Download Teacher`s Guide Aztecs Teacher`s Guide ...........................www

Teacher’s Guide
Aztecs
Dear Educator,
nlock the mysteries of a lost
Mexican empire whose legacy
and traditions still exist today!
While reading KIDS DISCOVER
Aztecs, your young historical detectives will learn about the fascinating
topics at right.
U
W H AT ’ S I N AZTECS
PAGES
2–3 Welcome to the City in a Lake
The greatest city of the Aztec empire—Tenochtitlan
4–5 Up and Down the Social Ladder
What was life like for the nobles, commoners, and warriors?
6–7 Sacrifices and Smoking Mirrors
Gods, priests, and religion of the Aztecs
This Teacher’s Guide is filled with
activity ideas and blackline masters
to help your students enjoy and learn
more from Aztecs. Select or adapt
the activities that suit your students’
needs best.
8–9 The Mystery of Time
The solar calendar and the sacred calendar
10–11 A Short Time on the Earth
A painting of an Aztec religions gathering and a few lines
from a Nahuatl poem
12–13 Fun and Festivals
Games and special events in Aztec life
Thank you for making KIDS DISCOVER
a part of your classroom.
14–15 Disaster!
Sincerely,
16–17 The Aztec Legacy
Montezuma meets Cortes
Descendants of the Aztecs keep traditions alive
KIDS DISCOVER
P.S. We would love to hear from you!
E-mail your comments and ideas to
[email protected]
18–19 Student Activities
Make a clay sun sculpture, plus a word search, matching,
and resources
• IN THIS TEACHER’S GUIDE •
Meeting the Standards
✔ World History: Era 6 The Emergence
of the First Global Age, 1450-1770
✔ United States History: Era 1 Three
Worlds Meet (Beginnings to 1620)
– National Standards for History
2 Prereading Activities
3 Get Set to Read (Anticipation Guide)
4 Discussion and Writing Questions
5–6 It’s in the Reading (Reading Comprehension)
7 Everything Visual (Graphic Skills)
✔ Visit www.kidsdiscover.com/standards
to find out more about how KIDS
DISCOVER meets state and national
standards.
8 Cross-Curricular Extensions
9–12 Answer Keys to Blackline Masters
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© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 1
PREREADING ACTIVITIES
efore distributing KIDS DISCOVER Aztecs activate students’
B
prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading with these
activities.
,
Discussion
T
o get students thinking about how this topic
relates to their interests and lives, ask:
✔ Has anyone ever visited Mexico? What is it like?
✔ What do you want to know about the Aztecs?
Concept map
E
xplain to students that
they will be reading
Aztecs. Ask: What are some
words that are related to
Aztecs?
List students’ responses on
the board. (See box below for
some terms they may suggest.) After creating a list,
ask students to group the words into categories,
such as People or Places. Create a concept map by
writing Aztecs on the board and circling it. Write the
categories around the circle and draw lines between
the ideas to show connections. Then write the
words from the list around the appropriate categories. Encourage students to add more words to the
concept map as they read Aztecs.
KEY TERMS
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Tenochtitlan
Mexico City
Lake Texcoco
Montezuma II
Quetzalcoatl
Hernan Cortes
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Ocarina
chocolate
codex
glyph
gold
calendar
Get Set to Read
(Anticipation Guide)
C
opy and distribute the Get Set to Read blackline master (page 3 of this Teacher’s Guide).
Explain to students that this Anticipation Guide will
help them find out what they know and what
misconceptions they have about the topic. Get Set
to Read is a list of statements—some true, some
false. Ask students to write whether they think
each statement is true or false in the Before
Reading column. Be sure to tell students that it is
not a test and they will not be graded on their
answers. The activity can be completed in a variety of ways for differentiated instruction:
◆ Have students work on their own or in small
groups to complete the entire page.
◆ Assign pairs of students to focus on two statements and to become “experts” on these topics.
◆ Ask students to complete the Before Reading column on their own, and then tabulate the class’s
answers on the chalkboard, on an overhead
transparency, or on your classroom computer.
◆ Review the statements orally with the entire class.
If you predict that students will need assistance
finding the answers, complete the Page Number
column before copying Get Set to Read.
Preview
D
istribute Aztecs and model how to preview it.
Examine titles, headings, words in boldface type,
pictures, charts, and captions. Then have students
add new information to the Concept Map. If students will only be reading a few pages at one sitting, preview only the selected pages.
BE WORD WISE WITH POWER VOCABULARY!
