
food. People
learn to live within their environments based on
the geography and climate that is unique to their cities.
4.
Share with the class that ancient civilizations provide
a wonderful example of how people develop
structures to live within and modify the physical
environment.
5.
Explain that the achievements of the cities that the
Mayans and Incas built are considered
some of
the most
extraordinary and that they will be researching
how these great cities were built.
6.
Give each student a chart and have them conduct library
and online
research to explore how the
Mayans and Incas
developed their land based on their climate
and geography. Have them complete their charts with
the information
they find using the online encyclopedias and
texts within the school library.
Day
3
1. Have students work in pairs in an activity
called “Write,
pair, repair.” Instruct the students
to share their notes and add or change any
information.
2.
Have students create a one page report
that briefly explains how the geography
and climate
influenced
the development of the Mayan and Inca cities.
3.
As a class, have students return to the warm up question
from the first day
relating
to their
city’s modifications
for its’ particular physical environment.
Is there anything that they would add?
Homework
None |