Y
ou have exclusive access to additional resources including Power
Vocabulary blackline masters for every available KIDS DISCOVER
title! These activities introduce students to 15 specialized and
general-use vocabulary words from each KiDS DISCOVER title. Working
with both types of words helps students develop vocabulary, improve
comprehension, and read fluently. Follow the links from your Teacher’s
Toolbox CD-ROM and find your title to access these valuable resources:
◆
◆
◆
◆
◆
◆
Vocabulary cards
Crossword puzzle
Word find
Matching
Cloze sentences
Dictionary list
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© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 2
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
Get Set to Read
The Aztecs built an empire in Mexico. What do you know about the Aztecs? In Before Reading,
write true if you think the statement is true. Write false if you think the statement is not true.
Then read KIDS DISCOVER Aztecs. Check back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct
answer and the page number where you found it.
CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true.
Before Reading
_____________
After Reading
1. The Aztecs lived in what is today
Page Number
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
Mexico.
_____________
2. By the early 1500s, far fewer people
lived in the Aztec city of
Tenochtitlan than lived in the
English city of London at that time.
_____________
3. The Aztecs built their empire by
conquering other people and forcing
them to pay tribute.
_____________
4. The Aztecs believed in many gods.
_____________
_____________
_____________
5. The Aztecs divided their history into
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
centuries.
_____________
6. The Aztecs held important cere-
monies for the birth of a child.
_____________
7. The Spanish explorer Francisco
Pizarro conquered the Aztecs.
_____________
8. The green, white, and red stripes in
the Mexican flag are reminders of
the Aztec past.
© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 3
DISCUSSION & WRITING QUESTIONS
se the following questions as oral discussion starters or for
U
journaling. For additional in-class discussion and writing
questions, adapt the questions on the reading comprehension
blackline masters on pages 5 and 6.
Pages 2–3
Tenochtitlan was surrounded by water. Ask:
Pages 10–11
✔ What do you think is happening in this painting?
Who are the people and what are they doing? Why?
✔ What are some advantages for a city that is
surrounded by water?
What are some disadvantages?
Pages 12–13
Several special events the Aztecs celebrated are
mentioned on page 12. Ask:
Pages 4–5
The Aztecs treated their
leader like a god. Even the
ground where he walked
was swept. Ask:
✔ Do you think leaders
should be treated like
gods? Are leaders
“sacred,” or are they simply people who have been
elected or chosen to be in
office? Do you think
leaders who have been elected should be treated differently than those who are in the position because
of heredity, such as a king or queen? Explain.
Pages 4–5
In Aztec society, rules governed how people of
different classes dressed. In the United States, some
people believe that there should be dress rules, too,
particularly for students in school. Ask:
✔ Do you think there should be dress codes for students in school? What are some advantages and
disadvantages to having dress codes? Do you think
school dress codes are a good idea? Why?
Pages 6–7
✔ What parts of training to be a priest surprised you
the most? Why?
Pages 8–9
✔ Why do you think the Aztecs had two calendars?
✔ How are the two calendars similar? How are they
different?
✔ How are these two calendars similar to the calendar
that you use? How are they different?
✔ Which of these special events do you celebrate?
What other events do you celebrate? How do you
celebrate them?
✔ Which of the Aztec games, festivals, or ceremonies
would you want to see or participate in? Why?
Pages 14–15
The Aztecs were superstitious. They believed that
certain unexplainable events, such as “a ball of fire
streaking across the sky,” could foretell disaster. Ask:
✔ Do you have any superstitions? If so, what are
they? Where do you think superstitions come from?
What are they based on?
Pages 14–15
✔ What were some advantages Cortes and his men
had over the Aztecs?
Pages 16–17
Some cities, such as Mexico City, are built on top
of older cities. Ask:
✔ Why do you think some cities are built on top of
other cities?
✔ How would you feel if you were the worker who discovered a statue of the Aztec goddess?
All pages
After students read the
issue, ask:
✔ What one fact about
the Aztecs is most
interesting to you?
Why?
✔ Would you like to have
lived during the height
of the Aztec empire?
Explain
Read
KIDS
DISCOVER
aloud
to demonstrate
fluency, expressive
reading, and
how to read
nonfiction texts.
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© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 4
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
It’s in the Reading
After reading KIDS DISCOVER Aztecs, choose the best answer for each question.
Fill in the circle.
Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question.
1. What does Tenochtitlan mean in English?
❍
❍
❍
❍
A. Place of Reeds
B. Place of the Prickly Pear
C. Place of the Deer
D. Place of Land on Water
2 3
2. What is the tribute paid by conquered people to the Aztec rulers most
like?
A. taxes
B. loans
C. gifts
D. salary
❍
❍
❍
❍
4 5
3. Why might the jaguar warriors have been called Soldiers of the Night?
❍
❍
❍
❍
A. Eagle warriors already had the name Soldiers of the Day.
B. They refused to fight during the day.
C. Jaguars hunted mainly at night.
D. Jaguar warriors were fierce like jaguars.
4 5
4. Why was the Great Temple rebuilt seven times?
❍
❍
❍
❍
A. The Great Temple had been destroyed by fire.
B. The location of the Great Temple was moved to the capital city.
C. Each ruler wanted to make the Great Temple grander.
D. The Great Temple was rebuilt to honor different gods.
6 7
5. How long was the Aztec history if the Aztecs believed they lived in the
fifth sun and each sun was 52 years?
A. more than 1,000 years
B. almost 300 years
C. about 550 years
D. at least 408 years
❍
❍
❍
❍
© KIDS DISCOVER
8 9
AZTECS 5
It’s in the Reading
(continued)
6. Why did the Aztec poet say that “Even gold breaks”?
❍
❍
❍
❍
A. to emphasize that nothing lasts forever
B. to explain why gold is worthless
C. to explain why gold is valuable
D. to tell why sacrifice was permitted
10 11
7. Which of the following games is most like the Aztec game tlachtli?
❍
❍
❍
❍
A. baseball
B. bowling
C. soccer
D. American football
12 13
8. Why did the Spanish soldiers stay and fight the Aztecs?
❍
❍
❍
❍
A. Cortés had promised them riches.
B. Their ships had been burned so they could not leave.
C. They wanted to honor their king.
D. They wanted to help the enemies of the Aztecs.
14 15
9. How did the turkey get its name?
❍
❍
❍
❍
10.
A. The name comes from an Aztec word.
B. The name is what the Spanish called the bird.
C. The name is short for the name of the Aztec capital city.
D. The British named it after a similar bird from near Turkey.
16 17
Do you think the Aztecs helped bring about their own downfall?
Explain.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 6
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
Everything Visual
Maps provide information about location. Study the maps on page 2. Use the maps to answer
questions about the land of the Aztecs.
1. What is the purpose of the small inset map?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. What does the red box in the inset map do?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. What two large bodies of water have shores on Mexico?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Why is Tenochtitlan printed under the name Mexico City?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. What does the white star in the red circle stand for?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6.
How can you tell that the map was drawn to scale?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7.
Why does the map show only Mexico in yellow?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 7
CROSS-CURRICULAR EXTENSIONS
H aa vned si nt ut edreenstts itnr yt hteh eAszet eaccst.i v i t i e s t o e x p a n d t h e i r k n o w l e d g e
Geography
Art, Math
Have students find Mexico on a map or in an
atlas. Then have students locate Mexico City.
Explain that latitude and longitude are used to give
the exact location of a city or place. Students
should find the latitude and longitude of Mexico
City. Students can then play a longitude and latitude game. On a piece of paper, each student
should jot down the latitude and longitude of any
other city in the world and the name of the city.
Collect all the papers and select one at a time. Read
the longitude and latitude aloud and challenge students to name the city.
Have students draw their own versions for each of
the 20 days on the right hand side of the sacred calendar, shown on page 9. First, have students use a
compass to draw a large circle. Then ask, “How
many degrees are in a circle?” (360) Explain that
they will need to divide the circle into 20 sections,
and guide students to determine how many degrees
each section will be. Next, have students use a protractor to measure each section. Then students can
draw each of the “days” in order, similar to the way
it is shown on page 9. Display artwork on the bulletin board.
Math
Social Studies,
Language Arts
On pages 8–9, students learn that the Aztecs’
solar calendar was divided into 18 months of 20
days each. Five “nothing” days were added at the
end of each year. Have students do some math
problems using those numbers. For example, how
many total days were there in one year? In two
years? In five years? In ten years? How many “nothing” days are there in 15 years? Twenty years? What
percent of the days of the year are nothing years?
Promote
reading,
speaking,
and
listening skills
by having
students read
KIDS DISCOVER
aloud in pairs.
In 1519, Spanish
explorer and conqueror
Hernán Cortés arrived
in Tenochtitlan. Have
students find out about
some other events that
took place around the
world in the 16th century. Each student
should write a paragraph on five events that took
place in the 16th century. They should explain what
happened and where it took place. As a class, put
the events in time line order.
Language Arts
In Aztec times, there were celebrations like the
sun dance ceremony, in which people asked the
jaguar god for rain. Have students imagine that they
are asking the jaguar god for rain. Students should
write a poem, asking the jaguar god for rain, and
telling why they want the rain.
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© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 8
ANSWER KEY
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
Get Set to Read
The Aztecs built an empire in Mexico. What do you know about the Aztecs? In Before Reading,
write true if you think the statement is true. Write false if you think the statement is not true.
Then read KIDS DISCOVER Aztecs. Check back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct
answer and the page number where you found it.
CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true.
Before Reading
After Reading
1. The Aztecs lived in what is today
Page Number
True
p. 2
False
p. 2
True
p. 5
True
p. 6
False
p. 8
True
p. 12
False
p. 14
False
p. 16
Mexico.
2. By the early 1500s, far fewer more
people lived in the Aztec city of
Tenochtitlan than lived in the
English city of London at that time.
3. The Aztecs built their empire by
conquering other people and forcing
them to pay tribute.
4. The Aztecs believed in many gods.
5. The Aztecs divided their history into
centuries 52-year time periods.
6. The Aztecs held important cere-
monies for the birth of a child.
7. The Spanish explorer Francisco
Pizarro Hernán Cortés conquered
the Aztecs.
8. The green, white, and red stripes
eagle and cactus in the Mexican
flag are reminders of the Aztec past.
© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 9
ANSWER KEY
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
It’s in the Reading
After reading KIDS DISCOVER Aztecs, choose the best answer for each question.
Fill in the circle.
Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question.
1. What does Tenochtitlan mean in English?
❍ A. Place of Reeds
● B. Place of the Prickly Pear (word meaning)
❍ C. Place of the Deer
❍ D. Place of Land on Water
2 3
2. What is the tribute paid by conquered people to the Aztec rulers most
like?
● A. taxes (inference)
❍ B. loans
❍ C. gifts
❍ D. salary
4 5
3. Why might the jaguar warriors have been called Soldiers of the Night?
❍ A. Eagle warriors already had the name Soldiers of the Day.
❍ B. They refused to fight during the day.
● C. Jaguars hunted mainly at night. (draw conclusions)
❍ D. Jaguar warriors were fierce like jaguars.
4 5
4. Why was the Great Temple rebuilt seven times?
❍ A. The Great Temple had been destroyed by fire.
❍ B. The location of the Great Temple was moved to the capital city.
● C. Each ruler wanted to make the Great Temple grander. (cause and
6 7
effect)
❍ D. The Great Temple was rebuilt to honor different gods.
5. How long was the Aztec history if the Aztecs believed they lived in the
fifth sun and each sun was 52 years?
❍ A. more than 1,000 years
● B. almost 300 years (inference)
❍ C. about 550 years
❍ D. at least 408 years
© KIDS DISCOVER
8 9
AZTECS 10
It’s in the Reading
(continued)
6. Why did the Aztec poet say that “Even gold breaks”?
● A. to emphasize that nothing lasts forever (interpretation)
❍ B. to explain why gold is worthless
❍ C. to explain why gold is valuable
❍ D. to tell why sacrifice was permitted
10 11
7. Which of the following games is most like the Aztec game tlachtli?
❍ A. baseball
❍ B. bowling
● C. soccer (draw conclusions)
❍ D. American football
12 13
8. Why did the Spanish soldiers stay and fight the Aztecs?
❍ A. Cortés had promised them riches.
● B. Their ships had been burned so they could not leave. (cause and
14 15
effect)
❍ C. They wanted to honor their king.
❍ D. They wanted to help the enemies of the Aztecs.
9. How did the turkey get its name?
❍ A. The name comes from an Aztec word.
❍ B. The name is what the Spanish called the bird.
❍ C. The name is short for the name of the Aztec capital city.
● D. The British named it after a similar bird from near Turkey. (details)
10.
16 17
Do you think the Aztecs helped bring about their own downfall?
Explain.
Answers will vary, but students should provide reasons for their opinion.
© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 11
ANSWER KEY
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
Everything Visual
Maps provide information about location. Study the maps on page 2. Use the maps to answer
questions about the land of the Aztecs.
1. What is the purpose of the small inset map?
The inset map helps show the location of Mexico in relation to North and South America.
2. What does the red box in the inset map do?
It highlights the section of the map that is shown on the larger map.
3. What two large bodies of water have shores on Mexico?
The Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico
4. Why is Tenochtitlan printed under the name Mexico City?
Tenochtitlan and Mexico City are in the same place.
5. What does the white star in the red circle stand for?
The encircled star is a symbol for a capital city. It shows that Mexico City is the
capital of Mexico.
6.
How can you tell that the map was drawn to scale?
A scale with miles is shown on the map, so the map must have been drawn to scale.
7.
Why does the map show only Mexico in yellow?
Mexico is the present-day country that once was the land of the Aztecs.
© KIDS DISCOVER
AZTECS 12